I am excited about using oDesk not only because it will enable me to find International clients but also build an International team:

The Solution — A Marketplace and a Workplace.

oDesk’s unique approach enables companies to hire, manage, and pay remote contractors as easily as if they were working in the same office. The oDesk work diary and team room provide accountability across a distributed team, giving you full visibility into work done and the time spent doing it. Individual profiles offer a verified work history and feedback to help you make informed decisions in selecting team members or companies. oDesk’s payment system is simple and headache-free, so you can trust that your time—and money—are well-spent. This combination of accountability, credibility, and trust is the foundation for the oDesk Guarantee.

While the administrative support, client selection process and online working tools oDesk provides are innovative, these two guarantees are equally impressive:

We guarantee work to employers that every hour billed is an hour worked.
We guarantee payment to providers that every hour worked is an hour paid.

oDesk has also created a community via their blog, forums and groups and is also leveraging other social media tools like widgets and Facebook connect. Since I travel between the US and Sweden fairly regularly as well as to other destinations I am excited to be using a new tool that will help me manage life as a consultant.

If you are or want to be a remote worker and you are a web developer, writer, translator, customer service, software developer, sales and marketing, administrative support, business services, networking and information services, and design and multimedia; why not try a free oDesk account? Join the On Demand Global Workforce.

The big mission is to discover an answer to the proverbial question of what makes people happy around the world. From meeting new people, seeing amazing places, experiencing different cultures and attending local events, the team will be taking part in all kinds of experiences–some planned, some unplanned. They’ll be blogging, uploading videos and photos along the way.

www.Expedition206.com

Social Network Boasts Over 600 Members Around the World.

Rotterdam, NL/Stockholm, SWE November 3, 2009 – Women of the African Diaspora website (http://www.WomenOfTheAfricanDiaspora.com) and social network (http://www.BlackWomenUnite.ning.com) is having a birthday complete with gifts for its readers and members. The website and social network, which celebrates Black women, has visitors and members from across the globe.

“Women of the African Diaspora website and social network continue to grow,” says Sandra Rafaela, Women of the African Diaspora’s co-founder and co-editor. “We are constantly working very hard to improve our website to provide information, inspiration and more for Black women around the world.” Women of the African Diaspora website leverages the global reach of the Internet, social media and widgets to share relevant news, event notices and showcase a wide range of talented Black women including authors, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and others. And with Black women living on virtually every continent, it certainly has a large and influential market.

“Women of the African Diaspora’s website content strives to be very compelling and shine a positive spotlight on Black women that main stream media far too often ignores,” says Adrianne George, Women of the African Diaspora‘s co-founder and co-editor. “The number of visitors to the site continues to increase each month, and social networks like Facebook give us a platform to network we didn’t have when starting out. We continue to be the perfect choice for advertisers who want to reach the important market of Black women consumers.”

The year has again been marked with highlights for the Women of the African Diaspora co-editors, with Ms. George’s Black Women in Europe blog (http://blog.blackwomenineurope.com) being a finalist for a 2009 Black Weblog Award for Best International blog as well as being a featured blog on Ebonyjet.com. “We’ve come so far in just two years,” explains George. “Our social network has over 600 members in North America, Europe, Africa and beyond. Rafaela explains, “We really enjoy meeting accomplished and positive Black women while providing them with a unique platform for exposure. We’re ready to take on year three.”

Let Adrianne and Sandra know what the Women of the African Diaspora and Social network mean to you to get prizes from their sponsors:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/a/womenoftheafricandiaspora.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dGhSaFZQOFNRYjUwSERtUDBqTEFLckE6MA

Anniversary gifts are provided by Sheabutter Cottage, Greatness By Design™, Sisay International, Author M.H.A. Menondji, Northwest Scents Natural Black Hair Care, Creating Tomorrow, Simplicity Mastered™, and Donna Elmore’s Send Out Cards. Businesses with products or services for Black women can participate in the anniversary celebrations by purchasing an advertising package for the website and social network at a 20% savings. More information is available at http://womenoftheafricandiaspora.com.

Contact: Sandra Rafaela sandra@womenoftheafricandiaspora.com
Adrianne George adrianne@womenoftheafricandiaspora.com

###

Social Network Boasts Over 600 Members While Website Visitors Come From Every Corner on Earth.

Stockholm, SWE November 3, 2009 – The multiple award winning Black Women in Europe™ Blog (http://blog.blackwomenineurope.com) and its companion, the Black Women in Europe™ Social Network (http://blackwomenineurope.ning.com) is having a birthday complete with gifts for its readers and members. The website and social network, which celebrates Black women living in Europe, has visitors and members from around the world.

The Black Europe in Women™ Blog turns three and the Social Network turns two this year. “Two and three successful years on the Internet is more like 572”, jokes Adrianne George, Black Women in Europe™ founder. “The Black Women in Europe™ Blog and Social Network are growing daily,” she says , “I am humbled by and grateful for the faithful readers and members and take great pride in raising the profile of Black women living and thriving in Europe. Yes there are Black women in Europe!”

The Black Women in Europe Blog and Social Network leverages the global reach of the Internet, social media and widgets to share relevant news, event notices and showcase a wide range of talented Black women from all walks of life including politics, social activism, entertainment, journalism and more. And with Black women living in virtually every country in Europe, it certainly is a large and influential market.

“The Black Women in Europe™ Blog and Social network are an important part of my life and identity,” says Adrianne George. “In the not-too-distant future I plan to obtain a non-profit status for the Black Women in Europe™ Social Media Group (http://BlackWomenInEurope.org) to enable the sharing of information from Black women’s organizations across Europe. I want to be the funnel through which this information flows.”

The year has again been marked with highlights for the Black Women in Europe™ Blog and Social network, notably the granting of the trademark for the name of Black Women in Europe™. The blog was also a finalist for a 2009 Black Weblog Award for Best International blog, was a featured blog on Ebonyjet.com, and was a guest blogger on PBS’s Tavis Smiley blog.

Tell me what the Black Women in Europe Blog and Social Network mean to you to win prizes from our anniversary sponsors.

Anniversary gifts are provided by IronSun Organics, Creating Tomorrow, Morganna’s Alchemy, Sheabutter Cottage, Simplicity Mastered™, Donna Elmore’s Send Out Cards, and Zhana’s Success Books. Companies who would like to participate in the celebrations can purchase advertising for a 30% discount. More information is available at http://blog.blackwomenineurope.com.

Contact: Adrianne George contact@blackwomenineurope.com

###

We are having our 4th and most likely our last after work networking event of the year. So we are going out with a bang by presenting two incredible opportunities for one deserving social entrepreneur: free office and meeting space in Östermalm and a day of sales & venture capital coaching; 8 hours + 2 follow up coaching calls (1 hour).

What makes this opportunity even better is that the office space is at The Hub Stockholm, worth between 13,800 to 16,800 SEK; and the coaching is from the experts at Startup Sales Systems worth 40,000 SEK. So that adds up to at least 53, 800 of incredibly helpful services available to a social entrepreneur in Stockholm. It’s good to be a social entrepreneur, isn’t it?

Not sure if you are a social entrepreneur? Here are two examples of Hub Social Entrepreneurs:
http://www.the-hub.net/people/giovanna.gomersbach
http://www.the-hub.net/people/olivier.gaillard

About The Hub
http://www.the-hub.net
Hub World is a social enterprise with the ambition to inspire and support imaginative and enterprising initiatives for a better world with locations in 18 cities around the world. In Stockholm, we support an increasing number of diverse people to actively engage with each other – locally and globally – in meaningful and innovative ways, creating imaginative and entrepreneurial initiatives for a radically better world.

About Startup Sales Systems
http://www.startupsalessystems.com/
We help startups in Technology, Telecoms, Internet, & Clean Energy to acquire customers and reach profitability faster by using – specially developed – industry specific – sales tools and processes. We also help startups boost their sales using our extensive network of potential clients, sales channel experts, specialists and business partners to open doors in local, regional and international markets.

How you can win this package:
To be considered as the social entrepreneur to receive 3 months free office and meeting space, and a day of sales & venture capital coaching 8 hours + 2 follow up coaching calls (1 hour); email the name, concept and description of your social enterprise to adrianne@agcommunicationsgroup.com. Everyone who enters must be a member of the XING Stockholm group and attend the November networking event to be eligible to win. Follow this link to join: http://www.xing.com/group-23121.519786/3509921
We also have several gifts for everyone who attends! You’ll see them listed below.

WHO: Official XING Stockholm Group
WHAT: After work Business and Social Networking Event
WHEN: 18 November @ 17.30-19.30
WHERE: Scandic Malmen Atrium, Götgatan 49–51, 102 66 Stockholm
WHY: Make new business contacts and solidify others. Connect with new friends and catch up with old ones. Learn about The Hub Stockholm, an innovative work space for social entrepreneurs.

