The Portal To Success

2004-03-24T22:05:00.000-05:00

Is HBO Advertising To The Choir?

For the first time in a while, I had the opportunity to sit down and watch "The Sopranos" on HBO. I usually tape it, and watch it whenever I'm the only one home. It's not something my eight year old twins should hear in the background while they're falling asleep, and it's one of those shows that bores my husband. I can only really enjoy it when I'm alone, like someone on a diet sneaking a snack.

Since everyone here is still getting over a nasty little Spring cold, everyone was tucked into bed nice and early, so I get some alone time. Ahhhh! I light a couple of candles, set myself up in my comfy chair with my favorite blanket, and anticipate the possible developments for the Tony Soprano family. I think I just enjoy listening to the accents... reminds me of home.

As I waited for the show to start, HBO plays it's new 'commercial'. It's a docu-mercial satire (documentary syle approach to a spoof on today's large corporate marketing tactics). HBO spends a lot of time laying out the history of the 'water cooler industry'. Basically, the gist of the storyline is that before HBO, the stereotypical office gossip around the watercooler ceased to exist. It seems that people had nothing to talk about.

Enter the new HBO line-up, and suddenly, people once again have something to talk about around the water cooler! God bless America (and HBO)... the water cooler industry is saved! Factories won't shut down as scheduled, and there are even plans for expansion.

Fade to black, and the HBO tagline appears in the center of the screen... dramatic music plays in the background.

"Blah blah blah. H2O."

No, it didn't say "Blah blah blah." It did, however, end with H2O. I don't remember the first few words, because the H2O just hit me funny. I wondered why they decided not to display HBO on the screen at all. I mean I get it, the tie in to the water cooler industry and all, but isn't 'branding' supposed to be about recognition?

Then, another little run of HBO related corporate advertisements. I found myself thinking, "I already pay for HBO, you don't need to convice me"! Now I'm totally distracted, trying to figure out why HBO would spend so much time convincing their current clients that they really SHOULD have HBO, knowing that they do.

Maybe it's the cold medicine clouding my mind, but it seems to me as if HBO is preaching to the choir by making us watch these mini-dramas proclaiming their value.

Maybe it's just further proof of my distaste for marketing tactics. The strategy, I assume, is to burn the message into the viewers mind that without HBO, their lives would somehow be ... less. Eventually, the desired effect being that, if a viewer enjoys one of those rare 'alone time' moments by watching one of those 'other' pay TV channels, they'll remember that HBO is a cut above, and they'll never be satisfied with anything else.

Subtle guilt mixed with slight brainwashing. I see the same tactics being used on the internet. People that choose to learn how to market their businesses on the internet from the big name guru's are told to reveal their talents to their visitors by using testimonials and background history in a 'biography' style.

Does this work? Yes, building trust with a prospect is one of the most important steps in building a Web presence. Unfortunately, there is a lack of good role models. These same guru's teaching these methods are only perceived to be successful due to their own hyped-up, larger than life, and in some cases, *less than realistic* examples of this very tactic.

Would my life be any 'less' if I didn't have HBO? Of course not, I rarely watch television to begin with. Would my life be any 'less' if I don't participate in Mr. Guru's next tele-conference? Of course not, but they will continue to make claims to the contrary.

I blame this personal dislike of mine for my inability to *grow rich overnight*. After all, the guru's say that if we model their success, we could be making hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, right? Maybe if I made up a hyped up biography, and exaggerated history, I too could be an internet millionaire.

Nah. That just wouldn't work for me. I'm an absolutely *horrible* liar.

I digress. Maybe HBO was just *testing* that commercial for use outside of their own customer base? I hope so. After the show, they ran a much shorter version, ending with "HBO. Making water... cooler."

Just incase someone from HBO corporate does a search and finds this post, I vote for the short version, but understand that the long version was necessary to build the history. I only wish Internet Marketers were as 'entertaining' with their branding methods!

2004-03-12T11:56:00.000-05:00

Phone lines down

I have two phone lines, one for business, one for home use. Wouldn't it figure that the business line is the one I have trouble with every year? I could just scream right now. It seems even the smallest amount of ice and the lines go bad. Last time this happened, it took a week to convince them to send a tech to actually look at the lines, and then the poor guy was in the cherry picker for over an hour trying to figure out what was wrong.

::venting:: Well, after spending all morning dealing with customer service email (since the phone number wouldn't keep me on hold due to 'exessive wait time'...... I finally got through to a person, and they will send a tech to look at the lines..... within 72 hours. Kripes... I wonder how many clients and potential clients will think I'm just not answering my phone by then? (I've given my home number to all clients with pending work orders, but still hate when this happens!)

Tonight will be a great night for a glass of wine. :)

2004-03-12T08:45:00.000-05:00

It's snowing again.

Mid March, and it's snowing again here in beautiful upstate NY. I knew this would happen as soon as I agreed to help teach the third graders how to use the Search Engines in an after school program. With any luck, the snow won't be around very long, hopefully it will be gone all together by the time the kids get home from school.

Today's Friday, so I'll be merrily finishing up this week's graphics work. I'm hoping to have the time to polish up the article I've been working on for the next Portal issue.

Word of caution!

There's a new scam being advertised via email by one 'Joe Kumar'. He's telling people that he's using an online payment processor that requires you to scan your drivers licence and other legal documents so that you can send them to him in order to process a payment for his ebook. Please don't fall for this, it's obviously an attempt at identity theft. There is absolutely NO reason you should need to transmit this type of information to make an online purchase.

The nerve of people like this just never ceases to amaze me.

I'm off to get some work done, enjoy your weekend!

2004-03-12T02:42:00.000-05:00

Interview: Web Design Industry

I got a request from a college student, asking for an interview to help them gather perspective on running a self owned business in their area of interest. This student wants to open his own Web Design business, and asked me to answer a few questions for his research. My answers are off the top of my head, and I really didn't put much thought into them. My thought was that my answers would be more honest and down to earth that way. Through answering these questions, I realized how far I've come, and how far I've yet to go.
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1. Please tell me a little about your background and how/why you got into this profession?

Well, to be honest, the only thing my background has to do with what I do now, is in that it convinced me that I would be much happier doing something I love. I was building a career in corporate banking, and after 15 years, decided that my true interest was in learning more about computer graphics and web design. A few life altering events convinced me that I'd be better off starting a home based business... that was three years ago, and I haven't looked back. Now I enjoy the freedom of working for myself, and being here for my 8 year old twins... playing an active role in their upbringing was a major factor in my decision.

2. What do you consider the qualifications or background a person should have to become involved in this profession?

Ideally, one should receive as much schooling as possible, at least to learn the basics of design, usibility and business management. Outside of schooling, I feel it's important to have a 'good eye' for design, balance, and color. Those that possess the talent for learning programming languages should stick to programming, and leave the more 'artful' aspects to the designers. (In my humble opinion... I have yet to meet the programmer that can speak the design language... one of my most common roles is translating programmer information into easy to understand NON-techno-babble, for my clients.)

3. Is a college degree necessary or does it help prepare you for this profession?

I believe that having a college degree would certainly help prepare you for Web Design, if that degree is in design. Is it necessary? No, there are tons of 'designers' out there that claim that title simply because their computer came equipt with a copy of FrontPage. A degree is a piece of paper... I believe that experience, and a portfolio of current live web sites should speak volumes for anyone planning to charge for their design services. Talent in design is not something you can learn in any school. Business management and technical training is, and should be listed on your resume if you want to succeed. I myself don't possess a college degree officially, but have taken more courses through local universities and online accredited 'distance learning' facilities than most people that earn money in this profession.

4. What are the best methods for training or preparing for this business?

Just like the old saying about Carnegie Hall.... practice, practice, practice!

5. Are there any special skills a person may have or need that are advantageous in this business?

General Business Management skills are a must. Becoming a contract worker, (every designer should utilize client contracts in ANY business dealings), puts you into a client specific arena. Each client will have different needs and tastes, and as a designer, it's your most important role to draw as much 'vision' out of your client as possible. This is difficult, considering that most clients will not have the technical knowledge required to communicate their 'wants' effectively. We have to take their 'visualization' and turn it into a viewable page.

6. Who should/should not enter this business and why?

As a designer, your 'product' is your time. Anyone that finds it difficult to attach a value to ONE of their hours, should probably not work in this field. If you do not adjust well to change, don't bother designing web sites, because the internet is constantly changing, along with the needs of your clients. If you are more of an 'artist', you would not enjoy the limitations of producing a final product that meets the desire of your client... you have to be able to compromise your 'artistic license' in favor of the 'vision' that the client has.

7. This industry seems to change constantly in the terms of technology. Does your profession require ongoing training to keep up with the changes?

Absolutely! There are constant changes to 'standard' languages, new technologies, and search engine optimization. Ongoing training in the form of seminars, industry events, and current event monitoring are a must.

8. What methods do you use to keep yourself "updated" in the industry?

I remain active in online communities that gather industry professionals, as well as serve as 'specialist' to several successful online businesses. I commit 30% of my work related hours to research through news, various media, and professional organizations. I also participate in ongoing 'distance learning' center classes to expand my knowledge of existing and newly developed technologies.

9. What is a typical workweek like? How many hours do you put in...Is it difficult...etc. (just what ever you wish to comment on).

Working from home as I do is challenging, as a mother of 8 year old twins, and as a wife of 15 years. When I first launched my business, I worked in my home office close to 90 hours a week, sometimes more. Now, having grown my client base, and establishing a strong referral network, I work as much as necessary... probably 30-35 hours a week, sometimes less. The most difficult aspect of working from home is seperating 'work' from 'home'. I've found that a normal routine, similar to any '9-5'r', is the best way to keep my priorities straight. I get up at the same time every day, 'open' my office after the kids get on the bus, and close it down when they get home. Special projects and additional 'artistic' work usually gets done at night, after everyone's asleep. That's the beauty of working from home... I work at my own convienience.

10. Do you travel much and get to meet new interesting people, or pretty much work from one location and stay there?

I have to schedule normal activities such as grocery shopping! LOL Honestly, I don't travel at all, unless it's NON business related. I hope to attend some industry seminars this spring, but other than that, I communicate either online or via the telephone. I have clients all over the world, so really, I 'meet' more people now while not traveling, than I did working a corporate job.

11. What are the advantages/disadvantages of owning your own business? (This one I need a little info on, I cannot really find an answer anywhere0.

Mine is a one person operation, so I'm not seeing some of the disadvantages a larger company would have, such as dealing with having employees. The advantages I enjoy most are not having to deal with 'company politics', and bogus corporate policy. There's no boss breathing down my neck, and I set my own hours. Having the freedom to run the business as I see fit is the best part of being self employed. One disadvantage that comes to mind right away is the 'perception' that home workers and self employed people are somehow less professional, and not taken as seriously as one is if they have a traditional 'job'. I got over that bothering me about the same time that my business started producing enough income to cover my mortgage. :)

12. What made you decide to start your own business?

After two bank robberies, an almost fatal car accident, and seeing my father's life cut short by Lung Cancer, I realized that I had been working in a job I hated long enough. Life is too short, and I was NOT happy where I was. I prioritized my needs, and starting my own business out of our home was the only possible solution.

13. What all is involved in opening a business of this type?

The initial investment of a good computer, and the right software will get you started. Filing the proper business papers for your local government is critical, along with opening a business bank account. I'd encourage anyone just starting out to consult with a tax professional FIRST, and get an idea of what you should keep track of to make your first 'Schedule C' an easier process. A portfolio of live sites is a must, if you expect to gain the trust and credibility required for growing a client base. Other than that, a strong, STRONG desire to succeed is about all you need.... of course, an iron will and blind determination helps, but that goes for ANY business owner.

14. Are the finances involved to start a web based business comparably more or less than other businesses?

Much less... the overhead is nothing like it would be in a traditional brick and mortar business. Work from home... more of a tax benefit than anything else. Once you have a computer, and the software (all tax deductible), the only thing you need to look at is your internet connection cost and web development costs.

15. What can you attribute to the success or failure of a web based business?

Success depends on your ability to remain focused on YOUR business. Don't get involved with popular 'internet marketing' hearsay... there's an entire business built around 'get rich quick' schemes and promises of 'overnight riches'. Run the other way when you see this stuff, it will only blur your vision of your own business' success. Approach your web based business from the perspective of being in it for the 'long haul', and build your business from a strong foundation of knowledge. Remain focused on your individual goals, and don't allow outside influence to determine your fate. Stick to it! Most 'failed' online business owners give up just before they would have succeeded.

16. If your business were to fail,(not that you ever would, but for my sake) could you re-enter a similar profession feeling or knowing you had gained or lost experience?

After running my own business for three years, writing articles and ebooks, designing web sites, and creating my own graphics..... there's no way I could ever do anything else. If I had to work for someone else, it would have to be on my terms, in the same field I'm currently in. Banking is just no longer an option for me as far as I'm concerned.

17. Would it be difficult to have to work under or with someone again?

I could easily adapt to working with someone, but for someone? That would be difficult, and I imagine it would only be temporary, until I could once again arrange to run my own business. One of the characteristics that makes us succeed, is the same one that will keep us from working for anyone else..... determination and the willingness to do whatever it takes.

18. #17 brings me to ask this.... Is there more to your business than knowledge, finance, planning...etc..? (I guess I asking you if there is an emotional factor involved in determining your success).

Absolutely! I think that your ability to focus on succeeding, and the determination to make it happen is probably the most valuable asset any business owner can have. Believe it and it will happen.... you won't learn that in any textbook.

19. What do you see in your business future.( Do you have expansion plans....will the industry determine your future...something along these lines)

I remain open to opportunity. Although mine is a Web Design business, it's led to my develping a coaching business, and a role as a writer. I enjoy all of these activities, and plan to expand on all of them over time, as I see a NEED for such services. Eventually, I hope to grow my businesses into a family legacy so that my daughters have the choice of working from home too. The need for my services will determine which aspects of my businesses thrive.

20. I know personal finance is a touchy subject, but I must ask what you think a realistic salary range is on average for: the beginner, the middle, and the max? (for some one who owns this type of business)...(this one I really need) If you do not know, could you estimate from what you have seen out there so far?

This is difficult to answer because so much of what we do depends on the price point the clients will tolerate. For the most part, I feel that most Web Designers simply charge too much for their time. Client work such as we specialize in is based on a 'per contract' basis, so a weekly or monthly salary range could only be determined by the amount of business you're able to contract in that time. Each project can take weeks, or even months to complete. This is where it's more advantageous to work for a design firm, they have contacts and advertising budgets that make new jobs flow more easily. An individual such as myself can expect to make very little at first, even 'swapping' services with related service providers just to get samples of their work out there. Realistically, I think that a serious designer can make between 20-30k per year within three years of starting up. With time and experience, designers can make any amount over that, it's really a matter of what you have to offer your client base, how you present it, and the relationships you form over time. Working for a firm, designers start at approx. 30-40k per year, entry level. Experienced designers can command between 40-60k per year. Working as I do, I guess my income is only limited by how much I want to work.

21. Working for yourself can be extremely difficult, what keeps you motivated?

A true and deep desire to NEVER work a traditional 9-5 job again keeps me focused! Enjoying my family and the time I now have to spend with them keeps me determined. A sincere need to help others succeed motivates me to continue even when I don't 'feel like it'.

22. I know you express your like for helping others, but do you separate helping others as opposed to helping competitors?Why are Why not?

I look at it this way.... I don't have competitors. Why not? Well, nobody else can create the graphics I create... they are mine and mine alone. In that way, I'm an artist. If I can help another designer succeed, I do so freely. I truly believe in Karma, and what comes around goes around. If I help someone today, hopefully, when I need help, I won't have to look to far to get it.

23. Is there a known success/failure rate for this profession?

I haven't seen any statistics, but I would venture a guess that there are a lot of 'would-be' designers that give up shortly after starting their business. I would attribute this to a lack of knowledge in the area of basic design, as well as the realization that TIME is the product, and very rarely do beginners get paid what they feel their time is worth. Not everyone is able to make the sacrifices of time and self that are required to succeed.

24. Where will this industry be in 10 years...in 20 years?( I guess I really want to know if there is a future for this industry or do you think technology will override the industry?)

Web designers will be needed as long as their are people that are too busy, or lazy to design their own sites. Honestly, not everyone feels that it's 'easy' to design a web page, and they are more than happy to pay someone else to do it for them. As long as that need exists, so will our industry.

2004-03-12T00:55:00.000-05:00

How To Extract .Zip Files ~ A tutorial from EarnALivingOnline.com

I made it easier on myself when receiving questions about .Zip files, and extracting the contents. Yes, it's a quicky tutorial, but then, it's not a difficult process either. I hope it's helpful, and would appreciate any and all feedback. I want it to be user friendly, so fire away if you find it lacking. Thanks!

2004-03-10T08:58:00.000-05:00

The Importance of Setting Up Your Home Office
One of the hardest things to do is seperate your home business from your 'home'. I'm still finding new and different ways to make this easier, but it's a constant challenge. One thing I learned early on, was that I can forget about working once the girls and hubby get home! If I find that I must finish a project after they are home, I need to take a break to get everyone settled, and then explain that I still need some 'alone' time. This article will help you make the 'space' in which you work more productive, the rest is up to you.

How to Set-up a Home Office: "How to Set-up a Home Office

By Linda Novey-White
Establishing and maintaining a home office requires a healthy dose of the five P's (Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performances). Through a telephone conversation, the client won't know if you are using a desk in your bedroom. But in order to succeed, it is important that you commit yourself to professionalism. Not everyone can work at home; many find it distracting on many levels. One of the first problems I had was with my dog.

The dog barked every time the Federal Express man made a delivery or someone approached the door. Distracting sounds of the dog barking incessantly or the doorbell chiming while talking on the phone with the CEO of a multi-national company will not leave a favorable impression. When the kids began to leave the home, I insisted that they would acclimate faster if they took the dog. I also got a quieter doorbell.

Set up your office professionally, as though you were working in a downtown office. There are enough distractions—the refrigerator, telemarketers, repairmen, delivery people—without having to work in an undesirable environment. I worked out of my unfinished basement once and I found the office was always disorderly. I had converted a bedroom and used bits and pieces of office furniture and equipment. I hated to walk into that mish-mash each day, so I kept finding reasons not to go there. My business suffered."

2004-03-10T08:34:00.000-05:00

Clicking Away:
"Per-click advertising costs on search engines quickly add up. Advertisers can protect their ad profits by learning how to identify potential pitfalls. If you notice a sudden, unexplained drop in your conversion rates from paid listings, then it's certainly time for a little investigation."

This article from Entrepreneur explains the 'how' behind the PPC fraud that you may be open to if you're not careful. Many people have asked me if I use the PPC's... quite simply, the answer is no, not anymore. I did, and YES, it was profitable! My sales outweighed my cost, but when I moved to a purely 'service' provider business model, I found that the PPC's were no longer needed.