AGENDA:
17.30 – Networking
18.30 – Welcome by XING Stockholm Ambassador, Greetings from Anna Spjuth, General Manager of Scandic Malmen and Presentation by Kent Edquist of The Hub Stockholm who will also announce the social entrepreneur winner.
18.50-19.30 Networking and distribution of gifts

SPONSORS AND GIFTS:
>Scandic Malmen – networking space and snacks
>The Hub Stockholm – 3 months free work and meeting space
>Startup Sales Systems – a day of sales & venture capital coaching 8 hours + 2 follow up coaching calls (1 hour)
>Derricknym offer from Derrick Hayes, author of 1 WORD Is All It Takes™ (Fall 2009), and publisher of The WORD
>Free one-hour coaching session with Justin Sachs (worth $500)
>CDs on On-Camera Media Mistakes to Avoid in Business with best-selling author Elisabeth Fayt; and Crisis Communication, with Shawne Duperon, Media & Gossip Expert and Alan Stevens, both donated by Shawne Duperon

RSVP:
https://www.xing.com/events/4th-xing-stockholm-work-business-networker-2009-win-office-space-surprises-409730

I offered to create a social media campaign to help get the word out about the holiday ornaments he is now creating.

He’s leery of too much private information being made public via social media so I convinced him to let me create a Facebook gift application so that I could give all of my Facebook friends a piece of his art best suited to their taste.

So look for the “Lyle’s Stained Glass” application on Facebook to give beautiful works of art to your friends. Here is a sample of the gift collection:

Helsinki Commission to Hold Briefing on New Media

WASHINGTON­—After a year in which Twitter and Facebook catalyzed protest movements in Iran and Moldova and authoritarian regimes around the world unleashed new tools of Internet control, Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), and Co-Chairman Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) will hold a public briefing:

“Twitter against Tyrants: New Media in Authoritarian Regimes”
Thursday, October 22, 2009, 2:00 p.m.
1539 Longworth House Office Building

This briefing will consider the ways in which new media and Internet communication technologies affect the balance of power between human rights activists and authoritarian governments. Panelists will focus on new media’s role in protests and elections, the ways in which it empowers civil society activists, and the darker side: how dictators use new technology to control and repress their citizens.

The following panelists are scheduled to speak:

· Daniel Calingaert, Deputy Director of Programs, Freedom House
· Nathan Freitas, Adjunct Professor, New York University Interactive Telecom Program; developer of
groundbreaking technology for protests
· Evgeny Morozov, Yahoo! Fellow at Georgetown University’s E.A. Walsh School of Foreign Service;
contributing editor, Foreign Policy
· Chris Spence, Chief Technology Officer, National Democratic Institute

The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, is an independent agency of the Federal Government charged with monitoring compliance with the Helsinki Accords and advancing comprehensive security through promotion of human rights, democracy, and economic, environmental and military cooperation in 56 countries. The Commission consists of nine members from the U.S. Senate, nine from the House of Representatives, and one member each from the Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce.

www.facebook.com/helsinkicommission

AG Communications Group is pleased to announce the acquisition of SilverFoxDates.com as a new client!

SilverFoxDates.com is the premiere dating website for classy singles over the age of 50. In the competitive world of online dating we are proud to help SilverFoxDates reach singles over 50 via social media channels including Facebook, Linkedin, Slideshare, Twitter, and YouTube.

Join the SilverFoxDates.com community on:

The 2009 BlogWorld & New Media Expo will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, beginning with the exclusive “Social Media Business Summit”(TM) conference on October 15th and continuing with the BlogWorld & New Media Expo and Conference October 16th-17th.

This is first and only industry-wide tradeshow, conference, and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of new media including: Blogging, Podcasting, Social Media, Online Video, Music, TV, Radio, Gaming, Entertainment and Communities.

In addition to the only industry-wide new media industry exhibition, BlogWorld & New Media Expo features the largest new media conference in the world including more than 50 seminars, panel discussions and keynotes from iconic personalities on the leading-edge of online technology and internet-savvy business.

If you are currently blogging, podcasting, vlogging, producing other forms of new media content, entering the new media industry, or researching ways to leverage new media for your large or small company, then you need to be at the only comprehensive new media convention–BlogWorld & New Media Expo. Located in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at: 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109.

Save 20% NOW on BlogWorld and New Media Expo 2009 registration with the code “BWESEP20″

And while you are there choose a free Follow Me button for your website/blog/MySpace.

Twitter etiquette dictates that you follow Tweeple who follow you. But what about the Tweeple you are following that don’t follow back? Consider it rude? Just use huitter’s Mutuality2 to unfollow them in bulk.

This week I have discovered Twtri.com which “updates your email, twitter or facebook with your flight status so you don’t have to“.

Why am I reluctant to use Twtri.com? Actually I will use it via email. Certainly my family and my friend who is meeting me at the airport will want to know if my flight is ontime or delayed.

But do my Facebook friends or Twitter followers really want to know? Do I really want them to know? I think not.

Twitter Grader is trying to measure is the power, reach and authority of a twitter account. In other words, when you tweet, what kind of an impact does it have?

Here is my Twitter grade:

Never miss out on a conversation. No longer hear only one side of the story. Tell us what you like, and we do the hard work of finding the conversations that you should be involved in.

Cool Things you can do with Twollo:

Discover Tweeple talking about your favorite topics or interests;
Engage with Tweeple talking about another Twitterer;
Follow Tweeple talking about a hashtag.

http://www.twollow.com

Who are the top executives worth following? View ExecTweets exclusive list and see if you agree, and if you don’t or have other suggestions, they want to know. Contact them via:
@exectweets or email at exectweets@federatedmedia.net

Recommend your CEO, if s/he Twitters.

The logo was designed by Mark Derek McCullough. He also designed the Black Expat logo and enhanced the AG Communications Group logo.

Visit his website to see his portfolio and to order your design services:
http://mderekmccullough.wordpress.com/

Twitter is the premier microblogging platform that answers the question, “What are you doing”?

While it is possible to search Twitter using keywords, such as XING Stockholm, clever Tweeple are using hashtags, for example #xingsthm to find out what is being said about XING Stockholm on Twitter.

Hash dictionary allows Tweeple to define their hash tags.

I am experimenting with this tool now. I believe in using tools that save precious time.

• Expat Interview: Lesley-Anne Brown – Denmark
• Chuck Johnson – Kickin’ Butt in Japan
• Sokari Ekine – A Nigerian in London
• Back in the Day: Black Emigrants & Expats in early 20th century South Africa
• Re-launch Special 2009 – Camille Acey – Living in Wheelville: Slovenia

See them all here:
http://blackexpat.com/new/magazine-archives/2009-new-year/

Enjoy!

Mix your favorite feeds and show their latest posts on your website.
Create as many lists of feeds as you want.
Add up to 50 feeds per list.
Assign an image to each feed.
Choose the output charset encoding.
Order posts by date or title.
Limit the posts shown and establish a posts per source maximum.
Fully customize how the posts are displayed with our template system.
Data is cached so it loads fast and updated so you get the latest info.

Here are my Feedtwisters:

Why use this tool? It’s a great srouce for syndicating your blogs on your website, in your social networks, and you get listed in a directory. You never know who is interested in your posts.

Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2009/02/11/blackexpatcom-relaunches-with-new-design/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/12/19/its-called-twello-hello/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/12/19/its-called-twello-hello/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:41:44 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/?p=435

Just when you think that no one could come up with another social media application, I would like to introduce you to Twello. Hello! You haven’t heard of Twello? Basically it is Twitter in your neighborhood:

Working for you

Twellow.com has been designed from the ground up to help you “cut through the clutter”. From our home at Twellow headquarters, we’re actively searching and categorizing millions of inter-personal exchanges available on the internet every day. Twellow.com is thereby able to assist you in finding real people who really matter. We’re doing the hard work of sifting out people who can help bring your vision to reality, whatever that vision might be.

How does it work?

Twellow.com is currently grabbing publicly available messages from the Twitter.com micro-blogging service. We then analyze and categorize each of the users responsible for those messages into the various categories found at Twellow.com. By adding these people to specific categories we help you narrow your searching into specific niches where you can find who you are looking for. In addition to Twitter, we’re actively working on adding more social media services to broaden your capacity to find people who matter.

Check it out.

Not too long ago, one of the Gmail engineers broke out her vinyl cutter and made some Gmail m-velope stickers. Pretty soon, they were pasted to our desks, stuck on our laptops, and adorning the walls around the office. Then other people started asking us about them — first it was just other Googlers. But when a guy I was sitting next to on an airplane asked where he could get a Gmail sticker, we realized other people might like them too. Read on and get yours.

When you are as big as Google you can certainly give something away.

Say what?

Monetizer is an adserver for managing, displaying and tracking advertising around your online video content. It provides out-of-the-box ad formats for any Flash or Silverlight video player and an easy-to-grasp interface for managing your advertising campaigns.

Want to know more? Contact the man behind it all:

Sorosh Tavakoli, CEO
sorosh@videoplaza.com
+46 739 – 241 352

I met Roger and Emily at the Internet Marketing Conference in Stockholm last week. They flew in from the States to present about interactive video that connects you to the content.

What does that mean. It means Klickable.TV and it is here now.

I was having a hard time keeping up with all of my micro-blogging. When I pondered my dilemma on Plurk someone told me about HelloTxt.

HelloTxt lets you send status messages to 29 micro-blogginp sites.

You’ll still have to visit those sites to check your replies. Where’s the solution for that?

I don’t know if ping.fm is ping.fm, but gave up setting it up when their Facebook application link didn’t work.

Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/11/18/looking-for-one-or-two-europeans/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/11/08/730-newspaper-front-pages-from-66-countries/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/11/08/730-newspaper-front-pages-from-66-countries/#comments Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:05:49 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/11/08/730-newspaper-front-pages-from-66-countries/

It is interesting to see how many made Obama’s victory a front page story.

It may be safe to assume that there would have been front page coverage of the election results in as many papers if the outcome would have been different.

What is interesting is the headlines used when reporting on Obama’s victory. I like the headline from one of the papers in Syndey: “Everyone’s a Winner”.

Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/11/08/730-newspaper-front-pages-from-66-countries/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/11/05/world-leaders-welcome-obama-presidency/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/11/05/world-leaders-welcome-obama-presidency/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:52:39 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/11/05/world-leaders-welcome-obama-presidency/

Just hours after news spread that Obama will be the first African-American to take office at the White House, leaders from around the world hailed the prospect of change in US policy.

Seoul congratulated US President-elect Barack Obama on his victory and said that it was a sign of Americans’ hope for change.

“The government evaluates Obama’s election as a result of the American people’s support for new changes and hope,” said a statement, issued by the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also welcomed Barack Obama’s election to the US presidency and expressed hope that the change in US leadership would help solve the global economic crisis.

“I want to congratulate Senator Obama for his success in being elected as US president. I also want to congratulate US citizen,” Yudhoyono said in a speech broadcast on national radio.

“Indonesia hopes the US can take concrete measures to settle the global economic crisis and the financial crisis in the United States.”

In Europe, German President Horst Kohler congratulated Obama and said the US president-elect could count on Germany as a ‘trustworthy partner and long-time friend.’

B.W.I.E NOTE: Swedish TV reported that French President Sarkozy was the first European leader to make a congratulatory call to President Obama.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso also sent his ‘heartfelt congratulations’ to Barack Obama on his election as president of the United States.

China’s President Hu Jintao did the same and said closer relationship between Beijing and Washington could ‘benefit Chinese and American people and people around the world’

South African President Kgalema Motlanthe also congratulated Obama’s presidential victory. “Your election… carries with it hope for millions of your countrymen and women as much as it is for millions of people of … African descent both in the continent of Africa as well as those in the diaspora”, Motlanthe said in a statement.

Source: http://www.presstv.ir/…etail.aspx

Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/11/05/world-leaders-welcome-obama-presidency/feed/ 1 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/30/the-death-of-blogrush/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/30/the-death-of-blogrush/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:07:28 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/?p=382

After careful consideration, we have decided to shutdown the BlogRush service.  If you have the widget code on your blog you will need to remove it.

When BlogRush launched in late-2007 it spread like wildfire all over the Web.  Thousands of bloggers were talking about it and the service exploded to become one of the fastest growing free services in the history of the Web.  During the first year of the service it successfully served 3.4 Billion blog post headlines and the BlogRush widget could be found on blogs all over the world; even up until the moment we closed down the service.

BlogRush didn’t grow without its fair share of problems — from security issues to abusive users trying to ‘game’ the system to much lower click-rates than expected.  We also had some problems with trying to fairly control the quality of the network, and in the process made many mistakes in deciding what blogs should stay or go.  All of these issues, ultimately, limited the service’s full potential.

Our team worked very hard to try and build a service that would truly help bloggers of all sizes get free traffic to their blogs.  This was our primary focus.  Not once did we ever try to monetize the service with ads or anything else.  BlogRush never made a single penny in revenue.  We wanted to be able to help our users FIRST and then worry about monetizing the service later.  Unfortunately, the service didn’t work out like we had hoped.  (It happens.)

I want to say “Thank You” to all of the great bloggers that at least gave BlogRush a test to see if it would work for them.  We sincerely appreciate you giving the service a try.

We have received several offers & inquiries about acquiring BlogRush, but we are choosing not to go that route.  While many might think this is crazy, we truly feel it’s the ‘right’ thing to do for our users.  Believe it or not, it’s not always about the money.  In fact, BlogRush will have lost a small fortune when it’s all said and done, and it was by choice.  There were many things we could have done to monetize the service but we wanted to make sure it was going to benefit our users first.

Last but not least I want to say that I hope the failure of this service doesn’t in any way discourage other entrepreneurs from coming up with crazy ideas at 4AM (like I did with this one) and from “going for it” to just try and see if something will work.  Without trying there can be no success.  And as we all know, ideas are worthless without action.  The Web wouldn’t be what it is today without entrepreneurs trying all sorts of crazy ideas.

On behalf of the entire BlogRush team, we wish the best of luck to everyone with their own blogs, ideas, and crazy ventures.

Sincerely,

John Reese

http://twitter.com/johnreese

Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/29/women-of-the-african-diaspora-website-celebrates/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/25/closer-to-the-dream-obama-event-in-france/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/25/closer-to-the-dream-obama-event-in-france/#comments Sat, 25 Oct 2008 10:55:13 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/25/closer-to-the-dream-obama-event-in-france/

Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/25/closer-to-the-dream-obama-event-in-france/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/21/join-in-the-discussion-on-election-night-2/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/21/join-in-the-discussion-on-election-night-2/#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:15:15 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/21/join-in-the-discussion-on-election-night-2/

Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/21/join-in-the-discussion-on-election-night-2/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/21/join-in-the-discussion-on-election-night/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/21/join-in-the-discussion-on-election-night/#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:06:35 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/21/join-in-the-discussion-on-election-night/

Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/21/join-in-the-discussion-on-election-night/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/16/we-won/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/16/we-won/#comments Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:39:59 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/?p=367

One of the AG Communications Group’s brand, Black Women in Europe Blog, has won another award.  See all of the awards given to the Black Women in Europe Blog.

First, in their most basic sense, a brand is a concept and branding is communicating a brand concept. Did you catch it? A brand in an idea and branding is implementing that idea. To use an analogy, the brand is the bullet and branding is the gun. Branding applies the brand to your target market just like firing a gun at an intended target.

Let us define what a brand is. Essentially it is a concept developed in the consumer’s head about your company as a result of their experience with your company. Now this concept can just occur naturally without any purpose or brand development from you, which could be a huge liability, or you can be proactive in creating and developing your brand concept that you want the consumer to have.

Now let us look at branding. It is the transmission of the brand concept to the consumer through the use of brand elements and brand signals. Branding will happen even if it is intentional or not. Proper branding will be successful in transmitting the brand concept to the consumer without losing the integrity of the brand concept.

Source: Branding

Search engine rankings are a large factor to the success of your web site. If you desire free organic search traffic from the search engines you will have to learn how to improve your search engine rankings. The main search engine you should be focused on improving your rankings in is Google.

Why Google? Fact is, Google currently holds a 77% market share of the search engine business. Google handles 300 MILLION search queries every DAY. With over 8 billion pages in the Google index (with thousands being added daily), you need to have your ducks in a row and learn how to improve your search engine ranking or else you will get lost in the Google index. Without better search engine rankings, your web site will remain a virtual ghost town.

There are so many myths out there pertaining to unproven theories of how to better your rank in the search engines. We all already know that Google likes the following factors of a web site – and ranks a site with these factors in mind:

URL containing your keyword

Keywords in content (and close to each other)

Link Popularity (links pointing TO your site)

Keywords used to link to your site

Over-all theme of the site or page

Now, I have to mention that Google doesn’t mention optimizing meta tags, however,it is my experience that taking the time to optimize title tags and description tags can help… and certainly can’t hurt.

Improve Search Engine Rankings – The Myths

There is plenty of false information going around about how to boost the rank of your site in the search engines. Your first step in learning how to improve your rankings is to learn what is fact – and what is NOT.

These are some of the search engine ranking myths that you need to get out of your head:

Myth #1: Google Knows and Sees Everything

Myth #2: Google Will Not Rank Duplicate Content

Myth #3: You Must Get Links From Related Subject Sites to Rank

Myth #4: Your Site Must Focus On One Subject To Rank

Myth #5: High PageRank Means Good Rankings

Myth #6: To Maintain Good Rankings, You Must Add New Content

MYTH #7: THE BIGGEST MYTH: Ranking In Google Is Hard!

Improving your search engine ranking is not hard

Thankfully, getting better rankings in Google is not hard – if you know what you’re doing. Think about Google, and what their goal is. The goal of Google is to provide their users with the fastest, most relevant search results possible. They certainly are one of the only websites that I can think of that has the primary goal of getting visitors OFF their site as quickly as possible!

If you learn effective ranking methods – take time to learn what Google wants – and de-program yourself of all the inaccuracies regarding better search engine rankings, you will do fine. Improved search engine ranking will be easy for you to obtain.

Source: SEO

Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/10/02/black-women-in-europe/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/26/racism-discrimination-against-blacks-in-europe/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/26/racism-discrimination-against-blacks-in-europe/#comments Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:00:34 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunications.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/racism-discrimination-against-blacks-in-europe/

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Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/25/vote-from-abroad/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/20/women-of-the-african-diaspora-site-anniversary/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/20/women-of-the-african-diaspora-site-anniversary/#comments Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:28:21 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunications.wordpress.com/2008/09/20/women-of-the-african-diaspora-site-anniversary/

Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/20/women-of-the-african-diaspora-site-anniversary/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/17/use-keywords-in-page-titles/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/17/use-keywords-in-page-titles/#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:35:59 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunications.wordpress.com/?p=312 It is recommended to use keywords in page titles itself. This title tag is different from a Meta tag, but it’s worth considering it in relation to them. Whatever text one places in the title tag will appear in the title bar of browsers when they view the web page. Some browsers also append whatever you put in the title tag by adding their own name, as for example Microsoft’s Internet Explorer or OPERA.