As a service provider, my product is my time. There's a limited supply there. I would only recommend the PPC's for tangible product offerings, ideally those that are sold on a 'hands free', automated basis. This can be very lucrative, but it is an activity that you MUST devote time and attention to. If you're thinking of using this marketing method, do take the time to learn more about avoiding the PPC fraud that is common. This article will help. :)

2004-03-04T11:14:00.000-05:00

New Virus Causing Alarm For Domain Owners

I'm posting this here today because I don't have the time to send out a full blown issue of my E-Zine. However, I wanted to make sure that I shared this with my subscribers right away.

I've had two clients call me today asking about emails that they are receiving ... apparently ... from themselves!

Here's the scoop:

If you own your own domain, don't be surprised if you see a mail coming to you from "support@yourdomain.com", or some other similar variation.

Here's one that I received yesterday:

-----Original Message-----
From: supportATwebwenchdesignDOTcom [mailto:supportATwebwenchdesignDOTcom]
Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 8:41 AM
To: webwenchATwebwenchdesignDOTcom
Subject: Important notify about your e-mail account.

Dear user, the management of Webwenchdesign.com mailing system wants to let you know that,

Your e-mail account has been temporary disabled because of unauthorized access.

Advanced details can be found in attached file.

Cheers,
The Webwenchdesign.com team http://www.webwenchdesign.com

~~ End of Message ~~

Of course, the attached file contains the virus. So, remember... don't open attachments you're unsure of, and run your security scans regularly. This one was out for a few hours before Norton's updated their definitions.

Please know that if you ever receive a suspicious mail from one of my domains, you're welcome to ask me about it. I NEVER send attachments to my list!

My domains are:

EarnALivingOnline.com
WebWenchDesign.com
ThePortalToSuccess.com

If you receive any of these virus mails, simply delete them. Update your security programs TODAY... NOW even, and visit this site for details on the virus itself, and removal instructions just incase you need them:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.beagle.k@mm.html

*Whew* I really just wanted to get that note out to you all... I know these types of mails can be alarming. Be careful out there.

If you're interested in seeing what I've been up to this week, please scroll down and read the last few entries. I've finally figured out how to get the 'comments' functioning here on this site, so don't forget to click the "Speak To Me" links and leave your feedback, thoughts and well... your comments! LOL >;)

I'll be mailing out a regular issue within the next week or so with another new article, "Using Your Web Site Stats To Uncover Prospects Needs"... so keep an eye out for it!

2004-03-03T00:58:00.000-05:00

WIL WHEATON dot NET

I've been answering a lot of questions about blogging lately, and after reading Wil Wheaton's latest efforts, I have to say that his is probably the BEST example of 'community building' I've ever seen!

If you want to know how blogging could possibly help your business, his is a site worth visiting. He's a writer. He's a celebrity (whether HE thinks so or not!). He's an all around good guy, with one hell of a head on his shoulders.

What I wouldn't give to interview him for my new book! Maybe I'll write him... 'course, he has this weird thing about 'encoding' emails that I can't figure out LOL. Anyway... he's really taken blogging to great heights, and I predict that it will be reflected in his book sales when his newest piece is released.

Wil... if you ever grace my pages by visiting... *Cheers*! I appreciate your talent, and your business sence. Thanks for providing a great example for those of us that aspire to succeed as you have!

2004-03-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

Yahoo Announces Content Acquisition Program: "Yahoo Announces Content Acquisition Program
By Chris Sherman, Associate Editor
March 2, 2004

Just two weeks after launching a brand new search engine, Yahoo has announced a content acquisition program that consolidates all of its paid inclusion programs and marks the beginning of an aggressive new campaign to significantly expand both the scope and quality of content available via Yahoo search."

2004-03-02T21:54:00.000-05:00

GOOGLE: Uncover Five New Ways To Use Google
These items are from the latest GoogleFriends newsletter (hosted through Yahoo!'s online groups). Enjoy!

Google does lots of little tricks. You probably know already that you can enter ticker symbols to get links to stock quotes, street addresses to get links to maps, and numeric expressions to use Google as a calculator. Here are a few new features that you might not have tried yet.

Area Codes
With the proliferation of U.S. area codes, it's not easy to figure out who's calling from where these days. Now you can enter a 3-digit U.S. area code into any Google search box for a link to a map of that area code's location.
Example: http://www.google.com/search?q=650

Universal Product Codes (UPC)
Is your checkout scanner on the fritz? Find out more about a product by entering its UPC code into the Google search box. The UPC code is the number on the bottom of the zebra-striped bar code displayed on most product packages.
Example: http://www.google.com/search?q=073333531084

Flight tracking
Attention, travelers (and those picking you up): find the status of a U.S. flight without delay. Just type a flight number into the Google search box (for example, USAir 50) to see a direct link to that flight's status information.
Example: http://www.google.com/search?q=usair+50

Vehicle ID (VIN) numbers
Want to learn a little more about that car you're about to buy? Check the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), then type it into Google for a link to a page with more information about the year, make and model of a specific car.

Package tracker
Eager to find out what happened to that fruitcake you ordered last December? Enter a tracking number for any package from UPS, Federal Express, or the U.S. Postal Service in any Google search box and you'll see a direct link to information about the delivery status of that package.

All of these new search features are available now for English language users on Google.com throughout the world. (International versions will be available in the coming months.)

Learn more at http://www.google.com/help/features.html [Jeff Partridge]

Is it just me, or does this make it seem painfully obvious that there's not much that's considered private these days? Hey... maybe if I type "lost socks" into the Google browser, that age old mystery would finally be put to rest... whatcha think?

2004-03-02T17:33:00.000-05:00

Client Software: "A directory of AtomEnabled software and services -
More AtomEnabled tools and services are being added every day. Check back soon for even more sites and software using Atom."

Well, here's the thing... Blogger uses 'Atom' RSS feeds. NOT all readers can see this format, so I'm providing a list of readers here for you that CAN. I would strongly recommend that you avoid the mistake I made, and choose a reader that can view BOTH .xml RSS and atom RSS. Ug.

2004-03-02T08:54:00.000-05:00

NewsWatcher™ by Scopeware Vision: "You love getting your news piping hot. But having to perpetually scour the web for it is a hassle you could live without. NewsWatcher™ is for you.
A free desktop application, NewsWatcher™ does all the work. You simply indicate the news you want by subscribing to your favorite RSS-supported sites. NewsWatcher™ feeds it to you the instant it’s available. Wired, Rolling Stone and CNN are among the hundreds of thousands of sites offering robust RSS content. Sure you can go from site to site looking for your news, but why bother? NewsWatcher™ brings it right to you."

* This is the reader I'm using, and it's very easy to set up. Simply copy and paste your favorite E-zine or Blog RSS feeds into this baby, and you'll never miss another issue. Life is good.

2004-03-02T08:50:00.000-05:00

M.A.C Software - SoundCopy: "SoundCopy enables you to record, save, playback and compress voice, music and other sound. Recording time is limited only by the amount of hard disk space available. SoundCopy can receive input from CD, the Internet (audio files you've downloaded or streaming audio), microphone, cassette player or any other line-in source. You can use SoundCopy for recording meetings, conversations and dictation. You can use it to make digital back-ups of your audio tapes. You can set it to automatically record a radio program when you're not there - the possibilities are endless."

2004-03-02T08:34:00.000-05:00

Tutorial - The home of Spybot-S&D!: "Spybot-Search&Destroy"

Lots of great (and free) resources to share today! I've been reading all my favorite ezines and online publications through a new 'RSS Reader', and I've got to say... I can't wait to get The Portal fully RSSable. LOL

The Spybot Search and Destroy freeware is something that everyone should have on their PC's. Get rid of all that junk that gets downloaded onto your system without your permission! It also gives you a VERY easy way to 'lock' your IE Home page so that it can't be hijacked. A must see for anyone that uses the Internet.

2004-03-01T09:44:00.000-05:00

New Forum Catagory

I've decided (as a result of this morning's mail) to start a few 'Review' catagories over at the forums! Be sure to register (it's free) and post your review requests, or comment on past reviews.

2004-03-01T09:07:00.000-05:00

Client asks for review of Mike Chen's "WebLockPro"

Now, anyone that's known me for more than five minutes, knows better than to ask my opinion unless they're ready to hear what I perceive to be the truth. Yet, they keep asking anyway... go figure! >;)

Disclaimer for those that would scream "libel": This is my opinion. We're all entitled to one, that's why I love this country. If you're an affiliate of WebLockPro, and you would like to change my mind, send me a link to your 'locked' page that works EXACTLY THE WAY THE SALES COPY SAYS IT WILL.

My response to the client who asked:

About WebLockPro... I have a few problems with that software. When it was first released, (while Mike Chen still owned it) I too considered using it... then I took it for a test run! LOL

I test on three browsers; IE, Netscape, and Mozilla. This software didn't make it past Netscape... I consider it misleading sales copy to say that the links are hidden because in Netscape, the java scripting that is used to 'hide your links' does not work at all.

I wrote to Mike Chen about this, and after SEVERAL mails back and forth, he stopped responding because he simply could not prove that it did work in all browsers. He never made any adjustment to his sales copy, and admitted to me flat out that he 'guessed it really didn't work in all browsers'.

After years of designing, the bottom line to me is simply that... if someone wants to steal your stuff bad enough, they WILL find a way to do it. Copyright is your best protection, and only then if you're willing to take legal action against violators.

Heck, there are people out there selling the 'anti-site code lockers' that decode the format that Chen's locker puts your site into!

Another problem I have with this product is that there is no concern for 'usibility'. There are a lot of people that navigate the 'net by "right" clicking links to open a page in a new browser window. As creatures of habit, these visitors would NOT get to your inner pages because you're not letting them.

Yes, the average surfer may be impressed by the use of this software, but let's be honest here... we're not really looking to 'protect' our pages from the "average" surfer, are we? Anyone that is actively looking to steal your copy or graphics WILL do so. Period.

I wasn't surprised to hear that Mike Chen sold off his companies.

You asked! LOL >;)

2004-02-27T01:49:00.000-05:00

Search Engine Marketing: The essential best practice guide

I'm going to do something a little different... I just purchased an eBook that is supposed to be the best reliable search engine optimization material to date. From what I've heard about Mike Grehan, and from his writings in his newsletter, I feel he's probably the most down to earth and knowledgeable person in regards to the way marketers need to look at the search engines.

So, what I plan to do here is keep a live ongoing record of my analysis notes as I read this monster of a resource
(over 300 pages)

I plan to take the results of this exercise, and use it as a 'Real Deal Report' for my e-zine, and if I think it's worthy of my personal recommendation, I will use this report to build a review page for additional content on my Web site.

As a part of this exercise, I plan to use my domain 'theportaltosuccess.com' as a case study, using the tactics outlined in this eBook.

Below are my first impressions. You will find the eBook for sale here, on the off chance that you can't wait to hear what I think of it! LOL

Notes:

Search Engine Marketing: The essential best practice guide. Author: Mike Grehan

Initial observations on ebook format: eBookPro uses registration that must be authenticated regularly to prevent piracy. Zip file included reader, ebook, readme.txt, and a special report on Google's Page Ranking system in PDF format.

Upon opening the book, you're greeted by Mike's friendly face, and I notice his resemblance to Dustin Hoffman. I like him already. >:)

As I check out the navigation links in the left hand frame of the eBook (it's set up much like a website), I notice that the very first link is for the Table of Contents and printing instructions.

These are no ordinary printing instructions... we're talking about a methodical breakdown of the over 300 page book into sections. The right column of this page tells you exactly how many pieces of paper you have to have in your printer in order to print the entire section without having to stop.

Wow! I'm instantly impressed. If the rest of this book follows this trend of 'user friendly', reader considerate practices, this may very well be the most valuable eBook I've ever purchased.

Pecking order: After recovering from the awe of the printing instructions, (more authors should encourage printing of their texts in this way), I found myself revisiting the left hand navigation.

After a brief visit to the Introduction, I decide it's too late (early) for me to retain the details, so I once again scroll to the navigation. Deciding to finish my assessment of the layout, I scroll to the bottom to find the last page. I enjoy seeing how others 'wrap up' their publications.

I find it strange that there are no page numbers. I like to tell my readers how many pages an eBook consists of, but I can't find that just yet... I may have to go and add up all the pages I would need in my printer! LOL

I check out the bibliography, no shock there, Mike is known for his extensive and exhaustive investigative research. I expected a lengthy bibliography, and wasn't disappointed.

Scrolling up, I see yet another large picture of Dustin Hoffman look alike - at this late hour (12:56 AM) he's starting to resemble "Tootsie". Reminiscent of the inside cover 'flap' of a hardcover *tangible* book, there is a short Author biography. This isn't some self proclaimed guru working out of his Mother's basement, this is a professional who has worked in the Marketing field for over a decade. At the time of this writing, he was the e- marketing Consultant to the e-Business Centre of the University of Nothumbria in Newcaslte. (UK)

My attack plan: It's too late to dig in now, so I scan the navigation again to decide what sections I'll read first. Enjoying the freedom to browse the content this way, I take note of the following sections for my next 'reading hour':

Submitting to the major players - there are 12 listed, so I will plan to read one per sitting, starting at the top of the list with AllTheWeb. Will use www.theportaltosuccess.com as my case study, submitting to each 'major player' following his guidelines.

Pay Per Click, Pay for consideration, Pay for inclusion - Looking forward to filling in the gaps in my own knowledge here, so will attack this by section as well.

Meta Tags and important HTML tags - This section will be a primary focus up front, just to see if my own experiences match up with what Mike's saying. I have a funny feeling that they do, and hope to pick up knowledge that has eluded me to date.

**Keywords and writing for search engines - This is one chapter I predict that I will be studying in detail, repeatedly. I'll have to send hubby and the twins away for a weekend to delve properly. "Writing for man and machine"... now I really like this guy.

Creating the perfect page - Learning from the blind... sounds like one I should check out with my Design hat on!

Link Analysis - this should be good! I noticed a reference to Zeus in here... it may be time to dust off my copy of Zeus...

Spamming, doorway pages, cloaking and things search engines don't like - Hmmm. How am I going to find the time to read all this? I may not sleep tonight. I am very curious to read this section....

Problem Pages - I think I can predict what he'll say about most of the things listed in this section, but I will probably peek at what Toots.. er, Mike has to say about Frames, Java and ASP. Who am I kidding, I'll probably read this section when I stop typing. LOL

Log analysis - Ahhh ha! Geez, I guess I wasn't the first one to realize the treasure trove of information available right there in our web stats. Darn... I'd better go make some coffee.

Sources, courses, tools and resources - oh! a toolbox.... Low budget and no budget "how to" tutorials? Okies, I'm outta here for now, I just have to check this out. I'll be back over the next few days with additional feedback.

2004-02-23T06:57:00.000-05:00

From My Inbox

"I take deep interest in accounting, audit and also marketing. I really wish to have sophosticated educational material re the subject."

Perhaps I need to re-vamp my e-zine Web site. Accounting and Audit, huh? Hmm... while I may be able to help this fellow with his online marketing, I'm afraid I've been out of the accounting and audit world for some time now. For sophisticated educational material on accounting and audit, I suggest any of your local universities and/ or trade schools.

For me to make any suggestions towards sophisticated marketing materials... I would really have to know more about your situation.

2004-02-23T02:26:00.000-05:00

Does Your Web Site Suffer From “TMI”, or “NEI”?
(Too Much Information or Not Enough Information)

©2004, Ginger Geracitano
Editor, http://theportaltosuccess.com

“Content is king.” All of the most successful (and well ranked) Web Masters tell us the same thing… you have to offer your visitors quality information. It builds your credibility, and the search engines eat it up, resulting in higher rankings for your site.

What exactly constitutes quality content, though? A common mistake made by new Web Masters is to include all of their service offerings or ‘products’ on one page. Sometimes there is such a long list of available items, that the viewer is forced to leave the site out of confusion before they even have a handle on what it is that you actually have to offer.

Finding the right balance between ‘not enough information’ (NEI), and ‘too much information’ (TMI) is sometimes the most challenging aspect of building your Web presence. Use the checklist below to find your ‘content balance’.

Your Site Suffers From “TMI” when:

1. Your viewer has to scroll more than four times to reach the bottom of your page. Be considerate of your visitor’s download time, and break your content into manageable bites.

2. There is no consistent theme. Define your main purpose, and stick to it! Consider using different domain names for unrelated topics. The more focused your Web site is on one purpose, the better your search engine rankings will be, and your visitors will be more likely to find what they’re looking for.

3. Your navigation bar looks more like a directory than a ‘roadmap’ to your content. The navigation on your site is perhaps the most important element of all.

• Break your content into ‘sections’, and include these sections in your navigation.
• For better search engine ranking, use text links that include your primary key word terms.
• Commit one specific page location to navigation, and keep it consistent throughout your site. Your visitor will expect to find the navigation in the same place they found it the first time!
• Locate your navigation links within the first fold of your page, so your viewers don’t have to go looking for it. (The first fold of your page is what the viewer sees upon entering your site… without having to scroll.)

Your Site Suffers From “NEI” when:

1. You find yourself typing the words, “For more Information, mail me here…”. You’re lucky your visitor read that far down on your page, now you expect them to mail you for the information they thought they were going to get when they entered your site? Remember, it’s our job to make everything as easy for our visitors as we can. If you have ‘sensitive’ or ‘valuable’ information to share, consider developing a password protected directory on your site that only members have access to. This could very well become a source of ‘passive income’ for you, but at the very least, it gives your visitor a way to access the information they were looking for. Your competitors are only a click away; don’t send YOUR visitors looking for them.

2. You wouldn’t buy something out of a catalogue if there was no product description, right? Don’t expect your Web site visitors to do so then! If you offer a service or product, describe it in full, and whenever possible, provide an example of your work, or a graphical representation of your product. (A combination of both works best.) Utilize client testimonials to help build credibility and trust. Offer samples as a show of confidence. This is your sales presentation… so, present!

3. Your page is filled with ‘industry jargon’. Your visitor may not be familiar with the terms you use as everyday language. Make sure you use ordinary language to describe your product or service. If you deal with terms less commonly known, consider a site ‘glossary’ or search function.

4. You’re missing the following pages on your site: contact, about, privacy, and terms of use. Why? Well, the educated and well informed consumers LOOK for this information whenever they are considering giving out their precious personal information (especially if they’re readers of mine). Put yourself in your visitor’s shoes… would you give your credit card info, or even your email address for that matter… to a company that didn’t even have the courtesy of allowing you to contact them? Besides, here in the USA, the FTC says you have to include these items. Protect yourself from the beginning.

Of course, finding the best content is simply a matter of asking yourself one question; does this content in some way direct my visitor to take action or build credibility for me in their minds? If your answer is yes, then include it within the applicable category within your navigation.

If you answered ‘no’, re-visit your Web site’s purpose. With your clearly defined purpose in mind, you will be better able to choose relevant, quality content.

2004-02-22T01:00:00.000-05:00

CNN.com - Study: CDs may soon go the way of vinyl - Jan. 23, 2004

The article above only goes to show that I've once again participated in a trend that I just knew was brilliant!

Allow me to explain... See the banner advertisement at the top of this page? The one where you get to rent DVD's with no late fees? The same one that delivers your choice of DVD's directly to your door... (no more dropping your rentals into an overnight depository because you've once again arrived at the rental shop 1 minute after it closed!)...

As a work from home Mom with a hectic schedule (that's redundant, yes?), I desperately needed the "Netflix" solution. My 7 year old twins were starting their summer vacation, and my client base was starting to grow. What's a Mom to do? Well, when we weren't 'playing school', or learning how to use Mommy's computer, we were enjoying the distraction of new dvd's every 5 or 6 days! Heck, Mommy even got a few to play on her laptop while the kids played in the yard. (It's important to at least 'look' busy!)

*Smile* Honestly, as a consumer... Netflix was exactly what I needed. As an Internet business owner, Netflix is a great *feel good* referal to anyone that's ever rented movies. It's an outstanding service, professionally run, and yes, Virginia... they really do send you the movies you choose! They come on time, or early... I've never gotten a DVD in bad condition, and I know that the people who decide to try out the service will be at least as thrilled as I am.

I knew all this and didn't need to conduct a "research study" to prove it.
"Consumers have spoken -- they are tired of paying the high cost of CDs and DVDs and prefer more flexible forms of on-demand media delivery," Bernoff said.

You can bet your bottom dollar on that one, Mister... heck, I'm looking forward to the day when I can get my digital cable tv through my laptop. I don't need no stinkin' "plasma tv"! Give me a pc/laptop wireless in home network, and I'm good to go... anywhere in my home, oh yeah!

Anyway... to finally state my point... (boy, I can yap, huh?)... To anyone wondering why I've chosen to include such an 'un related' referal to my web design prospects and clients, well, I can only say that it's simply a product/service that has really made a positive impact on my life. If I can help another person rid themselves of the stress of returning movies on time, well then I've done my good deed for the day. >:)

2004-02-21T21:54:00.000-05:00

Web Design Knowledge Base

Yahoo! drops Google search engine
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

I've been so busy with client work that I've been missing out on the industry news that I'm so fond of ranting about! I'm taking some time to catch up this weekend. I think I may have to announce a more permanant publishing change for the E-Zine... either bi-monthly or monthly. Hmmm.

Oh... another thing keeping me busy is the Ryze community network. Forum overload! I love it though... I'm just sorry I didn't find this great community of online professionals sooner.

I'll be back... I'm finding all kinds of great new resources like these:

Home of the World's most popular dynamic website menu system

http://www.creativeroster.com/ : the premier Internet directory of graphic designers, programmers, web developers, writers, and other creative professionals!

--((If I've posted YOUR site here, please consider it a compliment of the highest form... to be brutaly honest, I post links here for MYSELF, so that I remember to re-visit them! LOL))--

2004-02-12T15:55:00.000-05:00

As I did my normal research this week, I came across some very informative articles concerning the UGLIEST email virus ever.

Mydoom.A: Timeline of an Epidemic

Mydoom a taste of viruses to come, says security expert
One worm could threaten thousands of major Web sites at one time

The absolute best info I found wasn't on Norton's site, or even McAfee's. It was on the Microsoft site. They give you the ability to automatically check your system for the virus, and then get rid of it if it's found!

What You Should Know About the Mydoom Worm Variants: Mydoom.A, Mydoom.B, and Mydoom.C (a.k.a. Doomjuice) Automatically Check Your PC for Infection

As you may have heard, the virus was scheduled to have stop sending itself all over the world today, February 12th, 2004. However, don't let this lull you into a false sence of security. If your system was infected, it will leave your system open to hack attempts. I think it would be wise to check your systems and make sure you're not infected.

(My intent here is to share information, not to alarm you in any way.)

2004-01-29T10:27:00.000-05:00

W32.Novarg.A@mm

I don't know about you, but I've about had it with the recent increase in email virus mails! It's gotten to the point where I just dread opening up my mail program. Here's the latest news from Norton's, visit the link at the bottom for more information and removal instructions.

W32.Novarg.A@mm is a mass-mailing worm that arrives as an attachment with the file extension .bat, .cmd, .exe, .pif, .scr, or .zip.

When a computer is infected, the worm will set up a backdoor into the system by opening TCP ports 3127 through 3198, which can potentially allow an attacker to connect to the computer and use it as a proxy to gain access to its network resources.

In addition, the backdoor can download and execute arbitrary files.

The worm will perform a Denial of Service (DoS) starting on February 1, 2004. It also has a trigger date to stop spreading on February 12, 2004. These two events will only occur if the worm is run between or after those dates. While the worm will stop spreading on February 12, 2004, the backdoor component will continue to function after this date.

The email will have the following characteristics:

From: May be a spoofed from address

Subject:
(one of the following)
test
hi
hello
Mail Delivery System
Mail Transaction Failed
Server Report
Status
Error

Message:
(one of the following)
Mail transaction failed. Partial message is available.
The message contains Unicode characters and has been sent as a binary attachment.
The message cannot be represented in 7-bit ASCII encoding and has been sent as a binary attachment.
test

Attachment:
(one of the following)
document
readme
doc
text
file
data
test
message
body

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.novarg.a@mm.html

2004-01-06T12:44:00.000-05:00

Internet Population Slows, But Users Are Doing More Online

This article references a great report with statistics that can, if acted upon, be used as market research. Perhaps your future projects could benefit from knowing the habits of today's internet user? Heh. Check it out.

2004-01-06T12:36:00.000-05:00

Privacy Policy Generator

A friend sent me a newsletter to check out, and I liked it so much that I checked out the site. The Direct Marketing Association has a ton of great information available for today's business owner. Offline, or online, this is a great resource!

The Privacy Policy generator link above is only ONE of the great tools I found there. :o)

2003-12-29T23:44:00.000-05:00

"What You Need to Know NOW About the New CAN-SP&M Act"
by Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen"

Have you heard? The new CAN-SP&M Act becomes law on January 1, 2004, and it pre-empts most state regulations governing commercial e-mail. (CAN-SP&M stands for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited P0rn0gr&phy and Marketing.)

E-mail publishers are calling me in a tizzy, worried they'll be jailed for simply continuing their publication. I'd like to be first to say that you should NOT panic, as long as you're sending out a true, content-laden publication and not just promotional junk.

But ... you SHOULD use this alert as a wake-up call. It's time to do a check-up on your publication.

CAN-SP&M defines commercial e-mail as that whose primary purpose is to sell something. It doesn't define e-zines or e-mail newsletters as commercial e-mail, even if they contain ads. However the jury is still out how this can be interpreted. For many of us, our prime reason for publishing is to promote our own services and products.

The good news is that most small business owners are going to have a much easier time complying with this law than big companies with many different marketing lists and vendors.

Here are seven points you should address now, before the new year. Please remember I'm not an attorney, so you'll want to view the CAN-SP&M law yourself at www.spamlaws.com/federal/108s877.html.

1. Make sure your FROM and REPLY e-mail addresses are correct and valid.

If you publish your e-zine with a fake or inactive reply addresses, that's a no-no after Jan. 1. If you don't want to use your normal e-mail address as your FROM/REPLY, create a new one, but make sure it's one that you will check regularly. If you don't know how to change your FROM/REPLY address, ask your list host or e-mail publishing system representative.

2. Add your POSTAL mailing address to every issue of your e-zine.

This is now required, and is good practice anyway. Remember the more "real" you appear to your readers, the more business you'll do in the long run. I list my full mailing address, and I also include my phone number. If you w0rk at h0me and are uncomfortable publicizing where you live, rent a mailbox around the corner. (That's what I do.)

3. Honor UNSUBSCRIBES ASAP, and make sure it's easy to get off your list.

The new CAN-SP&M law also requires you to remove a name from your list within 10 business days of receiving the unsubscribe request. If you use a list host or e-mail publishing system, this should happen automatically and instantly. The only way you could get into trouble on this one is if you do them by hand or if you have multiple lists to cross-check, which could take you longer. Also, look at your e-zine and make sure it's very obvious to the reader how to be removed from your list.

4. Remind your readers they're getting a publication (not junk), and publish regularly.

If you are a publication, then act like a publication by being official and publishing regularly. Also remind your readers how they got on your list. Example: "Published on the first and third Wednesdays of every month. You are receiving this e-zine because you signed up at our Web site or have purchased a product from us." (Also, consider getting an ISSN to register your e-zine with the Library of Congress. It's free and makes you look very official! www.issn.org)

5. Consider going double opt-in to protect yourself.

While CAN-SP&M does not require this, it's your safest option with all the problems going around. If I sign up for your e-zine at your Web site today and that puts me on your list, that's single opt-in. If I'm required to reply to an e-mail confirmation before I'm added to your list, that's double opt-in. Yes, you will lose some signups due to people who will not reply to the confirmation message, but your list will be much cleaner and safer in the end.

6. If you DO send out occasional pr0moti0ns to your e-zine list, make it clear that's part of the deal.

What if you mostly publish regular, content-filled issues, but send out the occasional pr0m0tion for a special event or new product? My advice to you is to make this clear where people sign up, at your Web site or elsewhere. Example: "Along with our biweekly e-zine, you will also receive a spec1al 0ffer just once a month that is available only to our subscribers. We will not share your e-mail address with any third party."

7. Be cautious if you have multiple lists.

Here's where things can get messy. Suppose you publish your e-zine with one system but maintain your customer lists with another, such as your shopping cart system. If customer Jane Doe unsubscribes from your e-zine but two weeks later receives a special promotion you sent only to past customers, she may be mad because she thought she'd be removed from ALL your lists.
The best solution is obviously to use one vendor for all your list needs, but if that's not possible, make it very clear to your readers what they are (and what they're not) unsubscribing from.

Wait, Is That It?

No. This is only the beginning, and thanks to some of the gray areas of the CAN-SP&M law, I'm sure there will be new developments in 2004. So keep your ears perked here for new information as it's released!

(c) 2003 Alexandria K. Brown

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this short bio and link with it:

Online marketing coach Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning tutorial package, 'Boost Business With Your Own E-zine.' To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up f0r FREE how-to articles and FREE teleclasses, visit www.EzineQueen.com

2003-12-29T17:29:00.000-05:00

I think this is an omen. I've been trying to send out what I believe
to be the BEST issue of the year... but OptInLightning won't let me.
Grrrr. I'm waiting to hear from the wonderful support folks at H4P,
just to see if they can help me figure out what went wrong.

Regardless... here's the latest issue, and the LAST issue for 2003!

Enjoy it, and please have a healthy, happy New Year :)

*========================================*
The Portal To Success - Business Success E-Zine
~ Our business IS building YOUR business ~

Currently Read By 890+ Business Developers Worldwide
Expert Business Articles http://ThePortalToSuccess.Com
*========================================*

=> Volume II, Issue # 62 - December 29th, 2003

The Portal To Success - Business Success E-Zine is the
premier Business Success publication, sent to Internet
entrepreneurs and business developers worldwide.

Subscription info is located at the bottom of this
newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe the information to
do that is also located at the bottom of this e-zine.

Visit this issue online:
http://theportaltosuccess.com/newsletter.html

*========================================*

Contents For This Issue

(1) Editorial -
A New Year Brings New Beginnings-
For a limited time, I'm offering the entire Volume 2
article compilation to our readers! This is such a HUGE
move for me, that it's the ONLY topic in this, the last
issue of 2003.

(2) Our Products and Events -

=> Holiday Gift Online Store
=> Planning Your First Business Web Site
=> Small Business Tracker Software
Includes 50% off coupon for tutorial!

-- Have you listened to our first tele-class yet? --

(3) Subscriber Feedback & Testimonials
-> Publishing schedule for the New Year

(4) CONTACT US -
Contact and Subscriber Information

*========================================*

Visit Our Sponsor....

The FIRST EVER EarnALivingOnline.com Tutorial is now
available! If you're thinking about starting your own
business, you don't want to start without reading this
material. 1 hour live one-on-one coaching included!
http://earnalivingonline.com/pyfbw/

Testimonial:
"Ginger, you are an excellent teacher and coach. Talk
about over delivery! Your “Planning Your First Business
Web Site” tutorial is clear, informative and so very
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asking.

I’d recommend to anyone in a flash! It just goes to show
what an excellent coach you are when you can put down
on paper exactly what a person needs to do step-by-
step in easy to understand language that doesn’t get
bogged down….and they still get all the goods on how to
start up their first web business!!"

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"P.S. You are officially my Business Startup and
Management expert."

Why not 'do it right, the first time'?
http://earnalivingonline.com/pyfbw/

*========================================*

(1) EDITORIAL -

** Thank You to all that gave to the Internet Toy Drive! **

Now that I've been publishing for over 2 years, I've decided
to take a different approach to the archives. I'm going to
offer this one time, so listen up! :)

After one full year, the readers of The Portal To Success
E-zine have received over 40 original articles with reprint rights.
Topics include Web design, search engine optimization, branding,
relationship marketing, HTML tutorials, publisher templates, and
much more.

As part of my 'end of year clean up', I've compiled all of these
articles and tutorials into ONE convenient, downloadable PDF file.

This 95 page Ebook is yours free for the clicking, until next week.
When I publish the first issue of 2004, I will be announcing how I
will be integrating this compilation into a new project of mine, and
it will no longer be available for free download.

The only way to get these information packed articles for free is
to download it from me now, or wait to get it from someone who
did! Download yours today.
http://theportaltosuccess.com/Volume2TPTS.zip

Here's a sneak peak at this professionally compiled piece of work,
complete with 'clickable' table of contents, and bookmarks for each
article included:

Preface: The Who Behind The Portal To Success E-Zine

"How One Corporate Banker - Turned - Work From Home Mom Changed
Fear Into Self Employed Success"

Affiliates: Improve your search engine (SE) ranking!

The Reading Habits of Today's Internet User

The Beginning Of The End Of A Pay-Per-Click Search Engine Overture
goes *Over the Top*

How To Choose Your Business Coach

Are You Spamming Your Contacts?

How To Create Trust With A First Time Visitor

Search Engine MUSTs and MUST NOTs

How To Feed Your Bottom Line, And The Search Engine Spiders... At
The Same Time!

How To Write Articles That Create Credibility

How To Make Your 'Parked' Domains Profitable!

Online Tools To Help Your SEO

Gain Exposure In Saturated Markets!

Ensure Open Communication Without Relying On E-Mail

Gain Search Engine Traffic Through FOCUS

Reality. What a concept!

Common Reseller Package Labled "Scheme" by FTC Internet Marketers
Beware.

'XP Compatibility Issues Solved'

When Customer Service IS Your Best Marketing Strategy! Hosting
Company wins WebWench approval.

Web Stats Reveal WebMaster Responsibility

Persistence, Determination, and Hard Work

Building Relationships 101

Offering Feedback To Establish Credibility

Why Trading Links With Competitors Is A Good Thing

All-In-1 Web Business Solution

Turning Upheaval into Profit

Mailing List Management: Online solutions vs. Ownership

Top Ten Wenchy Ways to Correspond with Publishers

Brand New Concept Builds Your Credibility ... AND Your Traffic

How To Prepare Your Content For Your Web Designer

Have you Defragged Your Hard Drive Lately?

My Favorite Forums, And Why You NEED To Join Them!

Why Buy Leads When You Can Cultivate A Loyal And Responsive
Subscriber Base? ( 7 Steps To Capturing Your Own Leads)

Understanding Google's "Page Rank" System

What Would You Do? (If you could promote only ONE thing.)

Patience is a virtue- and a time saver!

Should Total Subscriber Numbers Be Published?

The Professional Newsletter 'Signature'

Bogus Credit Card Charges Resurface "Happy Holidays - Check
your bank statements!"

Link Exchanging : An Ethical Guideline For Every Business Web Site

Google "Dances" For The Last Time In 2003

Is Your Web Site Set Up To Succeed?

Announcing New Products

Download yours today, and share it with the people you feel would
benefit most. If you've been looking for something NEW and DIFFERENT
to give your subscribers or Web site visitors for a bonus, THIS IS IT!
http://theportaltosuccess.com/Volume2TPTS.zip

I sincerely appreciate the support and feedback you've supplied me with
for the past year. I hope you continue to enjoy reading this publication,
and wish you a happy and healthy New Year!

====> Bonus Downloads <====

*> Subscriber Bonus Downloads *Updated Dec. 17th*
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Enjoy this week's issue.

Ginger Geracitano,
Editor of The Portal To Success E-Zine
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(2) Announcing New Products -

=> *Using The Internet To Enhance, And Grow Your
Service Business*
--> Free Tele-Class, featuring... me! ;o)
Hosted by Irene Brooks of 3-DSuccessCoach.com

You can now listen to the call, as it happened live on
11/20/2003... enjoy, and let me know if it helped you--

Streaming: http://theportaltosuccess.com/112003.ram
(You may need to update your RealPlayer program to
listen in, or you can always "right click" and "Save As"
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of your choice.)

=> Planning Your First Business Web Site
Written by Ginger Geracitano, ©2003

Planning to start your own business? Thinking about
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(3) Subscriber Feedback & Testimonials

I'm honored and flattered to have received incredible feedback
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As a result of this feedback, I'm taking some much needed time
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To Success.

I'll continue publishing weekly, but this E-Zine will no longer have
a specific DAY of issue. As my Design business grows, I find myself
needing a less demanding publishing schedule.

As I have for the past two years, I will be sending out an issue
every single week. The content will be fresh and original, and it will
include the very latest news from the Internet Business arena!

I look forward to a great year, and sincerely hope that you decide
to remain subscribed... the best is yet to come! The next issue will
appear in your mailbox the week of January 5th, 2003.

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2003-12-18T00:43:00.000-05:00

Some days, it's better to just stay home!

Three years ago, a car accident left me with injuries that I'll deal with for the rest of my life. This was only one event in a series that led me to leave the corporate world to start my own 'home based' business.

Today, in a routine trip to the corner store for a few supplies, yet again I was the victim of a vehicle 'incident'. Although nobody was hurt, I'm still a wreck. The girls (my 8 year old twins) were with me this time.

Needless to say, the flashback to the prior accident was enough to make me shake. The driver of the UPS truck that took the mirror off our Blazer was not comfortable with how nervous I was.

The funny part was... my neighbor's son was on the UPS truck. He wasn't the driver, but still, it was kind of cool having a friend as a witness. I didn't go into explaining why I was so shaken by our not very serious accident... they didn't need to know. The driver was pretty upset at himself, it seemed, and admitted up front that it was his fault.

Regardless, it was just another day in the life here it seems. There are days when I feel like it would just be best if I stayed home. I'm seriously considering starting a business for grocery delivery. Not that I want to shop for others, but I can't find someone to do my shopping for me, and I imagine there are others that would want to take advantage of such a service. Of course, they're probably unable to drive... there's got to be a market for such a service.

Or, is it just me? LOL uggggg. One of my girls was very upset that I had to be outside in the freezing rain to talk to the police officer. She wished that it never happened, and offered her allowance to help pay for the damages.

Kids. Gotta just love 'em. TONS.

2003-12-08T09:13:00.000-05:00

CashCulture Responds.
Apparently, they don't want US business. Ok with me!

There's a rule in marketing that states, "Don't allienate your target market", and another that states, "Cater to your customer base." Apparently, CashCulture does SO well for itself in the UK and other countries, that they don't feel it's necessary to make any concessions for their USA based clients.

By his remarks below, it almost seems as though they're TRYING to allienate the US based client.