The actual text you use in the title tag is one of the most important factors in how a search engine may decide to rank your web page. In addition, all major web crawlers will use the text of your title tag as the text they use for the title of your page in your listings.

If you have designed your website as a series of websites or linked pages and not just a single Home Page, you must bear in mind that each page of your website must be search engine optimized. The title of each page i.e. the keywords you use on that page and the phrases you use in the content will draw traffic to your site.

The unique combination of these words and phrases and content will draw customers using different search engine terms and techniques, so be sure you capture all the keywords and phrases you need for each product, service or information page.

The most common mistake made by small business owners when they first design their website is to place their business name or firm name in every title of every page. Actually most of your prospective customers do not bother to know the name of your firm until after they have looked at your site and decided it is worth book marking.

So, while you want your business name in the title of the home page, it is probably a waste of valuable keywords and space to put it in the title line of every page on your site. Why not consider putting keywords in the title so that your page will display closer to the top of the search engine listing.

Dedicating the first three positions in your title for keywords, while avoiding the stop words like ‘and’, ‘at’ and the like is crucial in search engine optimization.

Follow these few simple steps in using keywords in your page titles and this will without a doubt help to improve your search engine rankings.

One thing that can make a difference is that when you buy a Dot com domain name instead of others domain names like dot info. People find it is easy and preferable to type the domain names that have a dot com ending. So one must buy a dot com domain name instead of others. While you choose a domain name, you should not use double hyphens. People will not like to type domain names that will contain double hyphens. On the other hand, if you choose to have a single hyphen, then it can be acceptable. Nowadays you will find few domain names that will contain a single hyphen. People are getting use to domain names with a single hyphen. So a single hyphen domain name is an option that can be considered. However, it’s best to not use one. Users are very use to with the domains names that ends with a dot com. So it is good to pick a dot com for a domain name.

Choose a domain name that is not hard to remember and it must be simple. For example consider the domain name for Yahoo.com. It’s easier to remember as well as typing the address for the domain name of Yahoo.com. So you must think as a user before selecting a domain name. Try to select a domain name that’s not too long. People do not prefer long names as it is hard to remember for them as well as it is also not comfortable to type them too. One more thing is to select a name that will describe the idea of our website.

Try to select a domain name domain name registration that is very much chosen to the idea behind your site. How great it well be if you can select a name that can expressed the basic idea of your website and at the same time is easy to remember because of its fact which is not too long. These aspects play an extremely important role in your success for your web site. Think that if your site becomes a heavy traffic site one day and thousands of users will come every day. However, this is only possible if you select a decent domain name.

Launch Your Career with MySpace

MySpace was created as an online community for people to make new friends and connect with existing friends but it has turned into so much more. Some have found they could launch their careers through MySpace. While those with aspirations in the entertainment industry are most likely to be the ones who market themselves through MySpace there are others who have more traditional careers in mind who include resume type information on MySpace in an attempt to find a new job or career.

In either case the MySpace website should be designed to catch the attention of those in the chosen industry. For example, an individual seeking a career in the profession of library science may have outrageous interests and hobbies but designing a website to reflect these hobbies may detract from those who might otherwise consider the education and past work experiences of the individual. Similarly someone who wants to break into the fashion industry should strive to create a MySpace website which is trendy and edgy as opposed to mundane.

Increase Your Circle of Friends with MySpace

Those who use MySpace just to make friends can also benefit from designing a website that really promotes themselves. This website design should not only promote the owner of the website but should also be tailored to suit the tastes of the type of friends the individual would like to make. For example a diehard Yankee fan might want to incorporate a Yankee themed background to the website and include a song such as I Love New York into the website. This will make the website, and the individual, more desirable to those who share their interests.

Similarly those who want to make friends on MySpace who share a passion for a particular band might consider including the bands music on the website and posting new information about the band in a daily blog. This will attract fans of the band to your MySpace website and can help you to make friends with those who share your interests.

Network with MySpace

The MySpace community provides members with a wealth of networking opportunities. Although these opportunities exist, it takes a savvy user to not only find others with whom they would like to network but also convince these users to join in the networking opportunity.

Individuals who sell Avon cosmetics can be considered as an example of the importance of networking online. These salespeople are prohibited by MySpace to selling their products through the MySpace website but they can certainly find other members interested in the sale or purchase of Avon products and network with these individuals. Entering the term, “Avon cosmetics” into the MySpace search feature may reveal a list of other websites which use this term. Members can review these websites and determine whether or not they believe networking with these individuals would be beneficial. If it seems as though it would be beneficial, the member can either place a comment on the website or send an email or instant message to the other member.

This can help to get a conversation started and may lead to more meaningful interactions which may include sales techniques or other industry tips.

Create an Interesting MySpace Website

One of the simplest ways MySpace members can generate increased traffic to their website is to create a website which is both aesthetically appealing and interesting to others. The aesthetic appeal of a website can greatly influence the amount of repeat traffic a MySpace website receives. For example members who use garish colors and fonts which are too small or otherwise difficult to read may not receive repeat traffic even if the content of their website is very interesting and engaging. This is because other members may lose interest in the website quickly.

The other part of an excellent website design is interesting and intriguing content. A website which is aesthetically appealing may entice visitors to peruse the content but if it is simply not interesting and engaging the visitors are not likely to spend much time on the website and are also not likely to return. However, MySpace members who fill their website with exciting content are likely to keep visitors interested. When visitors are interested in the content they are likely to return and also to encourage others to visit the website as well.

Visit Members’ Websites

Another way to generate increased traffic to your MySpace website is by visiting the websites of other members. You can use the search feature to find other members who share your interests. By visiting their websites you will get a better idea of whether or not you are interested in being friends with these members. When you encounter other members you might be interested in meeting you can sent them an email or instant message commenting on their website and asking to be added to their network of friends. You can also suggest they visit your website as well. Those who make an effort to meet other members are likely to increase their own web site traffic.

Invite Friends to Your MySpace Website

Finally, MySpace members can generate additional traffic to their website by inviting others to visit them. They can speak directly to friends and family members and encourage them to view their website. Also, those who participate in other online communities such as message boards may include a link to their MySpace website in their signature so those who want to learn more about them can visit their MySpace profile.

MySpace also has an invite feature which enables members to send messages to others to encourage them to start a MySpace account. Members who have friends or family members who do not belong to the MySpace community can send them one of these invitations to encourage them to get involved. The invitation can include a link to the members MySpace website to give the others an idea of what MySpace really is.

Although MySpace offers all of these fun entertainment type activities, there are some members of MySpace who utilize the community for business purposes. They may use MySpace to network, make business connections or to promote their business. In these cases care should be taken to create a MySpace website that is attractive and interesting while maintaining a professional appearance.

Avoid Slang and Abbreviations

One way to maintain a professional appearance on a MySpace website is to avoid the use of slang or abbreviations. Many MySpace websites feature slang, abbreviations and terms which are not grammatically correct. While this type of Internet language may be entertaining and may be considered acceptable among members of the community, this type of writing is not likely to appeal to potential customers or business partners.

Additionally, not everyone understand the cryptic language often used on message boards, text messages and emails and those who do not understand may have trouble reading the information presented on the website.

Keep the Design Tasteful

As previously mentioned, those who are using MySpace strictly for entertainment purposes can design a website according to their personal preferences. This may include unusual fonts, garish colors, offensive images and blaring background music. While this type of design may provide a great deal of insight into an individual’s personality it is not a good idea for a business related website. Therefore those who are using their website for promotion of a business should create a more tasteful design.

There are a few generic tips which can make a website appear more professional. The use of muted colors that complement each other can make a website aesthetically appealing. Users are more likely to spend time on websites with these types of color combinations because it is soothing. Additionally, the use of a common font type and size which makes reading the text simple is recommended. The use of background music should also be avoided in professional websites as many users either do not have speakers or may view the website in a location where they do not want to hear music.

Avoid Embarrassing Photos

Finally, special consideration should be given to the use of photos on a website which is striving to maintain a professional appearance. While those who are using MySpace for entertainment purposes only may opt to plaster their website with embarrassing pictures of them and their friends, those who have business intentions should use photos more judiciously.

The photos used on a business website should invoke a professional sentiment. This may include posed photos of the website owner in a dignified location, landscape photographs or pictures of products sold by the company. Alternately those who are using MySpace to promote products or services might consider it best not to use images as at all. Whether or not pictures are used on a website is a matter of personal preference but when they are used, care should be taken to ensure they contribute to the overall design of the website rather than distract from it.

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Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterz.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/10/black-european-womens-council-launch-panel-2/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/10/black-european-womens-council-launch-2nd-panel/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/10/black-european-womens-council-launch-2nd-panel/#comments Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:35:45 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunications.wordpress.com/2008/09/10/black-european-womens-council-launch-2nd-panel/

Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterz.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/10/black-european-womens-council-launch-2nd-panel/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/10/promoting-your-business-on-myspace/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/10/promoting-your-business-on-myspace/#comments Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:26:42 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunications.wordpress.com/?p=302 The question of whether or not MySpace can be used to promote a business is certainly debatable. MySpace is intended to be a non-commercial website by nature but there is a different between blatant commercialization and mentioning a product or service you offer and providing a link as a useful resource to visitors of your website. This article will take a look at the opportunities to promote a business on MySpace by providing information on determining whether or not your method of business promotion is permitted on MySpace and information on how to promote your business without being accused of spamming MySpace.

Review the Terms of Service Carefully

The terms of service provided by MySpace can provide the greatest insight into whether or not there are ways to promote your business through MySpace. Members of MySpace are asked to review the terms of service before becoming a member. Each member should carefully read through this entire agreement to come to a better understanding of which types of activities are allowed on MySpace as well as which types of activities are prohibited.

One of the stipulations of the MySpace reads as follows, “Non-commercial Use by Members. The MySpace Services are for the personal use of Members only and may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavors except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by MySpace.com.

Illegal and-or unauthorized use of the MySpace Services, including collecting usernames and-or email addresses of Members by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email or unauthorized framing of or linking to the MySpace Website is prohibited. Commercial advertisements, affiliate links, and other forms of solicitation may be removed from Member profiles without notice and may result in termination of Membership privileges. Appropriate legal action will be taken for any illegal or unauthorized use of the MySpace Services.”

This section of the terms of service stipulates that MySpace is created for non-commercial use unless Myspace.com has approved the use of a member’s website for commercial purposes. Therefore care should be taken when designing a MySpace website to ensure the website will not be deemed to be a commercial website by MySpace administrators.

When In Doubt, Ask Questions

Those who are unsure of whether or not their MySpace website, as they have designed it, will be considered a commercial website should consult with MySpace administrators. This step is not necessary unless the member is concerned their content will be perceived as being commercial. Reviewing the terms of use agreement can provide a great deal of information but some users may still be concerned with the possibility that their website will be penalized if the administrators deem it to be commercial in nature.

Contacting MySpace is a fairly simple process. Members can use the, “Contact MySpace” link from the MySpace.com homepage. The contact page enables members to select a subject and a subtopic and submit this information. Once this is done MySpace provides some preliminary information which may be relevant. If this information is not useful to the member they can email a detailed request to MySpace.

Avoid Spamming at All Costs

If you determine there is an opportunity for you to promote your business through MySpace, care should be taken to ensure the promotion does not cross the line into spam. Spamming is taken very seriously by the MySpace administrators and it may result in links or content being deleted or the privileges of membership may be revoked when a member is found to be guilty of spamming.

Links to your ecommerce website integrated into your MySpace website isn’t considered spamming. Depending on how it is used it may not even be considered advertising, and therefore prohibited, by MySpace administrators. However, visiting other MySpace websites and placing a link to your ecommerce website on each website you visit would be considered spam. These individuals may or may not be wanting to look at the website you provide but even if they are interested sending these links to numerous websites unsolicited is often considered to be spam.

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Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterz.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/09/black-european-womens-council-launch-in-brussels/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/09/advertising-on-myspace/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/09/09/advertising-on-myspace/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:25:30 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunications.wordpress.com/?p=300 MySpace is an online community where users have the opportunity to create websites where others can view personal information about them and contact them. However, savvy Internet marketers have found MySpace can also be used to advertise products or service or for the purpose of self promotion. Care should be taken to review the terms of use on MySpace to ensure none of your actions are in violation of these terms but otherwise users can advertise either directly or indirectly on their MySpace website.

Why Advertising on MySpace is Effective

Advertising on MySpace can be effective as long as it is done correctly and not in a way that is viewed as spam. The effectiveness of MySpace stems from amount of users who are currently using MySpace. This includes both members who place comments as well as nonmembers who only look at other websites. With so many daily visitors it is likely there will be visitors who are interested in the products or services you are offering on your MySpace website.

Another reason why MySpace is such an effective advertising tool is there are no fees associated with using your MySpace profile to create links to your ecommerce website or to provide more information about the products and services you offer. The best way to effectively advertise on MySpace is to follow the same guidelines that would normally be followed by advertisers in online locations. This includes knowing who your target audience is and how to effectively appeal to them. This is important because a marketing campaign which does not follow these simple rules will not likely be effective.

In addition to advertising within a MySpace website there are also opportunities to advertise in the form of banner advertisements on MySpace. MySpace is able to not charge a fee to members because they generate their income through paid advertisements. Contact MySpace administrators directly to learn more about these advertising opportunities.

Selling Products on MySpace

MySpace can be also be used to advertise products or services. This can be done either subtly or blatantly. Those who are active participants on MySpace and invest time in meeting others and making friends are more likely to benefit from selling products or services through a MySpace account. This is because most people who use MySpace are not exactly looking for information about products or services so they are unlikely to seek out this information.

However, if they have online friends who are using their MySpace account to promote a product or service they may see the advertisements and find the products or services interesting. In this case they may visit a link to an ecommerce website and consider making a purchase. However, care should be taken when advertizing your website on MySpace. Links to your ecommerce website on your own profile are acceptable but placing comments with the same link on other members’ websites will likely be considered spam by both the other members and the MySpace administrators.

This encourages people to start blogging, because the fact that one of these sites can provide you with all of the tools that you need to get your blog up and running without spending any money means that you have nothing to lose by starting a blog. The fact that it is so easy to find a way to blog for free is one of the reasons why so many people who have never had any other kind of web presence before find themselves drawn to blogging.

By signing up with a free blogging web site, you may find it easier to get listed in search engines that you would if you were starting your own blog from scratch. For example, google runs the free blog hosting site blogspot and crawls its pages very often looking for updates, so if you have your site hosted by blogspot you are almost guaranteed to be listed on google’s blog search engine. This easy access to search engines can take some of the work out of promoting your blog, and can help you gain a following with a minimum of marketing effort.

If your blog attracts a large readership, you may want to consider moving your site. Many people feel that being hosted by a free blogging web site gives a blog a kind of amateur flavor that is fine for a new member of the blogosphere, but is not appropriate for a high-profile blog.

Having your own domain can help you make your blog feel professional, and finding a company that will host your domain is not difficult or expensive. Once your blog takes off, you will probably be able to sell enough advertising space to be able to afford to buy a domain and pay for a hosting package, and still have money left over. However, it does not make sense in most cases to invest in these glossy luxuries before you have a sizable readership.

Starting your blog on a free blogging web site is a great way to build a following before you spend any money on your blog. If and when your blog becomes popular and you are ready to take the next step and purchase your own domain, your readers will follow you to your new home.

The fact that it is possible to use a free blog host like blogspost, blogger, or eponym as a kind of incubator for your blog is great news for bloggers everywhere.

A videoblog requires larger disk spaces on websites, a faster server, and a whole new set of programs to support it. Videoblogs can be fed through RSS. This is technology of syndicating your website to other RSS aggregators.

Videoblogging works with people on the internet expressing their selves. Now if you put this on a business prospective, you are up to a lot of benefits. Think of it as a powerful tool in making showing your prospective customers your line of products or your services. It’s just like showing a commercial all for free. And if you videoblog through RSS, then most probably you are getting your target market.

People like to see what they are going to buy. Some would like to see proof and be sure that they are getting their money’s worth before shelving their dimes on it. All of us know the influence of a thirty second commercial. The effect of videoblogging is similar to that. You show your product, people watch it. If they like it, they buy it. If you present it good enough, they’ll buy the product even if they don’t need it.

Now on the web, things are pretty much static, unlike in television in which all are moving. If you post something that is mobile, it would most likely catch attention. Now imaging your product parading in all it’s royalty through videoblog. You’ll get phone call orders in no time.

If your business is just starting up, you can create a videoblog right at your own home. All you need is your web camera, microphone, video software, and lights. For as long as you know how to use your camera, then you can create a videoblog.

Invest in a good web camera. The higher its resolution is the better the output. And you like to present your goods in the optimum way so get the best one possible. Make a short story, or just capture your goods in one go. Just make sure you are getting the best profile for each. Get those creativity juices flowing.

Lights are important in a production. Make sure you illuminate entirely the area you are going to use to create videoblog. The brighter the area, the crispier the images will be. You can also use lighting effects for added appeal to the presentation.

Should you require sounds for your videoblog, you need a microphone. Record you voice as a voice over for promoting the product and its benefit to consumers. Sounds are as important as videos on a videoblog. It is advisable to make your sound effects as enticing as the video.

Your video editing software can be any program. You need this to finalize your work. You can add sounds, delete some bad angles, or insert some still pictures in there too. Some programs are user-friendly and can be used even with zero knowledge on video editing. Even simple video editing programs should do the trick. Select your background carefully too. The light affects the presentation so make sure that the background and the light complements each other.

Videoblogging is a great tool but it also has it downside. It may slow down the computer so other may steer clear of it. Download time may also be time consuming especially if customer is still on a dial- up connection.

But don’t let those stop you. Let videoblogging be an alternative for you, though it is best to still keep the text and pictures present in your presentation to accommodate all possible viewers of your site.

Nowadays, the more creative you are in presenting your product to the market, the more you are likely to succeed. Videoblogging offers an interactive way of selling. You involve the customers and you instill in them the advantage of your goods. And often those two things are enough to make a sale.

When the purpose of corporate training is to help employees reach a particular level of skill competence, online training is often a much better choice than traditional methods of training. Online training is an excellent means of providing convenient, assessment-driven training that enables workers to move at their own pace toward accomplishing stated training goals.

Employees often have very different entry-level skills. When faced with learning a new skill that needs to be applied on the job, some workers are likely to begin training with no prior knowledge, and others may already have advanced knowledge. When students with vastly different prerequisite skills are sitting side by side in instructor-led, fixed time frame classes, it presents unique challenges for both the learners and the instructor.