Do I expect SPECIAL treatment because I'm US based? No, but I DO expect the people I do business with to act in a professional business manner. After all, how smart is it of ANY business to shut out an entire country? Do I think that offering checks in ONLY UK Pound Sterling is shutting out the US? Yes, I do. I hope they do well with their business, and anticipate that they will eventually be forced to offer a different payment method to their US clients.

Of course, I won't be holding my breathe. My comments below in the smaller font.

david:
12/8/2003 9:15:11 AM Hi,

StormPay fees are not that different to PayPal these days. It wasn't what we thought, but what the legal department in the USA thought about StormPay operation.
StormPay fees are much more than PayPal, no need to soften the blow here, let's be real. If the 'legal department in the US has a problem with StormPay, then they'd probably have a problem with ME using StormPay too... why would you suggest that I put my business in risk just to participate in YOUR business... try thinking of your CUSTOMER!!

Yes, the boss had to move away from PayPal because of the way they operate.
No, the boss had to move away from PayPal because of the way YOU operate. Let's keep that straight, k?

CASHCulture is a UK based program owned by RefHost Ltd. As such, we have only ever sent cheques in UK Sterling.

So basically, as CASHCulture is available World Wide, we should have an account in every currency, or is the US special?
If by 'special' you mean "isn't the US the biggest retail base available to a program like yours", then yes, we are special, and I can't believe that your business isn't at least offering a US dollar equivilent for a check payment. Other large companies don't seem to have such a problem with this. Is the addition of one bank account too much to deal with, in exchange for an entire ECONOMY of customers?

If your Banks are charging $25 to pay in a cheque, they are ripping you off, not CASHCulture. Here in the UK I can pay in a US check and get charged $15. At other Banks it is less.
If the Royal Bank of London didn't charge our banks such OUTRAGEOUS fees to process THEIR checks, our US banks wouldn't HAVE to pass that fee down to their customers. Please, pal, you're starting to annoy me now. How long were you in banking? It was 15 years for me, 2 of which I ran the largest INTERNATIONAL department in upstate NY. Thank you very much.

You say that it is us trying to make people use StormPay. After PayPal, StormPay was the next logical place. E-Gold does not provide what we need, so if we did not replace PayPal there would be only check withdrawals.
I guess I'm not supposed to know that this all comes down to the fact that PayPal identified you as an illegal matrix program, therefor falling OUTSIDE of it's TOS. If StormPay ever grows as large as PayPal (BIG IF THERE), they too will be relieving you of their services... yanno, once the FDIC catches up to them.

We are looking in to other payment systems, but at prsent there is only StormPay and check withdrawal options.

I can not close your accounts. If you wish to do so, login and go to Manage Account menu option for each account.
Consider it done.

Note: For years the rest of the World has had to put up with the US Dollar running the Internet. I find it a little funny that when the tables are turned, it is wrong (and I don't mean to make fun of the charges either). Just seems it is OK for the USA, but not anyone else?
Bitter much? Still mad about that darn tea party or what? Geez!! The US dollar does not RUN the internet my friend, it's just that other companies want to benefit from the HUGE income potential that their US clients represent. Your company, obviously does NOT.

Regards,
David Walton (CASHCulture Support)

2003-12-07T23:38:00.000-05:00

Year End Clean Up Means Closing LAST 'Program' Account For This Wench!

2003 was a year for 'awakening' on my part. I admit, I got caught up in the 'affiliate/matrix program' marketing boom, and am happy to say that I've just closed out the last of them, CashCulture.

This 'program' was a good idea, offering hosting accounts and other marketing tools to it's membership. It was something I joined in hopes of finding tools that my design clients were in need of. The 'unlimited autoresponders' were of particular interest.

There are a lot of happy people, hosting their business sites with CC... but I found their hosting services lacking the full array of services that other hosting services provide. Perhaps this is why their monthly fee was so much less.

The 'unlimited autoresponders' turned out to be sequential autoresponders alright, but they don't have broadcast ability, so are only good for setting up short eCources and the like.

Relatively problem free, I enjoyed a healthy montly income with this program, but never did find a real use for the tools there. Perhaps someone with less needs would find them useful, but I deal with clients that need the full array of eCommerce solutions, which cannot be found at CC.

So, when I tried to request my commissions this month just to find out that they were no longer making payments through PayPal, that was the last straw. It always raises a red flag in my mind if an affiliate program doesn't operate within the TOS of PayPal.

My only payment options were StormPay and Check. Nowhere on the payment request form did it say that the checks would be sent in British Pound Sterling, and I despise StormPay, so I requested checks.

Sidebar: StormPay acts as an agent between YOU and their third party payment processors, they are not a true payment processor like PayPal is. Since they 'sub contract' other vendors to transfer the money for you, their fees are absolutely out of hand in my opinion. Having examined their policy and procedure, as an ex banker trained in the laws by the FDIC, I will never believe that StormPay is operating within what my country's government would consider 'legal guidelines'. Since I live in the USA, I tend to follow our laws, not the loose de-regulated state of monetary law in other off shore countries. (The management of CC does not agree with me on this. They're entitled to their opinion, even if they don't have their facts straight.)

Anyway, when the people at CC got my note about not appreciating the fact that they would be sending my money via British Pound Sterling... I just couldn't believe the reply!

Quote:
"StormPay is legal, and in the USA. Their operation is similar to PayPal, but run supportively. That is the only real difference.

They had one order to stop advertising for partners, which they did at the very beginning, but their operation is legal. We went as far as contacting their local government office (legal department)to ensure everything was OK. There has only been the one order, and no other, pending or otherwise.

StormPay is going to replace PayPal on the Internet. Yes, they will obviously have to make changes, but that can be said about most companies."

LOL. First of all, yes, the people that run StormPay may be in the US, but the companies they hire as your agent to process your funds are NOT. It almost reaks of money laundering, which, if the FDIC were to investigate, is what I believe they would think too.

Second of all... the day that StormPay replaces PayPal on the Internet, I'll close my businesses down. Is this guy kidding me, or what??? Do I sign my correspondence, "I'm stupid, so just make up something that sounds outrageous, and I'll believe you!"

Please, please don't talk to me like I'm an idiot, and don't know any better. Hey, if StormPay's so great, maybe they could bid for eBay and take that right out from under PayPal, too, whatcha think?

The support representative from CashCulture that made these comments is right about one thing... many companies DO have to make changes in order to grow and succeed. He just doesn't yet realize that he's working for one of them!

In my opinion, CashCulture is shooting itself in the foot by only paying their affiliates in British Pound Sterling checks, or StormPay. They are also limiting their target market to those that are willing to use the services of a 'matrix (borderline ponsi?)' friendly payment processor.

See, I'm learning. My new rule is, "Don't join any 'matrix' program that disguises itself as an affiliate program." This Wench will stick to NO MORE THAN TWO LEVELS of payment for affiliates, anything more than that starts to reek like a matrix, which is only a step away from a pyramid scheme. The legal interpretation between one and the other becomes something that gets argued in court, so tell it to the judge, I'm outta there!

I'm sorry I didn't learn this lesson earlier.

2003-11-22T19:03:00.000-05:00

Creative Commons

A very nice resource for online publishers! I found this by surfing my linking partner's site (Carmen's Thinkin' Out Loud), when I found a link to her copyright notice.

To my pleasant surprise, I found that this was an online service that allows you to construct a copyright notice, specific to your online works. As long as you allow people to copy and present your content, this is a great way to help ensure that you retain the copyright to your materials.

I'll be integrating these notices to all of my own published works, and encourage all serious writers to do the same.

** Special note: Artists, photographers and musicians will find specialized copyright 'embedding' tools which make it easier to mark their works with their copyright also... GREAT find!

Here's how my own new notice will look ONLINE:

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License.

And, here's how it will look on all printed materials. (They really have thought of everything!)

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/1.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA.

2003-11-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

Opt-in News

[Friday, October 10, 2003]
Will California’s Spam Law Kill Your Email Marketing?

By Brian Klais

*sigh* Some very good points are made here. Funny thing is, except for the clear mention of third party advertisement directly next to the sign up box on my sites, I've been 'compliant' with the 'can spam' laws for over a year. I made the move to double opt in some time ago, and haven't sold advertising for a long time.

What scares me the most is the possibility of someone being on my list that's just waiting for the January 1st date to roll around, and then report me in the hopes that I can't find their details of opt in. I hate to say it, but I'm considering doing a year end clean up which will require a 're opt in' as mentioned in the article above.

One thing is certain. My list is clean, and I've never held anyone hostage! LOL ;o) Don't be scared of the new laws, be smart about them.

2003-11-17T10:20:00.000-05:00

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Oh boy! Thanks to jl scott of iCop, I was made aware of an article posted by a fellow ezine publisher. If you enjoy keeping up on current events regarding the integrity and reputation of some of the well known names on the Internet, you'll probably want to read this one.

Just let me say this... I knew that "Spam Terminator" was bad news from the very first day I saw hundreds of "affiliates" recommending the software that was going to revolutionize *spam control*. Ha! Yeah, right... anyone with experience could tell from the emails that this PLOY was nothing more than an attempt to add paying users to a matrix program.

The simple fact that the software DIDN'T WORK when it was introduced was my first clue... the people involved in it's introduction were just another black mark against this "program" in my humble opinion.

When these same people became involved in TotalMarketingLive, that's the same day I left that new program. I was sorry to see this happen, because originally, the training materials and knowledge offered to the membership were very high quality. Along with the insurgence of the GURU mentality, came the lack of service, so I left the same day they made the announcement that CashEvolution would be integrated. I just KNEW that was a bad sign, and unfortunately, from what I'm hearing now, I was right!

Yet another example of WHY I no longer participate in ANY matrix programs, and very FEW affiliate programs. Concentrating ALL my efforts on my own service businesses was the best thing I did for my business, and as a client put it to me today... it makes for a much more powerful presentation.

I'm currently working on a 46 page Web site development for a client, so for the first time in my own business, I'm facing the possibility of turning down work. Looks like it's time to bring in some assistants that I can trust... applications are not being accepted, as I'm proud to say that I have a full list of great people to work with already. Life really IS good, regardless of the 'state of email marketing' as it's being pounded by the regulators! ;o)

I don't like to talk poorly of others, but I have GOT to be honest here, I'm just sick to death of the low, and NON existant level of ethics and professionalism that some *gurus* are displaying. It's almost to the point now, where the LESS you hear from someone, the more likely it is that they are legitimate business people! LOL

Let's face reality here for a moment... if you're legitimate, and people truly enjoy your product or service, and find it valuable, you WILL be successful! The busier you are, the less time you have to send irritating mass emails selling overpriced banner advertising that doesn't work, and generally useless *other* email harrassments.

The people involved in, and behind the whole 'StopSpamNow.com' fiasco have not been busy doing anything worthy of discussion. Just remember their names, and avoid them. I've been operating quite happily for over two years without having anything to do with them, and if they BECOME involved in something I'm doing, I leave. It's really as simple and easy as that.

These are serial scammers posing as GURU marketers folks, keep your eyes open, and your ear to the ground. When it's painfully obvious that the owners of a business have ONLY their own best interest (and wallets) at heart, it's time to leave them to their own un-doing. It always happens, because what comes around, goes around.

Isn't it laughable that these GURU's claim to make hundreds of thousands of dollars, yet they can't (or won't) pay for services provided to them?

If any of the individuals named in the article referenced here would like to comment, or offer their side of this story, I'll gladly print it here for all to read, I certainly don't want to perpetuate 'gossip'! Send your comments to me here:
mailto:editor@theportaltosuccess.com?subject=SpamScam

2003-11-15T20:27:00.000-05:00

Register for our Free Tele-Class on Using the internet to enhance your business

We're getting there... I just posted the very first draft of the sign up form for our first tele-class. It's a test run of the SBI! Form Build It! tool... and I must say, it's easy to use and ties into unlimited sequential autoresponders!

What a great way to make offering eCourses easy and fool proof, huh? I'm loving this! The possibilities for follow up emails, customer surveys and training registrations... the ideas buzzing around in my mind seem never ending! LOL

To learn more about SBI!, and why you really can't pass up the opportunity to succeed the FIRST time you try to build a site, Visit HERE.

2003-11-14T16:09:00.000-05:00

DMNews.com | News | Article

AOL Plans Enhanced Whitelist for E-Mailers

"NEW YORK -- AOL will roll out a new whitelist program to guarantee that legitimate marketers' e-mails appear correctly to the Internet service's 25 million subscribers, the company said yesterday.
The enhanced whitelist, which AOL plans to introduce in a few weeks, would turn off a feature in the new AOL 9.0 that does not display HTML graphics and links in e-mails from senders not in a user's address book. E-mail marketers complain the feature makes their HTML messages unreadable and hinders their ability to track open rates."

Read more here...

This SOUNDS good, but I don't know if I believe that it's possible fore AOL to actually DO all it promises to according to this article. I think more AOL members should complain about NOT getting the mail that they DO want... and they should also take the time to learn how the new system is actually handeling thier mail. I have an AOL account, and I know that I learn by trial and error... but I also find a lot of the mail I want in my "Spam" folder, put there by AOL.

A few AOL subscribers accidentally hit the "Report Spam" button, because it's close to the other operational buttons, and *wham*, you're blacklisted. Very frustrating... but I would gladly set up a special page, or even a seperate list for AOL subscribers... if I thought it would help.

I'll be calling them soon to see how I can go about getting on this allowed list.

2003-11-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

Search engine news blog | Search Engine Lowdown

This morning, I noticed that the page rank system in my Google Toolbar wasn't working. I found it very startling, because even my formally well ranked sites were showing as though they had NO rank. Talk about heart racing!

I checked my favorite weblogs regarding SEO, and found that it hadn't been mentioned yet. Thank goodness the phone rang off the hook here today, otherwise I may have paniced... Instead, I wrote to the webmaster of the GoogleWeblog. When Aaron Swartz replied to me, I also went to the above mentioned site to check out the 'buzz', if there was any.

As usual, SearchEngineLowdown.com had the answers... or, at least, they had the info I was looking for. They referenced a forum that was discussing the problem. At least I know now that it's not just MY browser... apparently, Google is having a bad case of heartburn. Or, would that be "serverburn"?

There's one post that goes into detail about how it's probably just the increased traffic on the net, causing Google's server to time out before our toolbars can gather the page ranking information for the page we're currently viewing. This sounds like it's the best possible explination to me. We shall see, I know that I'll be keeping an eye on this situation. ;o)

2003-11-04T09:52:00.000-05:00

California spam law may face court challenge | CNET News.com

ahhh... see? I knew there was a reason I waited to act! As far as I'm concerned, since I'm a legitimate person doing business on the internet, I'm not going to change the way I'm doing things now. I don't hide behind fake names and forged headers when I send mail to my double opt in list, and I'm NOT stealing anyone's bandwidth to do it!

Nope, I'm getting back into the swing of things as if nothing happened as far as legislation, it just took a few days of soul searching and deep thought and analysis to get to this point! I've learned over time to NOT act harshly or IMMEDIATELY. Especially where 'interpretation' plays a role in the information we receive. For once, I'm glad I didn't REACT! :o)

2003-10-30T11:42:00.000-05:00

International Council of Online Professionals (iCop™): Organizational Team

I'm honored to have been added to the Organizational Team at i-Cop... now a Charter member, I've never been prouder of a business association! This has been a great week...

Here's the bio jl scott, ph.d. put up for me... man, I need to get some professional pictures taken! LOL
Check out the bio here.

2003-10-30T01:13:00.000-05:00

The Portal To Success... It's a State of Mind | CafePress

There, I've got my holiday shopping items up and running, and to think... this is just the beginning... I have many plans for a full blown store offering different original art on all kinds of items! This is also where I will be offering hard copies of my tutorials!

2003-10-29T10:28:00.000-05:00

257 AOL Subscribers Deleted From The Portal To Success E-Zine!

Yep, I had no choice, after receiving a 'bounce' from each and every AOL user that's subscribed to my E-Zine this past Friday. This is what the notice said:

"Connected to 64.12.136.121 but greeting failed.
Remote host said: 554-(RLY:B1) The information presently available to AOL indicates this
554-server is generating high volumes of member complaints from AOL's
554-member base. Based on AOL's Unsolicited Bulk E-mail policy at
554-http://www.aol.com/info/bulkemail.html AOL may not accept further
554-e-mail transactions from this server or domain. For more information,
554 please visit http://postmaster.info.aol.com.
I'm not going to try again; this message has been in the queue too long."

High number of member complaints? Well, it may have helped if AOL didn't place the "Report Spam" button so damned close to the "Print" and "Reply" buttons!

I did have at least one AOL user call me on the phone to apologize for hitting the "Report Spam" button by accident, and she was hoping that she didn't do any harm due to her accidental report.

I guess it didn't help matters any, huh?

Frustrated, disgusted, and pissed off -- I'm off to install a new responder/list server script on my coaching domain, although, I don't know why I'm bothering... before long, I'm sure that will be blocked too.

The only hope I have is that AOL does in fact wind up letting up a bit, considering that they haven't been profitable in a long while. I have to believe that most of my target market has their own domain, and will be able to subscribe to my e-zine with a domain address. Those don't seem to have any problem receiving my mails.

Another day in the life huh? I am sending each AOL subscriber a notice that they've been removed, with options for re-subscribing. I'm sending them from MY AOL account, which I'm sure will be TOS'd soon, which will force me to close my account, and end my relationship with AOL all together.

No big loss really, I can't get the mails I want there, and most of the people I know are pissed off at them too. In most Internet business circles, AOL subscribers are thought of as peverts and 'kids' with nothing better to do than chat in cyberland... I happen to know that a lot of the people on AOL are solid, honest people. I sure hope they either get their own domain, or another ISP real soon.

There is NO doing business on AOL anymore, and that, I hope, will contribute to their downfall.

2003-10-25T02:52:00.000-04:00

Planning Your First Business Web Site

My first official Tutorial is now available! I'm so excited to have finally gotten my first ebook completed! Professionally edited, and really my best effort, I have NO doubts that my clients will feel like they walked away with a bargain. It feels good to offer quality info, I'm proud!

2003-10-21T04:27:00.000-04:00

Small Business Tracker - all the tools you will need to effectively manage your small or home business activities

I'm finally getting my act together after having two sick kids home all weekend. What a birthday present, huh? Anyway, this software offer is just too good to wait till the next issue. I hope you don't mind me letting you know about this before I launch my tutorial... if this one extra mail upsets you, there is a removal link at the bottom of my note. I sure hope you don't use it though, check this out:

I have been meaning to put this page together for this awesome software I use every single day... it's got 10 tracking functions, one of which is a password manager. It's even able to GENERATE the passwords for you if you can't think of a new one lol.

It does so much more though... it tracks my invoices for me, my time for each product (since I charge by the hour, this is very handy), and it even translates time for me.... I'm SO VERY bad with dealing with time zones! Well, I was..... now it's all so easy... you've just got to see all this does... I took screen shots of every function for you and threw together this sales page... I'm not authorized to give this one away or I would, but there is a special offer on the page... let me know what you think!

http://theportaltosuccess.com/sbt/

~ Ginger "WebWench" Geracitano
Editor, The Portal To Success E-Zine

P.S. The special offer of a 50% discount on my Web Business Start Up Tutorial leads to a product page that isn't posted yet. I wanted to get this offer out to YOU before I launch the tutorial. Save your coupon and you'll be all set. The tutorial is going to be released on Friday. Go visit, you'll see... http://theportaltosuccess.com/sbt/

2003-10-20T09:24:00.000-04:00

I'm sharing the article below because it's good, solid information about the search engines. What I want to make sure you realize before reading it, is that the Alexa toolbar is 'brandable', which means that downloading it from Mike's site will probably give you 'easier access' to his site, as it will highlight his first on it's favorites. It's also probably branded to his Amazon affiliate id.

A smart marketing move by Mike, asking people to download the Alexa toolbar from his site. How do I know it's branded to him? Because if it wasn't, he'd probably just have you download it from Alexa.com, right? LOL I admire his marketing techinique... just goes to prove that you have to be fast to make these things work for you. I considered branding one of these toolbars with The Portal To Success information, but procrastinated because I hate to ask people to download software that attaches to their browser. So many people have trouble with their IE already, that I don't want it to be my fault if the Alexa add on just makes things worse lol. I use the Google toolbar so I can check page ranking... I've heard that the Alexa toolbar works well in unison with the Google toolbar, but am not yet brave enough to test it out myself. Enjoy the article.

Search for Relevance in Ranking
by Mike Banks Valentine ©Copyright 2003

Search engines used to rely on webmasters to provide an
honest assessment of web site content by simply accepting
exactly what was placed in the meta tags of each site.

The engines ranked the sites in the beginning by looking
almost entirely at those tags and serving results based
on whether search words and phrases were contained in the
meta tags. That was when everyone publishing web pages
was sweet, naive and honest as twelve-year-old boyscouts.

Ranking algorithms began getting immensely more complex as
webmasters started manipulating search results either by
lying about the content of the site in those meta tags, or
by stuffing those tags with keyword phrases. Meanwhile,
search engines started looking for formulas that could
deliver reliable and relevant results without relying on
honesty in meta tags.

Google rose to prominence in a very short time by placing
far less emphasis on meta tags and far more emphasis on
popularity, based on inbound links from other web sites.

I recently wrote an article entitled, "Reciprocal Linking
is Dead!" after discovering a dishonest manipulation of
that technique to increase affiliate sales through URL
cloaking and redirected link schemes.

http://searchengineoptimism.com/reciprocal-linking-dead.html

Google's PageRank algorithm, combined with the speed of
results pages, made them hugely popular with searchers,
who seemed to find those results pages more relevant to
their searches. Google continues adjusting algorithms
to include site themes, interior linking structure, body
text keyword density, frequency of updates, etc.

Search over the past five years had experienced dramatic
expansion of players in the late nineties internet boom,
followed by implosions of mergers, death & destruction.
A brief and humorous article offers a recap of search
engine births, marriages and affairs over this period.

http://searchengineoptimism.com/Yahoo_acquire_Overture.html

Recently, while search providers consolidated to fewer
than a dozen major players from the hundreds of search
engines of just a few years ago, optimistic new players
have emerged seeking a piece of the search pie. Newest
on the block is optimistically open source Nutch.com,
which promises to openly publish their search algorithms
while others continue to hide their proprietary formulae
for relevant search results.

Meanwhile there are ongoing attempts by some engines to
improve algorithms to reduce webmaster manipulation,
increase relevancy and produce ever better results.

This week, the small, but very aggressive search engine
http://www.ExactSeek.com announced a partnership with
Alexa.com to adjust their ranking relevance using the
popularity index of Alexa site rank. This move will,
no doubt, anger many smaller webmasters whose Alexa
rankings are lower than larger competitors. Smaller
localized businesses that compete against national
chain retailers will likely slip off the radar under
this scheme. Substantial, quality content tips the
scales back in favor of smaller content sites here.

But is this different than the popularity index scheme
that Google uses determined by inbound links? Will those
web sites in the results at ExactSeek with thousands of
hard-won links disappear from the results pages when the
Alexa factor is applied to ExactSeek algorithm?

I did a brief and unscientific test across the biggest
search engines by searching for my own site at each one.
One search phrase I've targeted is "Small business
Internet Tutorial" and the results are enlightening.

MSN search returns my site, WebSite101.com as #1 result.
Google, I'm proud to say, returns exactly the same #1.
AlltheWeb.com gives WebSite101 position #6, still good.
Teoma.com returns a results page with WebSite101 at #1.

The big boys of search comparing this well established
and fairly popular site - all seem to produce similar
results, all using differing algorithms to reach that
conclusion.

ExactSeek currently ranks WebSite101 at position #2.

I had assumed that bigger numbers meant more pageviews.
Alexa ranking is based on visits to web sites by surfers
using the Alexa toolbar plug-in from Internet Explorer
browsers. Their ranking formula is not intuitive and a
bit backward to understand. WebSite101 had recently been
ranked at about 50,000 in Alexa results and I worried
when I discovered that it had changed to 47,000 lately.

It turns out that this is actually a better ranking as
I discovered after visiting the Alexa site to research
this article. The lower the number, the closer you move
to #1 in the Alexa rankings. That vaunted #1 position is
held by Yahoo!, followed by Microsoft.com and then by
Google, not surprisingly.

http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_500

The controversy that could be generated by incorporating
Alexa rankings into ExactSeek results will very likely
be that a smaller search engine is basing it's results
on popularity among a relatively small group of Alexa
toolbar users who visit Microsoft more often than they
might visit WebSite101. The Alexa toolbar has been down-
loaded 10 million times, according to their website and
estimates at least 1 million users with the toolbar are
surfing at any one time.

For a primer on all toolbars, visit Search Engine Watch

http://searchenginewatch.com/links/article.php/2156381

I'd like to encourage everyone to visit WebSite101, on
my front page, click on "Install Alexa Toolbar" banner
at the bottom of the home page and help move WebSite101
up to position 45,000 by visiting me regularly, which
will increase my rank to #1 from #2 at ExactSeek. ;-)

Webmasters will inevitably work to increase their site
rankings by any means they can, but site popularity is
less susceptible to those machinations of aggressive
webmastering than say, keyword stuffing, reciprocal
links farms, etc. Those unethical techniques could lead
to being banned by the search engines. While web site
popularity is susceptible to traffic exchange schemes,
it tends to level off after a period of time as traffic
peaks and again declines. Alexa aggregates info across
three month periods, which negates brief traffic spikes.

Time will tell whether the ExactSeek ranking scheme will
be welcomed by searchers, but first impression is that
Alexa will favor the popularity of Goliath over David
(smaller sites). ExactSeek can incorporate rank from
Alexa while filtering out the Goliath factor in their
algorithms. Getting the mix right will determine
ExactSeek popularity among webmasters.

Searchers will ultimately decide if they like ExactSeek
results.

-------------------------------------------------------
Mike Banks Valentine is a Search Engine Optimization
Specialist practicing ethical SEO for Online businesses
http://SEOptimism.com
Take our Search Engine Quiz to test your Skills Level
http://SearchEngineOptimism.com/search_engine_quiz.html-------------------------------------------------------

2003-10-16T18:48:00.000-04:00

Carney Blarney

Cool blog beginnin's Wonder, my friend! ;o) As soon as I can remember how to 'easily add your link' to my blog, you're in! LOL

2003-10-14T09:53:00.000-04:00

Announcing a new "List Building" strategy test

Some list building secrets you'll love!

If you've ever wanted to build huge highly targeted, 100% OPTin email lists either for your ezine or just to get leads on an autoresponder series, that you could profit from time and time again, literally at the flip of a switch, I've got some fantastic news for you! (if you can't wait, click here now.)

A friend of mine, pulled a fool stunt some time ago that quickly added over 2,037 subscribers to his ezine in less than 10 days, and it had nothing to do with;

- Writing articles to distribute
- Buying co-registration names
- Joining any downlines or membership sites - Spamming or anything illegal

...and he's documented the entire trick along with five other insanely powerful methods that could each bring you 1000+ or more in under 10 days -- In a powerful *online video* course!

If you're ready to see how some people will explode their email lists into the tens of thousands at almost warp speed, click here for more info.

Trust me, this one is worth your time! Check it out by clicking here.

- Ginger Geracitano

PS. Some of you who visit that site will pick up a fre^e piece of software that you'll use in the right way to set your email lists on fire in a flash.

Look for it and the installation videos on the site.

2003-10-12T02:10:00.000-04:00

ThePortalToSuccess.Com :: Current Issue and Archive

Understanding Google's "Page Rank" System
(c) Ginger Geracitano, 2003

Oftentimes, my web design and search engine optimization clients ask me to explain Google's "Page Rank" designation. Since this can play an important role in the amount of targeted fr^ee traffic you receive to your web site, I've decided to explain it here in the simplest of layman's terms.

To begin with, if you have no idea what I'm talking about when I say "Page Rank", I suggest you download the Google toolbar. If you're serious about gaining the advantage of search engine traffic, you'll want to use the research ability that this tool affords you.

The fr^ee download is accessible from this page: http://toolbar.google.com/

Further, if you'd like to reference Google's own explanation of their page ranking process, visit this page: http://www.google.com/technology/index.html

How Google Calculates A Site's Page Rank
----------------------------------------

The easiest way to explain the page ranking calculation at Google is to think of it as a voting system. If I place a link to your web site on one of my web pages, I'm "voting" for your site.

If my site is important enough to have other site's voting for it, (meaning that they've placed a link to my site on their pages), my link to you will help raise your page ranking.

However, if my site is NOT important in the eyes of the Google-bots because the sites that link to me do not have a page rank of at least 4 of 10, well then, my link isn't going to do you much good at all. In fact, sites with a page rank lower than 4 of 10 won't count as an incoming link at all.

You see, Google will only consider a link pointing to your site, if the site that's pointing to you has a page rank of at least 4 of 10.

In plain English what does this mean? It means that Google is trying to provide quality content sites with more exposure, and by using their page ranking system, only the sites with relevant, quality content will be considered in both the search results and the link exchange calculations.

So, Who Should We Exchange Links With?
----------------------------------------

As in anything else we do, we should link to sites that we truly believe offer useful content to our site's visitors. The Page Ranking system that Google has in place makes it useless to inadvertently add links to other sites for the sole purpose of 'trading links'.

The reality of the situation is, if you are trading links with other sites for the sole purpose of raising your own search engine ranking, then you should only trade with sites that have a page rank of 4 of 10 or higher.

I will warn you though, that if the pages you link to are not in some way related to the content of your own site, you'll NOT get the full advantage of their page rank.

The Bottom Line
----------------------------------------

If the pages that you link to off your web pages are not relevant to your own content, they will not help you in any way to receive a better ranking on Google.

If you link to pages that are not already considered important to Google due to their own content and their own ranking, they won't help you much at all.

The bottom line? Don't link to someone just because they'll link to you. This will NOT help your ranking. Link to other sites because they have quality content that directly relates to the content of your site in some way.

Think of it this way; link to sites that will offer your visitors relevant information to what they came to your site for. Actually visit the sites you link to and make sure that they offer quality content instead of 'fluff'.

Remember that Google's main purpose is to provide relevant search results to the people that use the Google Search Services. To keep their users happy, they only want to send them to sites that are considered important not only because of the content they provide, but because they are considered important enough by related sites to actually provide a link to them as a resource.

While Google is not the ONLY search engine out there, it is the most widely used 'provider' of search results. Many of the 'major' search engines get their results directly from Google! A strong page rank and high ranking in Google can mean fr^ee search engine traffic from other search engines that normally only accept 'paid inclusions'.

One Last Note
----------------------------------------

I've witnessed some web masters refusing to exchange relevant links due to a page rank of less than 4 of 10. This may bite you later, if the site that wants to link to you now, ranks higher later. Don't refuse a link exchange solely due to their lacking page rank.

If a site has quality content, and it's relevant to your site, exchange links with them anyway. Just because they don't have a high page rank today, doesn't mean they won't soon be considered important in the eyes of the Google-bots.

Keep your link exchanges relevant, and make sure the content of the sites you link to is good, solid information. Soon enough, you'll find these quality sites wanting to link to you too. Remember, content really is the most important thing... they don't call it the 'information super highway' for nothing you know!

------------------------------------------------------------
This article may be reprinted freely, as long as the copyright information, and this entire resource box remain in tact.
About The Author: Ginger Geracitano offers her experience as a Web Designer and Business & Marketing Coach through her weekly E-Zine, The Portal To Success. Subscribers receive tips, strategies, and her product reviews every Friday. mailto:subscribe@theportaltosuccess.com

2003-10-12T02:08:00.000-04:00

Google Search: business success ezine

THE number one business success ezine listing at Google. Hell yes, I like that! Just closing in on my second full year of going full time on the Net... yep, I like this a lot.

Just tonight, I had a conversation with my hubby about how much I love what I'm doing. This coming week holds three deadlines for me... one custom template design, and two writing assignments... one of which will result in my own marketable, hardcopy (not digitally downloadable) training manual.

Have you ever felt like your luck is running so well, that you should probably just go to bed and enjoy your success?? Yeah, me too... g'night! ;o) LOL

2003-10-09T01:27:00.000-04:00

BLOGGER - Knowledge Base

Fellow 'warrioress' Carmen, over at MarketingChick.com was nice enough to help me find out more about making this blog available on RSS feed. YAY... see why I love forums? ;)

2003-10-08T14:28:00.000-04:00

Irene Brooks, Professional Business and Life Coach

Yet ANOTHER WebWench Design complete! *Whew* I absolutely adore the color combo on this one, and Irene's such a great lady... the highest compliment I got on this one was when her husband told here "it looks like you!" :o) That was the goal!

2003-10-08T14:26:00.000-04:00

Rotatorblaze auto URL rotator

Another WebWench Design complete! Flash header on this one...

2003-10-06T19:29:00.000-04:00

Free MailWasher Pro download
: Stop the spammers before you even download your mail. I use this every single day, and I save hours!

2003-10-04T18:40:00.000-04:00

Cons, Frauds and Other Lies

Another site that may help in my due dilligence research.

2003-10-04T18:38:00.000-04:00

Frauds and Scams | Crimes of Persuasion - An Investigators Resource

Ok, so I store links for myself here, so that I can go back to them at a later time... this site has an "Investigative Strategies" section that I want to check out for an article I'm planning on due dilligence.

2003-10-04T18:33:00.000-04:00

Top Ten Dot Cons: Home Page

Great resource from the FTC ... due dilligence? Start here for background knowledge. :o)

2003-10-04T17:41:00.000-04:00

*> *Brand New* download: Rules? What Rules?
When I read this report, I immediately wrote to the
author to gain permission to share this very *important*
information with you. John Glube knows his stuff, and
shares the real deal about online advertising. I'm very
proud to offer this information to you, and seriously
suggest you read it through (all 32 pages) before you
place even one more ad, anywhere!

*> Last week's download: Google Adwords Case Study

*> Co-Op Subscriber Advertising that's working

"My Favorite Forums, And Why You NEED To Join Them!"
© Ginger Geracitano 2003

Over the past two years, I've tried many different
methods of 'being seen', and establishing credibility within
my area of expertise. It's not always easy to break into a
new field or profession, and starting up a web business is
no different.

Recently, I've had the good fortune to run across some
really great people that know what they're talking about,
proven by their *real* success stories, and actual
income earned.

It's really very simple. If you want to get to the people
that have really "been there" and "done that", visit the
online forums where these people gather to share ideas
and discuss your industry.

I'm listing some of my favorite forums below, but before
you check them out, I just want to point out one thing.
When I say 'visit' these forums, I don't just mean that
you should go, read a few threads, and post an ad. NO,
no, no!

Visit, register, and then... *shock*, participate!
Introduce yourself, and share your thoughts about your
particular business. Don't join a forum, and never post,
only to complain that forums suck, and they never do
you any good... you need to open up a little and get to
know the people that are actively posting.

There are many people that understand the old saying,
"What you give out comes back to you many times over".
I can tell you in all honesty that when you help out in a
forum where you can, by answering someone's question,
or participating in a poll, you will be rewarded. It's also a
great way to GET the help that YOU need. Honest.

Get your forum feet wet with my favorites:

~> IBizWomen.Com
http://ibizwomen.com/forum/index.php
Run by Honor Hart, this 'Women Only' group is
geared toward working together to benefit all.
I help out in the Design, Publishing, and Coaching
forums. Visit today, and practice your forum skills!

~> iCop Master Membership and Forum

Although this forum is for paying members of iCop,
I have to recommend it highly. Both the people,
and the resources are exactly what every business
owner needs. As a member, I was able to attend a
teleconference this week that will no doubt increase
my client base. I'm also working with another
member from this forum on a joint venture project
that you will directly benefit from in the weeks to
come. None of this would have happened for me if
it were not for this forum. It can happen for you
too, all's that's to it is to do it!

~> The Warrior Forum

300 Meg Business Hosting Package - Only $24.95 Per
The #1 Direct Marketing Support Forum On The Internet!
That's no lie either. I just started participating as a
"Warrior", even though I've been lurking in there for
over a year. Why did it take me so long? Well, to
be honest, it's because I find so much GREAT info
when I visit there, I find myself rushing to develop
an idea to better my business. Now that I've taken
the time to visit AND post, I'm forming relationships
with people that I thought would never notice me!

~> STMA Forum and Software resellers membership

What can I say? A great group of professionals that
are serious about forming partnerships and bringing
ideas off the drawing board and into reality. It's
absolutely amazing to see people work together to
form new businesses, new products, and new
friendships. Great minds often find themselves
gathering in the same places. This forum is no
different.

~> Mark Hendrick's Inner Circle

Without sounding like an ad, the only thing that I
can say about this one is that it's THE place to be
for quality information, attentive moderators, and
an incredible wealth of never ending ideas. I've
watched this forum grow from 'new' to one of the
most visited, and highly ranked internet marketing
forums in existence. This is another one that
keeps me so busy learning that I forget to post
very often. I'm able to offer a fr^ee trial to you,
so take me up on it and bring your reading glasses!

I don't like forums that allow bickering, fighting, and
spamming, trust me. If you've been staying away from
forums because you just don't understand why they'd
benefit you on a professional level, I highly recommend
the above list as your starting point. As always, if you
have any questions regarding what you see here, I
welcome your feedback:
http://theportaltosuccess.com/contact.html
or call me! (518) 732-0184

2003-10-02T07:56:00.000-04:00

Clickbank

Clickbank's official blog. Cool. :)

2003-10-01T18:02:00.000-04:00

Google Weblog
Really glad I just checked this blog today... found useful removal information for a browser bug I didn't know I had. Definately worth a minute of your time to visit to find out more about "HuntBar/BTLink", HuntBar/BTIn", and all the others.

Short version: go to your add/remove programs within your control panel, and if you find something called New.net... get rid of it!
More info...

2003-09-29T18:36:00.000-04:00

A Million Leads - Your Source for Quality Wholesale Leads

.... another WebWenchDesign complete. That's two today! :o)

Can you say.... Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep now. LOL

2003-09-27T13:55:00.000-04:00

Obtaining a Business License or Permit

Ahhhh now THIS is what people really need to know! YAY!