When instructors begin classes at a level appropriate for those who have no prerequisite knowledge regarding the skill, those who are more advanced tend to become bored and resentful. However, when instructors begin classes assuming prior knowledge that some of the students don’t have, those learners who are most in need of instruction will not be able to achieve the learning outcomes.

In such situations, many trainers adopt a mentality of teaching to the middle, which simply results in reducing instructional effectiveness for all participants. Teaching to the middle still leaves those with no entry-level skills behind, and still bores those students who are the most advanced.

With online learning, this problem disappears. Online training programs are typically designed to allow learners to progress through training modules at their own pace. Those with advanced skills can quickly demonstrate proficiency with the basic skills and can move to the parts of the instruction they really need. Those who require remediation can spend as much time as they need getting a strong foundation on which to build.

The best e-learning systems for corporate training applications allow training managers to control which classes learners are required to complete, as well as monitor student progress through training. This results in a win-win situation for corporate trainers and learners at all levels of skills. Employees will appreciate being able to move through skill development training at a comfortable pace, at convenient times.

With corporate training, what matters in the long run with employee skill development training is whether or not employees develop skills and are able to transfer the necessary skills from training settings to the workplace. Online training options can be the most efficient solution for providing employees with the skill training they need.

About the Author
Randall Olson is the Director of Information Technology for Mobile Technical Institute & MTI Business Solutions (http://www.mobiletechwebsite.com). He oversees the firm’s high stakes certification testing center, conducts computer application training, and manages MTI’s online learning programs. MTI is a full service training and consulting firm, providing open enrollment and on-site employee development training, database development, and website solutions. For free career and business development tips and advice, see http://www.DailyCareerConnection.com and http://www.DailyBizSolutions.com.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

· Straight texts

· Photographs or images (photoblog)

· Video (videoblog)

· Audio files (audioblog)

· Hyperlinks

Usually presented and arranged in reverse chronological order, blogs are essentially used for the following purposes:

· Online journal or a web diary

· Content managament system

· Online publishing platform

A typical blog has the following components:

· Post date -the date and time of the blog entry

· Category – the category that the blog belongs to

· Title – the title of the blog

· Main body – the main content of the blog

· RSS and trackback – links the blog back from other sites

· Comments – commentaries that are added by readers

· Permalinks – the URL of the full article

· Other optional items – calendar, archives, blogrolls, and add-ons or plug-ins

A blog can also have a footer, usually found at the bottom of the blog, that shows the post date, the author, the category, and the ’stats’ (the nubmer of comments or trackbacks).

There are numerous types of blogs. Some of them are the following:

1. Political blog – on news, politics, activism, and other issue based blogs (such as campaigning).

2. Personal blog – also known as online diary that may include an individual’s day-to-day experience, complaints, poems, and illicit thoughts, and communications between friends.

3. Topical blog – with focus either on a particular niche (function or position) that is usually technical in nature or a local information.

4. Health blog – on specific health issues. Medical blog is a major category of health blog that features medical news from health care professionals and/or actual patient cases.

5. Literary blog – also known as litblog.

6. Travel blog – with focus on a traveler’s stories on a particular journey.

7. Research blog – on academic issues such as research notes.

8. Legal blog – on law (technical areas) and legal affairs; also known as ‘blawgs’.

9. Media blog – focus on falsehoods or inconsistencies in mass media; usually exclusive for a newspaper or a television network.

10. Religious blog – on religious topics

11. Educational blog – on educational applications, usually written by students and teachers.

12. Collaborative or collective blog – a specific topic written by a group of people.

13. Directory blog – contains a collection of numerous web sites.

14. Business blog – used by entrepreneurs and corporate employees to promote their businesses or talk about their work.

15. Personification blog – focus on non-human being or objects (such as dogs).

16. Spam blogs – used for promoting affiliated websites; also known as ’splogs’.

Blogging is typically done on a regular (almost daily) basis. The term “blogging” refers to the act of authoring, maintaining, or adding an article to an existing blog, while the term “blogger” refers to a person or a group who keeps a blog.

Today, more than 3 million blogs can be found in the Internet. This figure is continuously growing, as the availability of various blog software, tools, and other applications make it easier for just about anyone to update or maintain the blog (even those with little or no technical background). Because of this trend, bloggers can now be categorized into 4 main types:

· Personal bloggers – people who focus on a diary or on any topic that an individual feels strongly about.

· Business bloggers – people who focus on promoting products and services.

· Organizational bloggers – people who focus on internal or external communication in an organization or a community.

· Professional bloggers – people who are hired or paid to do blogging.

Problogging (professional blogging) refers to blogging for a profit. Probloggers (professional bloggers) are people who make money from blogging (as an individual blog publisher or a hired blogger).

Below are just some of the many money-making opportunities for probloggers:

· Advertising programs

· RSS advertising

· Sponsorship

· Affiliate Programs

· Digital assets

· Blog network writing gigs

· Business blog writing gigs

· Non blogging writing gigs

· Donations

· Flipping blogs

· Merchandising

· Consulting and speaking

The following are a few things that you need to consider if you want to be successful in problogging:

1. Be patient. Problogging requires a lot of time and effort, not to mention a long-term vision.

2. Know your audience. Targeting a specific audience or group is a key to building a readership.

3. Be an ‘expert’. Focus on a specific niche topic and strive to be the “go-to” blogger on that topic.

4. Diversify. Experiment with various add and affiliate programs that enable you to make money online (aside from blogging).

5. Do not bore your readers. Focus on the layout. White spaces, line spacings, and bigger fonts make a blog welcoming to read.

Certainly, it is more than possible to earn money from blogs. One just needs to take risks and have the passion and the right attitude in order to be a successful problogger.

Here are some truly compelling benefits of Joint Venture Partnerships:

Benefit #1: Bigger lists. How big is your current opt in list? Does it have room to grow? Would a bigger list mean more profits tomorrow, next week, next month and next year? A joint venture partnership has the power to broaden your opt in list in many ways. If you are list leveraging with a partner, then anyone who responds, visits your website, or makes a purchase is added to your opt in list.

Cross promotions have the same list building capabilities. Imagine if you post an ad for your partner in your ezine and they post an ad for you, then everyone on their list that responds to your ad is now on your opt in list.

Benefit #2: Better customer relationships. Offering your customers a new opportunity, new product, or new service with a reputable partner gives you instant credibility – not only as a respected business owner, but one that has their customers in mind and takes the time and effort to find and present quality opportunities to them.

When you offer your customers a quality product or service, you not only increase your credibility with them, you increase the likelihood that they’re going to buy from you again. You earn their respect and gratitude for bringing them valuable and beneficial opportunities and for connecting them with other spectacular businesses like yours.

Benefit #3: New products. Partnering with another online business introduces new products into your product base. For example, say you own and operate an information marketing business where your products range from a book on how to organize your home from top to bottom, to personal organization services.

You could partner with a small business coach and create a product about organizing your home office for maximum productivity. Your partner will promote the book to their customers and add the product to their product base, and you can market the product as part of your product base. Down the line you could bundle the product with others and create a larger book package. You could interview your partner and create a product from that.

When it comes to online joint venture partnerships, there really isn’t a downside. You get the opportunity to make your customer’s happy, you build your list, you increase your product base, and you make money. It’s all good.

Maximum advertisement of your blog is another way to keep your blog at top rankings. You can advertise at forums, post links in chat rooms, tell friends to post links on their websites to your blog and find websites that are looking for blogs to be added to their web pages. The number of links caught by the web spider will automatically increase your ranking.

If you use your blog to promote your website, you can hire one or two writers who can write daily posts for your blog. This will also add fresh ideas and better perspective to your blog. There is no shortage of blog writers, since there are people who write blogs for themselves as well as earn a living through the blog. You can advertise on job boards and the interested ones will send you their emails and sample work, so it will be easy for you to choose the one that suits you.

You will not feel stressed with the thought of updating a blog, while you will also be reaping rewards for fresh blog entries regularly. If you earn from your blog you can surely afford hiring one blog writer. The best one would be the one who was a style of writing that matches yours.

Hiring a web writer to write keyword rich articles for your blog is another good idea of increasing your web rankings. People with good idea of SEO can do the trick for you. You can also buy top ranking by using Google Adsense, here you will have to link your blog to several sites. This effort will surely pay off in increasing your rankings.

The most important thing about maintaining a blog is being loyal to it. You should return to it each day and add at least two posts. Increase in internet rankings in the only way you can ensure that your exposure on the internet has increased substantially. You can create a newsletter and add it to your website and other ways of advertising are all good means of increasing your search engine rankings.

Your rankings will go up if you provide amusing blogs. Consistency and providing new material are the key to maintaining a healthy audience for your blog. Check out this great blog as an example.

By adding good quality content to your blog, you can attract more readers to your site faster. Below are a few good reasons content articles work well to boost the traffic to your blog.

Keywords in the article

The keywords in your article will attract traffic faster than about anything. The keywords are what cause your article to be returned in a search engine when a search is performed. For example as long as your website is in the search engine and you sell rubber gloves then when someone searches on a search engine for the term rubber gloves, your site will be displayed. The trick is to try and get your website to rise up through the rankings and be among the top few returns on an internet search.