2003-09-27T13:50:00.000-04:00

Government Guide: Small Business Forms

Busy gathering info for my coaching tutorials today, I wonder why more "information products" don't include this type of INFORMATION. Heh.

2003-09-26T16:35:00.000-04:00

Design Basics

With any luck, I'll remember to include this awesome resource in the next issue! LOL

I've made my issues available to subscribers two ways now, to try to server their needs, as well as get through the spam filters.

Online version

Or, by autoresponder mailto:currentissue@venbot.com

I've installed 3 OptIn Lightning accounts, 3 new business hosting set ups, completed one design, and answered countless mails this week. Little sleep, and LOTS of coffee... I've got to go outside for a bit. Gotta be 'fresh' for the night shift! LOL

2003-09-23T18:53:00.000-04:00

ClickBank Hoplinks will expire December 2003. Update your site today!

As many of you fellow affiliate marketers know, Clickbank is one of the most commonly used merchant services providers to online businesses. The "hoplink" allowed for easy referral tracking and increased many vendor's sales results.

There are literally thousands of marketers that have advertisements all over the internet using these 'hoplinks'. This change will require much updating, inlcuding a predicted onslaught of "eBook updates" to ensure that back end sales are not lost.

I discuss the implications of the necessary steps for updating your websites in our forum. Visit our forum, and discuss the ClickBank changes today! Look for the "site planning" forum to find my post.

2003-09-23T03:41:00.000-04:00

Ginger Geracitano, Internet Business Coach and Trainer

Ahhh... two days without sleep, BUT I've finally got something worth looking at as far as my coaching business is concerned. I think I'll actually catch a few winks now before it's time to wake everyone up again! LOL Wow... what a week... and Monday's just ended.

ZZzzzz.

2003-09-18T08:07:00.000-04:00

Web Sm@rts: Vol 4 #36 September 18, 2003

I'm the featured interview in this week's issue of Web Sm@rts. Who would have ever thought that I'd be the focus of an interview, huh? LOL I had fun doing this one, because the questions were pretty interesting. Ed's a fun person, and I hope to work with him again in the future. We arranged a publisher's ad swap, which is something I have to remember to do more often!

Coaching sessions are happening almost daily through live online chats, and I am building a nice collection of case studies for the Internet Business Beginner to learn from. Design work is coming in at a nice steady rate, but more satisfying is the connection I've been able to re-establish with my online peers. There are some great things in the works... I'm very happy to be working for the best boss I ever had, again. SO much less stress, without feeling like I have to justify every minute of my day.

Another successfull install of OptIn Lightning was completed yesterday, and I've got to say, that gets easier every time I do it! LOL I'm in the process of writing a tutorial for my install clients so that they know how to use the script once it's installed. Along with a one hour consultation, that should make a nice lil training package in and of itself! :o) Life is good.

2003-09-17T00:52:00.000-04:00

Why Trading Links With Competitors Can Be A Good Thing

I'm back on track and focusing on my own sites for a change. The Web design special is going very well so far. Everything does happen for a reason! ;o)

2003-09-16T14:48:00.000-04:00

I've gone completely and totally independent!

As you may know, I've been working for GSI as the Training Co-ordinator, Director of Research & Development, and any other hat that would fit on my head. I also ran my coaching business through their GSI Xtreme Coaching program.

Well, as SHOULD happen with any intelligent being, growth is a result of success. Through my own choice, I'm no longer working for GSI, and have taken my coaching to the next level by going 'solo'. As a result, my sites are all undergoing some change. EarnALivingOnline.Com will remain dedicated to helping others... and I'm developing a line of business success tutorials as a result of my years of experience.

Things change, companies change, management theories evolve. I'm one of those people that act on principle. If I don't agree with management theories, I tend to walk away. I like to sleep at night, and if I see something that I don't like, I leave. Integrity and ethics demand it.

If you have any questions regarding my decisions to become an independent consultant, please feel free to contact me. I don't know how to be anything BUT honest.

In the meantime, I'm getting back on track with my original goals of graphics and web design. To kick off my 'brave new world', I'm offering my services at deeply discounted rates!
(Coaching news and developments will be announced when I've completed some radical site changes! LOL)

You'll find a SUPER web design special offer at the bottom of this page... BannerBuddy is something I just got my hands on, and for those with little to no HTML expertise, I think you'll get a kick out of it. Enjoy, and please know that YOUR best interest is always the driving force behind my decisions. :o)

========

Quickly Generate Banner & Text Link HTML!

Use Banner Buddy To Quickly Generate Banner/Text Link HTML! With a few mouse clicks, you can turn text and graphics into "clickable" links to your web site.

HIDE affiliate links while visitors do "mouseovers". Also creates text under the banner.

Easily creates text links as well.

Banner Buddy is so easy to use anyone, even beginners, will have no problem using it...

SUPER BONUS: Order now and receive MASTER Resell Rights so you can sell Banner Buddy and keep 100% $$$ of the profits! You'll even get a copy of this sales page which you can easily customize!

This is incredible... easy to use and fun, too!

Remember, my web design sale is announced at the bottom of that page! Let me know what you think, and I'll see you on Friday when the regular issue comes out!

Have a great week, and PLEASE watch out for hurricane Isabell. We're setting up our sub basement now! :o)

Ginger Geracitano http://theportaltosuccess.com/contact.html
_________________________________
Editor, http://theportaltosuccess.com
Designer, http://webwenchdesign.com
Coach, http://earnalivingonline.com

2003-09-02T11:28:00.000-04:00

An entire weekend away from e-mail, worms, and SoBig... *sigh* I enjoyed a great weekend away with hubby... did some riding on the Harley, some shopping in Woodstock, and saw a great double feature at the drive ins! Alas, it's time to get back to work. :o)

I do finally have a plan (and sales page) for my own product! It will probably take me a while to get it ready to launch, but when it is, it will be well worth it... for the first time in a long time, I'm excited about expanding my business. Here's to a great week ahead!

2003-08-30T01:59:00.000-04:00

FREE Worm Killer!

The latest Internet worm is affecting even people with good anti-virus programs - it clogs your server with the messages, and eats up bandwidth (time) as large numbers of them are downloaded to your system. Anti-virus removes the virus, but you still have the messages themselves coming across your modem.

Pop3Washer will fix that problem. ABSOLUTELY NO COST. (Click the link above to get your copy!)

A gift from my software development partner! Just another reason he's the best... check out this great software business: http://theportaltosuccess.com/softwareresellers.html

2003-08-29T19:23:00.000-04:00

ThePortalToSuccess.Com :: Current Issue and Archive

*whew* The new issue is posted, and contains two new articles, both by me, imagine? LOL I had fun with the graphics for this issue. I'll be developing my own training courses for Managers and Team Leaders. It's great that your business grows, but if you don't know how to manage it, and the changes that growth brings with it, well your success is sure to be short lived. I'm going to try to offer training that helps to prevent that from happening. Talk about a niche market, huh? ;o) Only businesses that are successful will need it!

If you need to know how to become that kind of success... well, every Moe, Larry and Curly with a website can tell you that, right? LOL Can you tell I've about had it with some of the ridiculous crap being panhandled these days???

2003-08-28T12:07:00.000-04:00

Petey's Pipeline E-zine #6

High praise from a tough critic...
I'm absolutely floored by the great feedback that one of my articles received in the above ezine... I'm thinking I should just cut my losses today and go enjoy the weather! LOL

2003-08-27T22:00:00.000-04:00

I sometimes wonder if it's a good thing when your horoscope seems right on.

Libra: Other Air Signs are grounded against their will. Libra, however, manages to keep flying at a lower altitude and safer speed. Stay below radar until the trouble passes.

2003-08-26T10:44:00.000-04:00

"SOBIG.F" PROMISES - "I'LL BE BACK"

On 21 August 2003 Symantec Security Response upgraded
the W32.SOBIG.F threat to a category 4.

It is the sixth version of this worm.

SOBIG.F follows a computer worm known as "Blaster," or
"MSBlaster," which infected at least 500,000 computers all
over the world only a week ago. The "Nachi" worm which is
designed to protect pcs from "Blaster" caused its own havoc
including infiltrating unclassified computers on the
Navy-Marine intranet and the collapse of the check-in
system of Air Canada.

Associated Press has stated that 1 in 17 emails sent around
the world has been infected.

According to Paul Wood of MessageLabs it took anti-virus
companies at least 12 hours to release updated software to
combat the worm.

W32.Sobig.F@mm is, in fact, a worm, not a
virus. This worm sends itself to every email address it
finds in files with the following extensions:

..TXT
..WAB
..MHT
..HTML
..HTM
..HLP
..EML
..DBX

The "SOBIG" worm is found in emails in your inbox with
the following subject headings:

RE: DETAILS
RE: THANK YOU!
RE: YOUR APPLICATION
RE: YOUR DETAILS
RE: DETAILS
RE: APPROVED
RE: THAT MOVIE
RE: WICKED SCREENSAVER

I have personally received emails with all of
these subject headings on a daily basis. The body of the
email simply refers you to an attached file. It is
absolutely critical that you DO NOT open this attachment.
It is this attachment that contains the "SOBIG" worm.

The "SOBIG" worm is attached to files with the following names:

Movie0045.pif
Your_document.pif
Thank_you.pif
Document_all.pif
Details.pif
Document_9446.pif
Wicked_scr.scr
Application.pif

The last day on which the "SOBIG" worm will spread is 9
September, 2003. Although this means email address
collection and mass-mailing will stop at that date a
computer infected with the worm will still try to download
updates from master servers even after this date.

The worm affects Windows 95, 98, Me, Nt, 2000 and XP but leaves
Unix, OS/2, Windows 3.x, Macintosh and Linux unaffected.

Thankfully Symantec Security Response has created a removal
tool which is free to clean an infected computer. To access
Symantec's free removal tool visit:

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sobig.f@mm.html

For a free virus scan visit:

http://www.stop-sign.com

This past month's computer attacks follows a historical trend -
virus activity surges when college students have free time
on their hands in the summer.

However, there is a suspicion that these kind of virus attacks
may be driven by profit motives because worms such as SOBIG.F
place a "trojan horse" on infected drives of unsuspecting pc
owners which allows spammers to quickly distribute millions of
unsolicited emails around the world.

Poorly designed software is declared the main cause of
increased virus activity by computer designers as software
is often distributed without appropriate amounts of testing.

Microsoft last year announced its intention to slow down
software development so that software can be made more safe
from infiltration.

Regardless of the cause, here is the reality:

Sobig.A was found on January 9 2003 with no
expiry.
Sobig.B was found on May 18, expiring May 31 2003.
Sobig.C was found on May 31, expiring on June 8 2003.
Sobig.D was found on June 18, expiring on July 2 2003.
Sobig.E was found on June 25, expiring on July 14 2003.
Sobig.F was found on August 19, to expire 10 September
2003.

The spread of the SOBIG.F worm is being hailed the
fastest ever.

History, therefore, tells us that Sobig.G is,
in fact, just around the corner, faster and stronger than
each of its predecessors.

As Sobig.F nears its expiry on 10 September 2003 I can
almost envisage its evil grin as it declares, "I'll be back."

Copyright 2003. Karin Manning. All Rights Reserved.
Karin Manning is the webmistress of
http://www.reprintrights4u.com and the publisher of Net
Wealth, filled with up to the minute tips and techniques
for growing your business online. To subscribe
visit http://www.reprintrights4u.com and fill in the
Newsletter Popunder on entry.

===========================

If you would be interested in any of my articles for
reprint or reference, please send any email to:
mailto:myownezine-index@getresponse.com or visit
http://www.myownezine.com/articles.shtml for a complete
list.

Also, if you would like to be added to my personal
mailing list for articles only, contact me at:
mailto:ter02@newnorth.net?subject=mailing_list

Please include the address you wish to be added to
the list. Thank you.

=================================================

2003-08-20T09:26:00.000-04:00

Important Business Planning makes you think...

...or, at least it should!

I'm sure that most of us here in this lil community of internet professionals has at least heard of Allan Gardyne. AssociatePrograms.Com is probably the highest ranking 'affiliate info' site on the internet, and with good reason. Proving that Content is in fact king, Allan has compiled a seemingly endless supply of quality, 'in the trenches' information on successfull affiliate income generation.

Over the years, I've followed his site, and his writing. His words are often the catalyst to my own research and discovery. Although I've never considered him as a motivational source, I have recently come to realize that he's also been just that, a source of inspiration and admiration.

The above link will take you to the issue of his newsletter where he announces his current struggle with an illness that would incapacitate most others. Not only has he continued to motivate others while being under hospital care, but he's provided all of us with an OH-SO- IMPORTANT reminder of what we should do to ensure the smooth operation of our business if and when we were to become too ill to run things ourselves.

Some of you know that I deal with pain and occassional illness due to ovarian cysts. I have good days and bad days, but for the most part, I take every day as it comes... one at a time. Even though I've taken on a second designer to help me keep up with my design clients, this planning that is required to save our businesses in the event of serious illness is not something I've yet takent the time to do. Until now, thanks to Allan for reminding me.

Please take a moment to read his article at the above link, and check out the resources he's included to make our planning easier. While you're there, send a healing thought to a good man named Allan in New Zealand... your time won't be wasted, I assure you.

Thanks, and please remember, your family and your business needs you. Be sure to take care of the most important person in the lives you've touched... you!

2003-08-19T10:22:00.000-04:00

I needed a giggle this morning...

So, when my web design partner sent this to me, I figured I HAD to share it! LOL ;o)

How to Please Your I.T. Department:

When you call us to have your computer moved, be sure to leave it buried under half a ton of postcards, baby pictures, stuffed animals, dried flowers, bowling trophies and children's art. We don't have a life, and we find it deeply moving to catch a fleeting glimpse of yours.

Don't write anything down. Ever. We can play back the error messages from here.

When an I.T. person says he's coming right over, go for coffee. That way you won't be there when we need your password. It's nothing for us to remember 700 screen saver passwords.

When you call the help desk, state what you want, not what is keeping you from getting it. We don't need to know that you can't get into your mail because your computer won't power on at all.

When I.T. support sends you an E-Mail with high importance, delete it at once. We're just testing.

When an I.T. person is eating lunch at his desk, walk right in and spill your guts right out. We exist only to serve.

Send urgent email all in uppercase. The mail server picks it up and flags it as a rush delivery.

When the photocopier doesn't work, call computer support. There's electronics in it.

When you're getting a NO DIAL TONE message at home, call computer support. We can fix your telephone line from here.

When you have a dozen old computer screens to get rid of, call computer support. We're collectors.

When something's wrong with your home PC, dump it on an I.T. person's chair with no name, no phone number and no description of the problem. We love a puzzle.

When an I.T. person tells you that computer screens don't have cartridges in them, argue. We love a good argument.

When an I.T. person tells you that he'll be there shortly, reply in a scathing tone of voice: "And just how many weeks do you mean by shortly?" That motivates us.

When the printer won't print, re-send the job at least 20 times. Print jobs frequently get sucked into black holes. When the printer still won't print after 20 tries, send the job to all 68 printers in the company. One of them is bound to work.

Don't learn the proper name for anything technical. We know exactly what you mean by "My thingy blew up".

If the mouse cable keeps knocking down the framed picture of your dog, lift the computer and stuff the cable under it. Mouse cables were designed to have 20kg of computer sitting on top of them.

If the space bar on your keyboard doesn't work, blame it on the mail upgrade. Keyboards are actually very happy with half a pound of muffin crumbs and nail clippings in them.

When you get a message saying "Are you sure?" click on that Yes button as fast as you can. Hell, if you weren't sure, you wouldn't be doing it, would you?

When you find an I.T. person on the phone with his bank, sit uninvited on the corner of his desk and stare at him until he hangs up. We don't have any money to speak of anyway.

Feel perfectly free to say things like "I don't know nothing about that computer crap". We don't mind at all hearing our area of professional expertise referred to as crap.

When you need to change the toner cartridge in a printer, call I.T. support. Changing a toner cartridge is an extremely complex task, and Hewlett-Packard recommends that it be performed only by a professional engineer with a master's degree in nuclear physics.

When something's the matter with your computer, ask your secretary to call the help desk. We enjoy the challenge of having to deal with a third party who doesn't know anything about the problem.

This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm

2003-08-18T09:06:00.000-04:00

SubscriptionRocket.com - Free targeted e-zine co-op list building service.

SubscriberDrive.com - Triple your newsletter subscriber rate, absolutely FREE!

In my quest to increase my subscriber base, I've decided to test both of the free viral Co-Ops that I see being used by some of my fellow publishers. Since I added the two co-ops above to my e-zine site's pages, I've seen a noticable increase in subscribers over the weekend. If this continues, I look forward to recommending the services to the readers as a reliable resource.

2003-08-15T09:53:00.000-04:00

Computers : Backup -- tutorial --

Good Morning All! :)

I've had a heck of a night here in NY. The Blackout of 2003 is something I won't forget anytime soon.

I wasn't able to access my mail, or the internet all night, so when I signed on this morning, there was A LOT to go through. I noticed over 10 messages with the subject that read:

[Fwd: virus]

Now, I hardly ever open these, knowing that in most cases they are a hoax, but this one came to me so many times, I thought I should investigate it so that I could share the info with you all. If I'm getting these, I have to assume some of you are too.

The message inside this email read:

Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2003 8:31 PM
Subject: virus

Unfortunately, a virus has been passed on to me by a contact. My address book WAS infected. Since you are in my address book, there is a good chance you will find it in your computer too. The virus (called jdbgmgr.exe) is not detected by Norton or McAfee antivirus systems. The virus sits quietly for 14 days before damaging the system. It is sent automatically by messenger and by the address book, whether or not you sent e-mail to your contacts.

Here's how to check for the virus and how to get rid of it:

I immediately recognized this as a probable hoax that's meant to make you delete a harmless windows file from your computer, so I went directly to:

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/jdbgmgr.exe.file.hoax.html

and found out that I was right:

Jdbgmgr.exe file hoax
Reported on: April 12, 2002
Last Updated on: July 19, 2003 02:47:09 AM

Symantec Security Response encourages you to ignore any messages regarding this hoax. It is harmless and is intended only to cause unwarranted concern.

Type: Hoax

This hoax, like the SULFNBK.EXE Warning hoax, tries to encourage you to delete a legitimate Windows file from your computer. Jdbgmgr.exe is the file to which the hoax refers, and it is the Microsoft Debugger Registrar for Java. The Jdbgmgr.exe file may be installed when you install Windows.

------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
Some versions of this hoax take advantage of an actual threat, the W32.bugbear@mm worm. The Jdbgmgr.exe file mentioned in the hoax has a bear icon. The actual W32.bugbear@mm worm file is a .exe file and does not have a bear icon.

Other versions of this hoax have slightly different ways in which they refer to the Jdbgmgr.exe file, usually in the subject of the email message.
For example:

Subject: "jdbg" Virus: how to detect and remove.:

The bottom line here folks is this; don't download any file from an email unless you were expecting it, and even then, run it through a good, reliable security system first. I use Nortons2002.

Don't ever delete a file from your system, until you've consulted the help files for your favorite security system. I always search for the name of the file that I'm being told to delete. I search Google first, and usually find a few instances of the file name to go research.

I'm backing up my entire system and site portfolio today. Please make sure that you've backed up all your important files onto a disk as soon as possible. Here's a cool tutorial I just found... they sell corresponding items through Amazon at the bottom of the page, but the info written by the webmaster is good. (It's actually a very GOOD example of providing quality content and corresponding recommendations that earn affiliate income! I do not know who the webmaster is, but they do understand the RIGHT way to run an affiliate site.)

http://www.cusimano.com/computer/backup.htm

2003-08-12T13:13:00.000-04:00

Welcome To Success Without Risk

My good friend Jim Reynolds has been working hard to get his new program launched... hey... video training is a GREAT way to learn, and he does such a good job of it! I MUST remember to include this in the next issue!!

2003-08-12T13:08:00.000-04:00

Successful Logos Explained

I forgot to mention this a while back... I placed second in a design contest, (purely for fun), over at DesignNewz! :o) I really did have fun with this one, and it was pretty cool to see my name up there!

2003-08-12T10:53:00.000-04:00

Article submission Resources

I was reading a friend's publication this morning (MOE), and found these great resources for submitting our articles! I'm a huge proponent of free publicity, and writing articles is something I do anyway, so sharing them with the hopes of gaining subscribers has become a part of my daily routine... check these out:

http://www.goarticles.com/
http://www.ideamarketers.com
http://www.ipromoteit.com/addarticle.html
http://www.jogena.com/articles/articleform.htm
http://www.marketing-seek.com

2003-08-09T18:38:00.000-04:00

Drive-ins of New York :-: NY :-: New York Drive-in Movies Cinemas Theatres Films

Before we leave for the movies again tonight, I thought I'd share this all too important article with everyone.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Uncle Sam Cracks Down Online!

- by Jim Edwards

(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

In a move that rocked the online world and left many
Internet marketers shaking in their boots, the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) initiated a sweeping crackdown on
what they termed "Internet Scammers" and "Deceptive
Spammers."

The FTC, along with state and federal officials, filed
numerous criminal and civil law enforcement actions and
froze the corporate and personal assets of some defendants.

According to the FTC, they went after a wide array of
deceptive schemes and illegal scams including auction
fraud, illegal sale of controlled substances, bogus
business opportunities, deceptive money-making scams,
illegal advance-fee credit card offers, and identity theft.

In other words, Uncle Sam gave notice that people can no
longer treat the Internet like the Wild, Wild West!

I welcome this long overdue crackdown on Internet
evildoers.

For years, honest business owners suffered because Internet
scammers caused consumer fear and reluctance to conduct
business online.

As the government cleans up the back alleys of the
Internet, consumer confidence will rise and sales will
increase.

However, as with any crusade to bring about law and order,
innocent businesses stand a real chance of getting caught
in the crossfire.

Let's face it, if you get named in a lawsuit by the
government - even if you're innocent -you'll still lose a
lot of time, energy, emotion, and money defending yourself.

If you operate any business online, or plan to set one up,
the following guidelines should help you avoid problems.

** Always Tell The Truth

Actually, this basic lesson from your Mom ranks the best
way to avoid all kinds of trouble! "The truth shall set you
free" ranks just as appropriate in the online world as in
the offline world.

In fact, in the light of recent events, the truth might
actually keep you out of jail!

** Avoid Outrageous Claims

Don't make outrageous claims you can't substantiate.

A big difference exists between good copywriting
(salesmanship in print) and making claims that no sane
person, or at least the average person, could ever achieve.

It's one thing to tell people you can show them "how to get
thousands of hits to their website." It's quite another to
say you will "show them how to get 10,000 hits to their
website by tomorrow and make $15,000 this weekend."

** Turn the Tables

Look at what your business promises and actually delivers
from the standpoint of a consumer.

Would you feel happy or sad once you did business with
yourself?

Would you feel like you got your money's worth, or would
you feel like you'd been held up at gunpoint in the middle
of the night in the mini-mart parking lot?

Your gut answer to that question will go a long way toward
keeping you out of trouble with the government.

Sort of funny how the "Golden Rule" of "do unto others as
you would have them do unto you" keeps cropping up in life
as a way to consistently avoid trouble and heartache.

===============
Jim Edwards and Bruce Safran are co-creators of
"The Online Marketer's & Website Owner's
Legal Information Clinic" -- the authoritative guide to
protecting yourself and your website against needless
harassment, lawsuits, and other legal problems.

"Discover The TRUTH About Why the FTC or other Law
Enforcement Agencies will "Raid" your Internet Business...
and What YOU Can Do To Prevent It!"
Click Here <=

2003-08-06T23:05:00.000-04:00

Big News! New Google Operator (Google Weblog)

A new, expanded search function is available through Google... this is cool, but if it weren't for following blogs across the net, I wouldn't have known about it! LOL

I found out by following the resource links in the following article by Jim Edwards, Editor of the "I Gotta Tell Ya" newsletter. I enjoy listening to his audio newsletter, it's different, and he's down to earth! It's funny, because since I've been listening to him every week, when I read this article, I could imagine him saying it! Very cool... nice long term effect of producing audio materials on a regular basis!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

More Cool Sites Everyone Should Bookmark

- by Jim Edwards

(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
http://www.thenetreporter.com
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Despite all the hype over search engines, personal
recommendation still serves as one of the best ways people
find and use websites on the Internet.

In that spirit of person-to-person sharing, we again tour
the web to find the best, most helpful, unusual, or just
plain cool websites every surfer should bookmark.

** JunkBusters.com

Is your email in-box swamped with junk emails?
Telemarketers interrupting dinner every night?
Website advertisers invading your privacy?
Who you gonna call - JunkBusters!

Log on to www.junkbusters.com and find a large resource of
how and where to get help in cutting down on the "junk"
advertising that threatens to engulf us all! Learn exactly
what to do to shut down everything from junk faxes to
people who trade your personal data.

** Blog, Blog, Blog

Web logs, commonly referred to as "blogs," represent all
the rage right now in online publishing.

Not really a newsletter or traditional publishing, blogs
resemble more of a web-based diary where the creator
records their thoughts, posts links, or responds to
questions.

If you want to find one of the thousands of blogs online
about everything from cooking to puppy potty training, log
onto www.daypop.com to search through a rapidly expanding
database.

** Who's on the line?

Anyone with caller ID asks the same question when an
unfamiliar number pops up on the screen. "Who is that?"

Even with enhanced caller ID you can't always figure out
who called.

Rather than call back and risk looking foolish
by saying something like "Somebody called me from this
number.", you can log on to www.anywho.com or
www.addresses.com to do a reverse search by phone number.
You can also do a number of other searches on people's
addresses and other information.

** Identity Theft

Sadly, not everyone in the world tries to operate under the
"Golden Rule."

Identity theft rates as one of the fastest growing crimes
in the world, mostly because it's such an easy crime to
commit.

Whether you go online or not, everyone carries a risk of
falling victim to an identity thief.

Prevention and proper information rank as the top ways to
prevent identity theft from happening to you. Log on to
www.idtheftcenter.org to understand the risks and get
specific information for making yourself a less-likely
target.

** Free Conference Calls

Need to schedule a conference call with family, friends or
business associates, but don't want to pay for an expensive
bridge line or sign a long-term contract?

Log on to www.freeconference.com and sign up for a free
account.

You can put up to 100 people on a phone call together (long
distance charges apply) and use the service to make
presentations, do product training, or even hold a family
reunion by phone.

Since they don't charge for the service, I'd advise using
this one fast since most free services end up shutting down
after a few brief months.

-------

Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the
creator of a killer software package that keeps Internet
"pick-pockets" from stealing your money!

** EVERYBODY wants to make money with Affiliate Links **
This incredible software helps people keep more of their
hard-earned affiliate commissions by stopping others from
robbing them or bypassing their links! Finally!
A real tool even non-technical people can use quickly and
easily to STOP affiliate link hijackers!
More info=> http://tinyurl.com/j99z

2003-08-06T01:35:00.000-04:00

Wallgazerz :|: Unique Mask Wall Art Home Decor

Wow... it feels good to have this site finished! My partner Leanne and I worked on this one for a while to get it just right... it's so much different than any other site we've done in years! Art sites are more challenging... more attention to detail is mandatory when displaying the product. Having seen these particular pieces first hand, I can tell you that the pictures simply do not do them justice. I can't wait to get mine!! :o)

.SAFE Portal; Do you know where your kids are?

Held a two hour meeting in PalTalk tonight to go over the final stages of planning for the presentation of the .SAFE portal to the members of The Outstanding Revolution... the implications of just how big this project is becoming are amazing. I don't think people are yet able to grasp just how big this will get. I feel like I'm in on 'the making of history' here... imagine, just for ONE minute... being able to surf the net, without giving a second thought to whether or not the purchase you're about to make is a scam. All of the sites shown within the .SAFE portal have been through a vigorous screening process by our Ethics department!

Now imagine your kids surfing the 'net. YIKES! Afraid to let them clikc anything I bet, huh? Not so within the .SAFE portal... they can surf free of peversity and predators. The secret? The patented .SAFE LOCK! It's just incredible, and you can get .safe domain names NOW. If you've ever wanted a domain name that's been taken, but just know it would make a difference in TARGETING your customers.... you've GOT to learn more about the .SAFE portal. Honestly, it's the most incredible thing I've ever seen. (and I see a TON!)

Get more information by sending a blank mail to: boa@webwenchdesign.com I couldn't possibly explain it better than the 5 part report that you'll get through that link. Do it for the kids, and do it for yourself... or call me for more info, it's that good. (518) 732-0184

2003-08-06T01:20:00.000-04:00

Article Magic Makes YOU The Expert!

Finally, we've got all the answers to using articles to target your traffic, and bring you loyal customers mailto:subscribe@theportaltosuccess.com

Want to know how to increase your exposure on the 'net?

No, I'm not talking about web cams! LOL

THIS kind of exposure brings you customers, and targets
your market for you, all while adding credibility to YOUR
name, and your business!

How?

"Article Magic" is a step by step guide to helping you
write, (yes, YOU really CAN write articles, and we'll show
you how!), submit, and reap the benefits of YOUR own
words!

Why do you think all the successfull marketers 'give away'
information through their articles???

It's simple:

To get their name seen, and established as an expert

To drive targeted traffic to their business sites

In the tradition of giving away free information, I invite you
to download this treasure today, for free, of course!

Simply visit http://theportaltosuccess.com, take my weekly
publication for a spin, by subscribing to The Portal To Success
E-Zine.... and you'll be reading this INVALUABLE information
tonight!

OR, simply subscribe by sending a blank mail to:
subscribe@theportaltosuccess.com

Thanks... enjoy your summer!

Ginger Geracitano
Editor, The Portal To Success E-zine
http://theportaltosuccess.com/newsletter.html
(current issue)

2003-08-04T14:50:00.000-04:00

New Site Designed by WebWench Graphics & Design launches today, after local artist is greeted with much enthusiasm at local Art Show!

Wallgazerz :|: Unique Mask Wall Art

Leanne and I, in a fit of wonderous team work, got this site put together for a great artist and family friend, Joan. Her stuff is absolutely amazing. Worth a look! :o)

2003-08-03T03:59:00.000-04:00

Evolution...

I sat down tonight to build my software store, but instead, somehow wound up redesigning my home page for the E-Zine.. I like it better now. http://theportaltosuccess.com/index.html

We'll see how it works out! LOL

2003-08-02T18:18:00.000-04:00

Very Special Update - August 2nd, 2003

Hi there :o)

Ginger Geracitano here.

I've done something for you, and once you understand how
you benefit, I'm sure you'll appreciate my efforts.

Here's what this is all about...

I've been participating in something special, something
that I've found incredibly valuable to my business success.

It's a private site where top marketers tell all, they
don't hold anything back. (I've spent hours absorbing all
the great information shared!)

And there's something a little different about this site,
and it's why I'm able to tell you about it.

You see, they accept new members by referral only.

The owner is a stickler on that, if you're not referred by a
current member, you can't join.

That's why I'm excited for you. ;o)

I'm going to give you a private link where you can read
all about this.

But before I do, here's what I've done for you that is
especially good...

I've made a very special arrangement with him to allow you
a free look. (That means 30 days without paying for all you
can absorb!)

See this page right now:

--> Complimentory Look-See

Bye for now, and I hope to see you soon in the Inner Circle.

Sincerely,

Ginger Geracitano
Editor, The Portal To Success E-Zine

PS - I'm really excited that Mark agreed to let me do this
for you. I hope you'll give it a try, I think you'll find
it more valuable than any ebook or ezine could ever be...
I know I have.

2003-08-01T23:14:00.000-04:00

Check this out! I got another mention over at IBWW... this time IN VIDEO

2003-08-01T03:00:00.000-04:00

I just made this post on another forum, and thought I'd share!

Hey, I've been reading a lot about Google Ad Words lately, and there was one opinion that states that the mini site's are on there way out...

This is the article I read that really made me take another look at all this:
http://www.sitepronews.com/archives/2003/july/30prt.html

Theory is... (and this applies to those that depend on search engine traffic, more specifically, those of us that are interested in adding Google Adwords to our site as a source of extra income, it can be very lucrative from the studies I've seen)... that since Google is in effect adding their name to your site when you display the Adwords... they are looking for killer CONTENT, and lots of it.

Mini sites provide very little, or no content, so if you're building a buisness, and are at all interested in search engine rankings, or especially Google Adwords, you may want to reconsider your tactics...

Resources:
https://www.google.com/adsense/
http://adsense.sitesell.com/adsense1.html
http://searchengineoptimism.com/SEO_Tutorial/google_content_targeted.html

I'm the Director of R&D for GSI Inc., so I do hours and hours of research every day... In the sitesell adsense article, Ken Envoy tells you why you shouldn't even think of applying to AdWords unless your site is ready, because being turned down for using that service can actually HURT your current SE rankings! This is important stuff that just isn't being circulated enough in my opinion!

{note: none of the links in this post are in any way affiliate links}
:-*

I just realized that I inadvertently transposed the two different services available at Google now... please allow me to correct myself...

Google AdWords are the ads that you buy, targeting specific keywords. These ads are shown as spotlight ads within the search results for your chosen keyword. This is Google's pay per click advertising service, in answer to comperable services such as Overture. (Anyone else remember GoTo? LOL)

Google AdSense are the ads that you display on your site(s), and are paid for each click that you generate. The ads that are displayed are supplied by Google Adwords advertisers... see how we come full circle here?

Regardless, the bottom line is that if you want Google to send you a check every month, instead of vice verca, it's Google AdSense that you'll want to look into, sorry if I confused the issue in my earlier post.

New! Google AdSense
If you are a web publisher and would like to learn about displaying Google AdWords on your site, click here:
((remember to make sure your site fits the guidelines BEFORE applying... hint: they don't like pop ups!))
http://www.google.com/adsense

2003-07-31T15:32:00.000-04:00

Seeing through rose colored glasses...

Anyone who knows me will tell you that my perceptions are in no way 'tinted' lol, but I just picked up my new glasses from the eye doctor, and they are awesome! I can see again!

All the work I do on the computer really did my eyes in these last couple of years... and the doc was nice enough to point out that I'm getting older, so the need for 'up close' glasses is normal. (Thanks doc!) Actually, I used to be nearsighted... all this computer work has changed that completely, now I'm farsighted, and have stigmatisms in each eye... thus the 'tick' I developed. These are going to take some getting used to, but I'm glad to have them, maybe I'll get less headaches now! :o)

2003-07-31T11:40:00.000-04:00

New Forums I've visited lately:

Webmaster World: http://www.webmasterworld.com/
Pretty awesome place with lots of participation. Definately one to bookmark for great information.

RealmOfRedheads: http://www.realmofredheads.com/phpBB/
This one's not business related, it's a membership site for Redheads only. We all need somewhere to relax, right? Great group of people.

Interactive content sites and scripts I've recently noticed:

Redheads Interactive: http://realmofredheads.com/interactive/
This is just incredible to me. The Realm's Ezine is now handled by this content management script called GeekLog (http://www.geeklog.net/), and it's interactive at every turn! I love this! I'm submitting my articles easily, and the members can comment on them. Pretty cool!

pMachine: http://pmachine.com
This is another content management script, introduced to me by the webmistress of the Realm. Talk about a great way to handle your entire site's content easily! I'm really liking what I see possible with the use of these scripts! I'm getting all KINDS of ideas! LOL Watch out!

Published

The Wiz World http://www.thewizworld.com/newsletters/Vol2Issue14July21.html published my RealDealReport on FSF. Cool newsletter, join up and gain some exposure, it's a great group over there.

Articles Archive updated:http://theportaltosuccess.com/articles.html

Time to work on the kid's site. Tons and tons of content to post. Maybe just one more cup of coffee first. LOL

2003-07-30T00:35:00.000-04:00

To PopUp or Not To PopUp...

(This is a post I made to the forum tonight)

... that is the question.
Forgive me, but I'm just astounded.

I just received a notice announcing yet another new way to get around the pop up killers.

Am I the only on that this makes absolutely no sense to? What is the problem here? Why is it so hard to understand that if people are using a pop up killer, they DON'T WANT YOUR pop ups intruding on their visit to your site!

Excuse me, but this just makes me crazy. Now, in order to FORCE our messages in front of an unsuspecting visitor, we're supposed to use a "Slide In" style pop up. Yeah, because it's smart to piss off your visitors, it really puts them in a buying mood, don'tcha think?

This makes me want to scream at these people using these methods... "What are you thinking"??

If I've taken the time to set my browser to 'kill' pop ups, what makes you think that I'm going to react in a positive manner to your SLIDE in pop up? As far as I'm concerned, it's a bull headed attempt to FORCE your message upon me.

Am I so ignorant that I would go to your site, armed with a pop up killer, yet not mind that you found a way around my implied request to NOT pop at me?

I do understand one thing. I understand the fact that there are almost (supposedly) 2000 people out there that have purchased the biggest 'false retirement' package ever. I also understand that within this package, there was a script that makes these 'alternate' pop ups possible. It is my suspicion that these same people will eventually offer a 'killer' for these pop ups as well.

I'm tired of seeing so many 'guru wanna-bes' overtly creating a need by selling something as annoying as these pop ups that can't be killed.... only to turn around and fill the need they created with a product that nullifies the effect of their first bright idea.

When are people going to see through these lil ventures against integrity??

Do I use regular, old fashioned pop ups on my site? Yes, of course I do. Will I continue to use them? Yes, of course I will. Will I ever install these new-fangled-in-my-opinion-RUDE Slide in ads on my sites? NO, I won't.

I give my visitors the benefit of the doubt, and the assumption of intelligence. If they have chosen to use a pop up killer, I have to hope they are interested in actually reading the information on my site. If they do, they will still see the messages I thought were important enough to use in a pop up. I refuse to insult my visitors by going against their own settings by forcing a pop up, slide over, or whatever the newest fad is upon them.

I haven't written a 'rant' in a while, but this latest, painfully obvious *duplicate* product release just pushed me over the edge. What really makes me laugh is the fact that you can find the Java Script Code for this very same type of slide in, simply by doing a search on Google. They want $67 for this 'easy to install script'? Wow... and to think, I used to feel bad charging only $45 a page for web design... which included scripting!