Informative and educational articles

Make your articles educational and entertaining so that your readers will enjoy your articles and want to come back and read more. If you are not a very good writer, you can find writers to do it for you on one of the freelancer sites. Give your readers what they want and information they can use.

Post regular updates

If you don’t update your blog on a regular basis, your visitors will tire of seeing the same old thing and will eventually stop coming. Keep your content fresh and post at regular intervals and your visitors will return. If you decide to use a content writer, you can order several articles in advance so you don’t have to worry about running out, and then post them at the appropriate time.

The above tips will work together to bring you more hits to your blog and this means that your blog is becoming more popular and more people are visiting and coming back to read your updates. This is an important concept because loyal readers will soon become loyal customers and may even refer others to your site because they like it so much.

So if you have a blog or are thinking about setting up one, keep these tips in mind because they will help you to get more readers of your blog and increase your traffic and hopefully your sales too! Check out this top blog as an example.

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Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterz.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/08/26/democratic-convention-4/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/08/26/watch-my-jim-dean-interview/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/08/26/watch-my-jim-dean-interview/#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:54:31 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunications.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/watch-my-jim-dean-interview/

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Mobile post sent by BlackWomenInEurope using Utterz.  Replies. ]]> http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/08/22/test/feed/ 0 http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/08/22/top-seven-ways-writing-articles-can-explode-your-business/ http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/2008/08/22/top-seven-ways-writing-articles-can-explode-your-business/#comments Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:57:14 +0000 Adrianne http://agcommunications.wordpress.com/?p=283 In today’s highly competitive internet universe, the importance of attracting highly targeted traffic to your website cannot be overemphasized. Routing web traffic to your site can be your only means of survival, especially in the cutthroat world of ecommerce. Getting a high search engine ranking can be very difficult. Fortunately, there is plethora of website promotion strategies you can use to drive traffic to your website.

There is a wide variety of strategies you can adapt, from paid advertising to affiliate marketing. However, most of these techniques require payment. Nevertheless, there are ways to promote your website and increase your web traffic without spending anything. Writing articles is one of the best web site promotion strategies you can use, and they can be very effective. How, you may ask, can writing articles help improve your web traffic? Here are the top seven ways in which it can help explode your business.

1.Reach more people

When you write good articles, it would be a shame not to share them with other people. You can post your articles in your website or you can submit them to other sites such as e-zines and online publishers. By submitting your articles to these sites, you give exposure not only to your ideas but also to your website. Simply include a link back to your site or include your information in the resource box. With this, you get exposure and free advertising as well. Submit your articles to popular e-zines and take advantage of their popularity. Other sites who find your article relevant may also link back to you. Thus, you increase your link popularity, which is one of the most important strategies in the internet world. Remember that most people are looking for information online and by filling this need with your quality article; you may reap the benefit of more exposure and higher web traffic.

2.Free Advertising

Submitting your articles to other websites presents an opportunity to advertise your website without paying exorbitant fees. Although you should avoid marketing language in your articles and make it informative and useful to your readers, you can always include your site’s link in the resource box. In addition, by making your article relevant and helpful to your readers, you are making a good impression for your website, which could ultimately lead to a visit and hopefully a purchase. Good quality content in an article is far better and more effective than a few lines of ad space. You have a very special opportunity to presell your product or service to your prospective customer.

3.Gain High Search Engine Ranking

Create a new web page for your article in your website. Optimize your article to make it search-engine friendly. Use top-ranked keywords and Meta tags that can give your website a high search engine ranking. As soon as you upload your new webpage to your server, search engines will spider through it and you can gain an increase in search engine ranking. Remember that search engine optimized content is a very effective strategy to gain a high ranking in search results.

4.Increases Link Popularity

Instead of looking for other sites who would want to establish reciprocal links with your site, you can simply submit an article to other sites. Just do not forget to include a link to your site in your resource box. When these websites pick up and publishes your article, you automatically get a link partner. Try to get as many link partners as you can. Link popularity is one of the factors used by search engines in determining search engine rankings. Make your article especially useful and appealing, so that more websites will be encouraged to publish it.

5.Optimizes your site for improved search engine ranking

By making your site keyword rich, you can greatly improve the search engine ranking of your site. Remember that keyword density is one of the most important factors that search engines use when determining the search engine ranking of site. However, you should always provide relevant, useful and pertinent information. Avoid the temptation of overusing keywords just to gain a high ranking as this may turn off most web surfers. Relevance and quality is still the most important things to consider when writing articles and it will be doubly useful to your site if you make these articles search-engine optimized.

6.Establishes a Good Impression and Reputation

By writing excellent, original and relevant articles, you not only give your site exposure, you are also creating a good impression on your prospects. Encourage more people to visit your site and do business with you by establishing an impressive reputation through your articles. Be seen as an expert in the field and your will ultimately gain more customers eager to do business with you.

7.Enhances your credibility through references and testimonies

Certainly, your articles are going to receive feedbacks and testimonies when you publish them in e-zines and free article sites. Record these positive feedbacks and comments and use them as promotional material in your website or in any of your advertising efforts. Your credibility will be greatly enhanced by these feedbacks, as it will create a good impression on your prospects as well as your existing customers. In this highly competitive world, excellent credibility and trust may be the only things you need to attract new customers or make loyal patrons out of your existing customers. Original, relevant, useful and pertinent articles are important tools you should utilize to improve and explode your business

Getting people who matter to see one’s website is a difficult undertaking if he tries to consider the fact that there are rivals everywhere waiting to pin him down. The immensity of the internet as well as the affiliate marketing world has given birth to the fierce competition between affiliate marketers, each of whom has his own great product to offer. With all the websites piling on top of each other, how would one be able to stand out? The seven best ways to drive laser-targeted traffic to one’s own website would help those who are bent on sticking it out with this business wherever it is bound to take them.

The first step in driving traffic to one’s website is by relying on search engines and what they can do for the affiliate marketer concerned. Because they are popular for driving free targeted traffic, they should not be ignored by all means. Having top search engine rankings is vital in building popularity links, and the use of the right keywords is important in attaining this goal. Once a website is on top of the list, it is easily accessible to anyone who wants to see it for himself.

The second way in driving traffic to one’s website is by contacting other webmasters for a possible link exchange partnership. Locating websites that are related to one’s own website is the primary task. Once there, he should be able to establish communication by personalizing everything as much as possible. It is then possible to make reciprocal link exchanges between webmasters whichever way the affiliate marketer prefers.

The third way is through writing one’s own articles. This is an effective way in promoting a website, because good content that are appreciated by readers will lead them to visit the writer’s very own website out of sheer interest.

The fourth way is through joint venture marketing. This is one of the most effective ways of promoting a product or a service. Having a partner through ad swap or link exchange is beneficial to both parties as it allows them to reach a wide customer base in a short amount of time.

The fifth is through joining affiliate programs. Having affiliates to do the work means allowing them to bring tons of traffic to a website. Skyrocketing sales would be realized as a result, and both the affiliate and the website owner will benefit from the situation.

The sixth is by having a list of subscribers that one can refer to every so often, because they are those which would prove to be valuable assets for the marketer concerned. The use of autoresponders and personalized newsletters is one way of keeping track of them all, and holding on to them by letting them know about new products and services is an essential task that should be done by the affiliate marketer concerned.

The seventh is by knowing one’s market through and through. It is important for traffic to be targeted to those who might have a special interest in the theme or topic of one’s website. This way, a solid customer base is going to be created. Once a potential customer shows an interest in a particular website by paying it a visit, one must not waste time in trying to show him that his effort is worth it.

Traffic generating strategies are important in trying to make one’s affiliate marketing career inch forward. It is always advantageous to plan one’s moves in any business that he might undertake. This is particularly so in affiliate marketing. If one knows how to get people to see what he has to offer, then he is on the right track.

There are basically five things you can’t do without if you want to make it in the business of affiliate marketing. Below, you’ll find each quality you’ll need.

1. Desire to learn

The first quality you must possess is the desire to learn, coupled with the willingness to be trained. Treading through unfamiliar territory is tough indeed, especially if your lacking the right knowledge. This is a combination of the right frame of mind, coupled with a strong work ethic.

When starting out, you’ll need to be willing to keep your eyes and ears open, using the experience of others to learn more as you go.

2. Invest time and effort

The second quality you must have is the willingness to invest time and effort in helping your business grow, even if you don’t see immediate results. Even though weeks may pass without hearing good news, it’s very important for anyone who wants to get their foot in the business world.

3. Determination

The third quality you’ll need is determination. If you want to make it in the world of affiliate marketing, you must possess to push yourself forward. The ability to push yourself to greater heights will determine what type of future you have.

4. Discipline

The fourth quality is self discipline. If you teach yourself to work everyday with all of your heart and soul, you’ll be that much closer to reaching your goals and making your dreams come true.

5. Optimism

The last quality you must have is optimism. Bad attitudes should never discourage an affiliate marketer from pursuing their dreams in order to make life better for themselves or anyone around them.

The attitude you have towards the business should always be good, because you’ll have to realize that you’re the captain of your ship and your the one steering it towards destiny.

If you put the above tips to good use, you’ll succeed more than you ever thought possible in the world of affiliate marketing. You’ll need these qualities to succeed, as affiliate marketing can be a cutting edge career. With the above qualities, you’ll do just fine in the industry.