I refuse to believe that following these poor examples will make me successful. It's the same old story... those who choose the path of 'light' will sustain success for the long term, but it may take a while to get there. Those that choose the easy, darker path, get the instant results, but it doesn't last, and they sully their reputation in the process.

I'm here for the long haul. I see through the guru wanna-bes. I would never sell product "A" today, knowing that tomorrow's product "B" is right around the corner, addressing the need created by product "A".

The next time I get a mail from a guru saying that they're leaving the market forever... I'm going to ask for a notorized copy of their statement!

Who do I blame for these fads?

That's a split decision to me... the marketers promoting these products, and the people that buy them are all equally responsible.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm posting this 'rant' here in our forums in hopes of receiving some feedback. Please note that this is an article in process, and I retain copyright on all my writings, (c)2003 Ginger Geracitano, no reprints allowed at this time. If you choose to respond, be aware that I may use your comments in a future issue of The Portal To Success E-Zine. Please include your self branding signature in your responses for publishing purposes. Thanks, and I look forward to a good discussion here!

2003-07-27T20:56:00.000-04:00

The Portal To Success E-Zine
~ Special Announcement ~
July 27, 2003

Hi there :o)

I hope you're enjoying a great weekend! We had a great time
at the drive-ins last night. It only rained for a few minutes, so
we were able to enjoy the movies without a hitch!

Today, however, the rain isn't letting up... so I thought I'd
take this opportunity to let you know about something I've
been working on with my friends over at GSI... SO many
people need this.

Announcing: EZ-Ezines!
View EZ-Ezines

Throughout my coaching activities, and meetings with the
other GSI coaches, we discovered a common need amongst
our clients...

You've purchased leads, but don't have anything to send
them that will BUILD CREDIBILITY for you, and CULTIVATE
them into buying, loyal, PAYING CUSTOMERS.
View EZ-Ezines

Perhaps you've even had the same thoughts in the past...

"I know I need to send out a newsletter, but I just don't have
the time to write one",

or even,

"I wouldn't know the first thing about writing articles that
would be good enough to send to my prospects"!

Well, we decided to do something to help everyone that's
ever wanted to send a newsletter to their mailing lists, but
just couldn't do it alone!

Enter.... EZ-Ezines!
View EZ-Ezines

We've written professional, pre-formatted e-zines, ready for
you to ad your personal comments and advertisements!

Each weekly EZ-Ezines issue includes a professionally written
article regarding Internet Marketing, or a related online
business topic, as well as:

(*) Motivational Quotes
(*) A family friendly joke to bring your readers a smile
(*) WebMaster Resources
(*) Pre-designated areas for your company news, editor
comments, and related links.

-- There's a sample EZ-Ezines issue posted:
View EZ-Ezines

How much would you expect to pay for such a service?

Well... considering that the content is provided by some of
today's top Internet Marketing professionals at GSI Inc, you'll
probably be shocked at just how affordable EZ-Ezines really
are!

For just $4.98 per weekly issue, you get a top quality
newsletter to send to your mailing list! Payable monthly, that
means that your publication is pre-written for you for a mere
$19.95 per month!
View EZ-Ezines

Just think, as your list grows, you could sell advertising that
would easily cover your cost for content each month! How
awesome is that?

My friends and I at GSI have really taken your best interest
to heart, to provide you with a top quality product that will
help your business grow beyond your wildest dreams. I mean,
really, just think about it...

All's you have to do is add in your comments and
advertisements, and your publishing chores are done! You will
NOT find a more affordable solution for providing ready-to-go
content to your readers!

There are NO MORE excuses. EZ-Ezines has made it possible
for EVERYONE to offer a top quality publication with fresh new
content every single week.

Please take a moment to check out the site, and see what
we're offering you. Isn't it time you sent out a newsletter to
increase your business success?
View EZ-Ezines

Wishing you all you wish for yourself,

Ginger Geracitano
mailto:editor@theportaltosuccess.com
(518) 732-0184 -New York, USA

Editor, The Portal To Success E-Zine
(Current Issue)
http://theportaltosuccess.com/newsletter.html

P.S. Thank you so much for taking time out of your weekend
to read this special announcement that is so close to my
heart. (It's such a great feeling working on something like EZ-
Ezines from conception to 'bringing it live'! Yes, I did the
graphics for the EZ-Ezines pages! Wooo Hooo!)
View EZ-Ezines

2003-07-25T23:31:00.000-04:00

When all else fails, gain inspiration from others.

I know I'm probably the only person on the planet that hadn't seen this yet, but check out this lil flash movie by Honda. This was shared by another GSI coach in tonight's meeting... why? Because it's amazing, for one thing... but it made me think. (Don'tcha just hate that?)

A couple of my friends and I joke about being 'detail oriented' ... to a fault. Imagine how many times the people who set up that movie had to adjust, change, fix, and adjust again...

Imagine what would happen to your business if you were to pay that kind of meticulous attention to your advertising, promotions, and.... communications!

Focus is something that's not easily kept out here on the 'net, is it? We're bombarded with so much on a daily basis that it's just overwhelming. I'm going to pick one aspect of my business to focus on for a while. The kind of outright devotion to perfection that is displayed in the Honda movie... I mean really, if they can get that to work, imagine what I can do with an automated money maker? Hmm.

Things that make you go... hmmm.

2003-07-25T00:22:00.000-04:00

A slowly maturing blog wench, I am

I'm trying to remember what led to my latest additions to the 'ol blog tonight.. I think it was an article I read in WebProNews... [note to self... go back and finish cleaning out WWGD domain mail... that's where this all started!]. Anyway, I was reading an article by Debbie Weil based on 'business blogs'... and since I'm always trying to improve, I went to her site to see how she uses her blog. One click led to another, and I found BlogRolling, a really cool way to manage links in your weblog.

I decided to go for it, and get a gold account so I could easily manage all the links here, as well as join the blogging community, and add reciprical linking to this site. I think I may be a bit too new to all this for any actual recipricol linking to happen right now, but the research must continue! LOL I'm not sure if it's considered amature or not... using BlogSpot to host my blog... but it was easiest for me at the time I wanted to start this whole thing. I may change that in the future, I haven't decided yet.

Another thing I'm going to investigate is the 'comment' ablility of the weblog... I see a ton of other blogs out there that allow the reader to add a comment to any entry posted, but have not yet figured out where the coding for that is. All in good time I suppose. If nothing else, it all gives me something else to obssess over, because you know, there's a good 4 or 5 hours that I waste every day on that whole 'sleep' thing. Heh.

New in the land of Internet Marketing

I found a new ad blaster that I've been using to gain traffic to some of my sales sites. I'm going to give it a few weeks to produce real results before I do a RealDealReport on it, but from what one of my coaching clients tells me, it's gained them some exposure that they might not have had otherwise. Hey, anything to increase our exposure, right? Well... short of streaking through a football stadium I mean... can you believe people are still doing that?? I was thrilled to be watching the news with my now 8 year old twin daughters, only to have to explain why some man's 'hiney' was showing, running through a football field... nice TV journalism, huh? Grrrr.

Working for a living...

I'm really enjoying the work I do for GSI, it's rewarding and challenging. I found a great tool tonight that will help me with the massive amounts of research I conduct on a daily basis... it's really just a fancy right click ability that will allow me to highlight anything on a web page, and within one click get a search engine results page for it. Any time saver is a plus in my book!

I'm conducting a live training tomorrow night, so I suppose I should get some of that 'sleep' stuff... for some reason, this week is dragging on... perhaps it's the two day bout with food poisoning I had? Oh... and by the way... it was not MY cooking! LOL Oh... and hubby saw a commercial tonight that explained what the tick in my eye is all about... something to do with flourescent lighting, and staring at the monitor so much. *shock* Apparently, there are special lenses that combat the resulting fatigue... you would think the doctors would have mentioned that? Another Grrr.

Oh... just one more thing... all these "Fly in", "Drop In", and "Sliiide in" ads... you know, the ones people are using on their sites because they refuse to let the pop up stoppers be a CLUE that we don't want their ads? Well, the creators (the same people that develop the 'stoppers' later on)... should just bug off in my opinion. I've absolutely had it with these fly by night, ANNOYING tactics... STOP buying into them so they go away please!! And MJ??? If he's leaving (yeah suuuuure he is!), I wish he'd just do it already. Blah. Puke. GRRR -- ok, 3 grr's is my limit, I'm outies--

2003-07-22T00:44:00.000-04:00

Food Poisoning, Tornadoes and deadlines... OH MY!

Let it never be said that life on the internet is dull. Today, after a very long weekend, I woke up with food poisoning. No fun, thank goodness I work from home, no worries about needing to take frequent *breaks*.

Another thing I felt thankful for today, is the laptop I work on when I'm not well enough to sit at my normal machine. With battery back ups, even if I can't get online to post my work, I can work offline to finish the design work in progress. I don't even need power now! No excuses... deadlines must be met, launches are eminent, and the show must go on blah blah blah.

If the tick in my eye from what the doctors call 'fatigue' would just go away, I'd be all set.

I watched a Lifetime movie tonight, inbetween saving graphics work, and trips to my new favorite room. Defending Our Kids; The Julie Posey Story is something that every parent needs to see. It should be a part of the "How to be a parent in the 21st Century" handbook... Having spoken to Julie on the phone, and being a work associate of her husband, Jerry's... well, I must honestly say that I couldn't be prouder to know such good people. The work Julie does is so important... I can't believe she's not on a Federal Payroll of some sort.

Then again, I suppose she probably gets more done working on her own, with the help of local law enforcement agencies. If you get the chance to catch a re-broadcast, do watch it. It really should be required viewing for all responsible adults.

It's really not surprising that I met Jerry and Julie Posey through their affiliation with the Business Opportunity Alliance, and gsiInternet.Com... we're all looking out for the future... our kids.

2003-07-17T02:46:00.000-04:00

Web Stats Reveal WebMaster Responsibility
?2003, Ginger Geracitano

Monitoring your web site's statistics is an important part of
any WebMaster's job. You can easily determine your most
popular content, your search engine effectiveness, and the
flow of visitor click throughs.

Your web site statistics are the most tangible proof of
effective marketing, layout and design. Your navigation can
also be evaluated by studying the flow of your viewer's visit.

Not surprisingly, I found out in a recent review of my stats on
ThePortalToSuccess.com, that my visitors most commonly
view the current issue, the archives, and the resources pages
in one visit, one after the other in a variety of combinations.
Being that this particular domain is based on my E-zine, this is
a natural progression that I planned for when designing my
site.

Web site statistics used to be a way to monitor my marketing
and design. After what I saw tonight, I've realized that web
stats can also supply quite the reality check... and an added
sense of societal responsibility.

Educators Fight Plagiarism; WebMasters Gain Responsibility

I found a new domain spidering my site last month, and again
this month. The number of hits was high enough to make me
investigate the interesting domain name:
http://www.turnitin.com/robot/crawlerinfo.html

I had never heard of TurnItIn.com, so I took the tour off of
their main page. It's really an incredible system. In an attempt
to combat plagiarism in our educational system, Teachers and
students across the country are using this site to evaluate the
content of papers that are handed in by students.

I hadn't really given much thought to the fact that with the
incredible amount of information available on the Internet
today, homework must be a lot easier than it was when I was
in school! With this mass of information, comes the temptation
to 'borrow' content to prove a point in a thesis or term paper.

I was happy to find out that there is such a site in existence
to help our teachers encourage and support originality! Further
thought made me realize that if I'm seeing the TurnItIn.com
spider on my site so frequently, there must be a lot of
research into my target market by today's students.

Think about this for a minute. Large numbers of students are
out on the Internet surfing around for the very information I
offer through my online publication. Good for me, right?

Is it good for them, though? Suddenly, I feel a renewed surge
of responsibility. Is my content worthy of these visits? Am I
offering quality information? Are these students learning from
me?

Publishing As A Responsibility To Society

Tomorrow's leaders are researching and learning through the
content we publish. Every WebMaster should feel obligated to
publish high quality, meaningful content to ensure that the
next generation is well prepared to tackle whatever our future
may bring.

This realization has made me re-evaluate my content. What
are tomorrow's leaders learning from YOUR web site?

2003-07-10T12:12:00.000-04:00

You know you spend TOO much time online when:

(*) Your cable goes out and you have a deadline to meet. Suddenly, you feel cut off from the entire world that you've grown so accustomed to having at your fingertips!

No... I'm sorry if you were expecting one of those funny lists that you get through your email sometimes... I'm just recovering from a couple of days with what tech's are calling "Unexplained Intermittent Signals".

I never realized how much I truly rely on having the internet at my disposal, until I lost access to it! LOL The cable guy is here right now, and says that it's a bad cable coming off the pole. Hey, at least they figured it out, and will be fixing it this afternoon! YAY!!

One good thing that came out of all the downtime yesterday was the incredible volume of design work I got done. I also found time to go through some of my digital download files, and realized that I have more information, software and really cool things that I've collected, bought and developed over the last two years.

It's amazing to me, the amount of "stuff" that we can accumulate! I have over 150 resellable software programs, and over 500 ebooks with resell rights. LOL Why don't I have them all posted with those pretty little sales sites they come with???

Well, one reason would be that I absolutely hate all the hype that the authors use in those stupid sales letters. When I buy a product, it's usually because it's something I can use in my everyday activities... either for web design, graphics creation, Internet Marketing, or plain old business management. I always CONSIDER posting the sales sites, and offering the products to my E-Zine readers, but then I read the sales page again.

Although the sales pages were good enough to make ME buy the products, I just can't bring myself to post them and present them to my clients. HYPE makes me crazy, and I would be a hypocrite if I used them. So, they all get neatly tucked away in a file on my computer, until I have time to re-write the sales pages. Due to time committments, this rarely happens! LOL

I've always had better success selling my services. Web Design, Custom Graphics, Business and Marketing Coaching... the services that include a little bit of 'Ginger' in the delivery, those are my best sellers, and hey... I feel good about those sales, so I'm sticking to it! LOL

Free Software Forever is honestly my best recommendation for software to use, AND resell! Know why? The sales page is honest, and anti-hype! I actually USE about 50% of the sofware that comes with the package, and I can't tell you how many times that software has bailed me out when deadlines were looming over my head. I've gotten MORE than my $39 value out of this lil membership, and it's one I recommend highly without hesitation... I truly believe that every online business person needs these tools in their arsanal of webmaster tools.

I'm even going to install my own classified ads business with one of the unique programs designed by Joe "The Wizard" Clayton, the owner and all around good guy over at FSF. He used to do programming for NASA, but know he programs for me, and all the other FSF Partners... and boy, am I glad he does! :o) The only thing I wish there was more of in this membership site is better descriptions, and 'how to use' instructions... BUT, that may very well be on the website, I just wouldn't know...

Heh... I'm just like a kid... every time I sign into the site to check out the new additions to the collection of software that we can download and use or sell... I get anxious! I have to immediately go and unzip the files and see what magic Joe's got in store for us this time lol. When I joined FSF, there were about 25 programs available to us. NOW, there are over 70!!

I like the fact that most of the software there is created by Joe, so that I know it's not only top quality, but there aren't a thousand other affiliate marketers out there selling it. Some of the products, especially the ones he develops himself, do not come with sales pages... this is why I haven't gotten around to putting them up for sale yet. Another reason is that I like to really put everything to the test before I recommend it.

There's only so much time in a day though, so I usually decide to USE the products to further my "service businesses"... and leave the individual selling to other marketers. I can't think of any other product that I've ever been MORE satisfied with. My one time fee, with free updates for life ... almost feels like I'm taking advantage of Joe's skills!!

I don't develop software, and really have no desire to! I specialize in design, graphics, and writing. However, if I ever DO decide that there's a software program that I need to develop, I know that as a FSF Partner, I can go to Joe, and for a VERY reasonable fee, he will program a new piece of software for me! I am considering doing this... I need to have MY OWN PRODUCT. Other programmers charge an arm and a leg for this kind of development... Joe treats his partners like gold... and offers his developments services for a low cost... SWEET.

Now... to decide what it's going to be. That's the stickler. I'll get there, but until then, I know I can rely on Joe to provide the best digital products available on the Internet today... AND I'll get them for free. Pay once, free updates for life. How can ANYONE serious about earning a living online NOT be involved? Free Software Forever

2003-07-09T10:59:00.000-04:00

It's been so long since I posted, I didn't realize that Blogger had switched servers! This test will show me if my updated w.bloggar software is working now. Geez!

2003-07-09T10:31:00.000-04:00

Well, it certainly has been a while huh? Don't worry, I won't bore you with excuses. Busy is as busy does I suppose. I certainly can't testify to the so-called "Summer Slow Down" that we're all supposed to prepare for... it's all about routine, and diligence when it comes to marketing... I have a daily routine, and the seasons don't effect it what-so-ever!

Here's something that a friend of mine from the Newbies911 discussion list shared with us today... it's too funny NOT to share, and well... when reading about a friends 'vacation' being spent on home maintanance, well... it just hit me too close to home, check out the newly discovered Wasp Warrior's observations:

1) Wasp killer spray works well. 20 ft limit on spray sucks due
to roof being closer to 25 feet high. Spraying from an
extension ladder can be interesting.
2) Painting a wasp seems to be effective.
3) Stepping on them is also effective
4) Wasps can't swim, you can drown them in the water you
use to clean out the paint trays.
5) The handle of a paint roller makes an effective club for
beating the beasts to death.
6) The wasp trap is renderend ineffective by all of the flowers
your wife has surrounded it with.

Hope you all had a great 4th!!

Lynn
Angel Covers - http://www.angelcovers.org
Helping Children in Orphanages Worldwide

What's been keeping me so busy? Well, becoming a full time staff member at GSI of course! I wear many hats in my work with the OUTSTANDING people involved with GSI, but recently, the additional responsibility of designing and developing the soon to Launch Coaches4Kids site... well... it's just the most amazing experience EVER!

Coaches4Kids is the largest site design project I've ever worked on, and it's so much fun! Because the site is for kids, the normal design rules don't apply... I'm loving it... lots of original graphics work, interactivity, Flash animation, wow! And it's one of those 'feel good' projects, yanno? My 'almost 8 years old' twin daughters are helping me by testing the site for usability, since they're right at the beginning of our targeted age group. It's a family participation project! LOL

I've learned how to install OptIn Lightning on the Host4Profit servers, so will soon be saving myself some list management fees, although I love the service at AWeber, I just can't justify paying for something that I can now use for virtually free. Those of us that buy the BizOppGold CD get OptIn Lightning AND Lightning Track included, so it's silly not to use them. I now have both installed on my E-Zine domain, and I'm feeling pretty darn cool about that! :o)

I've changed delivery of the E-Zine to once weekly, on Fridays. The formally offered e-Courses are slowly making their way into downloadable mini reports, and I'm starting to feel more organized. I'm working on a not-so-kind RealDealReport for this week. Old losers just won't die!

Time to hit the HTML editor that I live in... C4K is due to launch in about a month. Have I mentioned how much I love my work lately? Heh.