It is true enough that affiliate marketing is financially rewarding. People who have gone through everything to be able to succeed in this business are reaping the seeds that they untiringly sowed. Many of them enjoy the kind of existence that was not possible for them to have had under ordinary circumstances. Having gone through the A-Z of affiliate marketing, however, these people are the ones who know that while such business is lucrative, there is absolutely no easy money in it.

Ignorance of this fact is one of the main reasons why there are people who fail miserably in the internet business. There are those who believe in myths concerning the easy money involved in systems such as affiliate marketing. They do not know that there are those who have wasted time, effort and too many resources in trying to pursue the life of ease that they believe this business will give them. And so they go into affiliate marketing armed with nothing but myths and fantastical notions of wealth swimming in their consciousness, never realizing that they bound to make mistakes that would prove to be their downfall.

What may be the reason why in businesses such as affiliate marketing, many are called but few are chosen? Perhaps the answer lies on the fact that many affiliates make mistakes that result from their ignorance of facts concerning how the entire business runs. Affiliate marketing is not as simple as an affiliate promoting a merchant’s wares through his website and getting paid for it. It is also about knowing the market and the customers at hand.

Discovering what the most common mistakes affiliates make can perhaps dispel the gloom about myths surrounding affiliate marketing by correcting some wrong notions about it. It might also be able to make those concerned understand that like any other business, there are dos and donts involved in this one if they want to make each of their steps count. The first common mistake affiliates make is their lack of knowledge concerning principles involved in their business. This refers to the affiliate’s knowledge of search engines in particular.

Affiliate marketing involves advertising, and advertising through the internet could not have been better without the existence of search engines. What every affiliate has to do is to make these search engines his best friend through studying search engine optimization closely. This way, he is able to know what to do in connection with building a better website to ultimately use for his business.

The second is that affiliates make the mistake of stuffing their sites with banners that do not provide enough information about the product at hand. The best way to battle this mistake is to provide good content hand-in-hand with such banners. It is important for customers to know and understand the features of a product, and good content will be able to help them realize this goal.

The third is that there are affiliates who make the mistake of promoting only one product. Consequently, customers are not given enough options to choose from. There is also the risk of generating fewer sales as compared to having more options for customers ponder about. It is always better to give them a few better alternatives than to give them only one.

The fourth is that there are affiliates who make the mistake of promoting too many products. As a result, customers are confused and end up beyond making a choice. It is perhaps good to give them only the best choices. This is because it is ultimately up to them to judge which one is the best for them to patronize.

All in all, affiliates that are doomed to fail in this business are those who do not exert enough effort to understand everything involved in the industry that they are in. Knowing their path step by careful step will prove to be beneficial to them, as there is no other way to succeed than to go through any path slowly but surely.

There are tactics that have worked before with online marketing and is continuing to work in the online affiliate marketing world of today. With these top three marketing tips, you will be able to able to increase your sales and survive in the affiliate marketing online.

What are these three tactics?

1. Using unique web pages to promote each separate product you are marketing. Do not lump all of it together just to save some money on web hosting. It is best to have a site focusing on each and every product and nothing more.

Always include product reviews on the website so visitors will have an initial understanding on what the product can do to those who buys them. Also include testimonials from users who have already tried the product. Be sure that these customers are more than willing to allow you to use their names and photos on the site of the specific product you are marketing.

You can also write articles highlighting the uses of the product and include them on the website as an additional page. Make the pages attractive compelling and include calls to act on the information. Each headline should attract the readers to try and read more, even contact you. Highlight your special points. This will help your readers to learn what the page is about and will want to find out more.

2. Offer free reports to your readers. If possible position them at the very top side of your page so it they simply cannot be missed. Try to create autoresponder messages that will be mailed to those who input their personal information into your sign up box. According to research, a sale is closed usually on the seventh contact with a prospect.

Only two things can possibly happen with the web page alone: closed sale or the prospect leaving the page and never return again. By placing useful information into their inboxes at certain specified period, you will remind them of the product they thought they want later and will find out that the sale is closed. Be sure that the content is directed toward specific reasons to buy the product. Do not make it sound like a sales pitch.

Focus on important points like how your product can make life and things easier and more enjoyable. Include compelling subject lines in the email. As much as possible, avoid using the word “free” because there are still older spam filters that dumps those kind of contents into the junk before even anyone reading them first. Convince those who signed up for your free reports that they will be missing something big if they do not avail of your products and services.

3. Get the kind of traffic that is targeted to your product. Just think, if the person who visited your website has no interest whatsoever in what you are offering, they will be among those who move on and never come back. Write articles for publication in e-zines and e-reports. This way you can locate publications that is focusing on your target customers and what you have put up might just grab their interest.

Try to write a minimum of 2 articles per week, with at least 300-600 words in length. By continuously writing and maintaining these articles you can generate as many as 100 targeted readers to your site in a day.

Always remember that only 1 out of 100 people are likely to buy your product or get your services. If you can generate as much as 1,000 targeted hits for your website in a day, that means you can made 10 sales based on the average statistic.

The tactics given above does not really sound very difficult to do, if you think about it. It just requires a little time and an action plan on your part.

Try to use these tips for several affiliate marketing programs. You can end up maintaining a good source of income and doing well in this business. Not all marketers can do that.

Besides, think of the huge paychecks you will be receiving…

You might be thinking only businessmen can make much money out of the Internet, don’t you? Think again. You too can earn big bucks through the Internet even if you don’t have products to sell and high-profile and established company. How? That is through affiliate marketing. You might have come across these words over the net while surfing. Affiliate marketing is a revenue sharing between a merchant and an affiliate who gets paid for referring or promoting the merchants’ products and services. It is one of the burgeoning industries nowadays because it is proven to be cost-efficient and quantifiable means of attaining great profit both for the merchant and the affiliate and other players in the affiliate program, such as the affiliate network or affiliate solution provider.

Affiliate marketing works effectively for the merchant and the affiliate. To the first, he gains opportunities to advertise his products to a larger market, which increases his chances to earn. The more affiliate websites or hard-working affiliates he gets, the more sales he can expect. By getting affiliates to market his products and services, he is saving himself time, effort and money in looking for possible markets and customers. When a client clicks on the link in the affiliate website, purchases the product, recommends it to others who look for the same item or buys it again, the merchant multiplies his chances of earning. On the other hand, the affiliate marketer benefits from each customer who clicks on the link in his website and who actually purchases the product or avails of the service provided by the merchant. In most cases, the affiliate gets commision per sale, which can be fixed percentage or fixed amount.

If you want to be an affiliate marketer and make fortunes out of the Internet, you may follow the following three most basic and easiest ways to start an effective affiliate marketing program. First is to identify a particular thing you are interested in or passionate about so you won’t be bored and forced to develop your affiliate web site later on. Focusing on a specific area you know very well will help you bring out your best without much risks and effort. You can add a personal touch to your site and give your visitors who are possible buyers an impression that you are an expert in your field. In this way, you gain their trust and eventually encourage them to buy the products you endorse. Next is to look for good paying merchants and products or services related to your interest and create now a website. In choosing the products, you must also consider its conversion rate—the number of visitors-turned-buyers. There are various affiliate networks and affiliate solution providers that can give you info on the most profitable products and best paying merchants. The key here is, be wise enough to choose the right one.

Now that you have decided where to concentrate, have chosen the products to endorse and the merchant you are supporting and have created your own web site with top level domain name and reliable hosting, you are ready to promote. This is a crucial task, since it is through this that you would be able to increase traffic to the business website, sales and of course, profit. In affiliate marketing, it is possible to earn large sums of money in a short span of time especially when you’re endorsing high-priced items. Expensive products are hard to sell; however, with the right marketing strategies and sales techniques, you can draw visitors to the merchant’s site and make them buy the products. How to promote the products, though, would need a separate discussion. Continue to educate yourself by reading books or other articles online about the best advertising techniques.

Keep in mind, there is no facile and quick path towards success. Affiliate marketing may seem very tempting due to numerous encouraging testimonies of merchants and affiliate marketers alike who have benefited from it, but it entails great deal of hard work and persistence. Likewise, you need to be creative, flexible and willing to embrace new ideas to market your partners’ products until you find the perfect strategy that works for a specific market that you are targeting. Neither signing up for an affiliate program nor copying ads and leading others towards the merchants’ site doesn’t guarantee success yet. Many affiliate marketers fail to understand this, so when they don’t make sales, they quit, look for other programs and repeat the same mistake. In the end, they conclude that affiliate marketing is just one of those scams in the Internet. Even as you sleep, you can work your way to great financial success if you employ the right strategies in affiliate marketing. Be creative, be smart and surely, you’ll achieve your goals.

Use Business Cards

A great way to spread the word about your business is through business cards. The most obvious people that you will be giving your event planning business cards to are the clients you’ll be working with. On the other hand, there are many people who contact retail stores and other service businesses and ask them whether or not they can place their business cards on countertops or somewhere within their company’s building so that prospective clients and others will be able to pick one up when needed. Of course this often requires that you pay a fee in order to be able to do so, but using business cards in this way is a great idea to spread the word and make sure that your name is out there!

Use Professional Correspondence!

Aside from business cards for your event planning business, another great way to make sure that the public knows about your services is to use professional correspondence with everything that you send out. For example, do you have a professional letterhead that you use when billing customers? Using that professional letterhead with your company name, logo, and contact information is very important so that others will know how to contact you when you’re needed. Another method of professional correspondence for your event planning business is through email. Do you have a professional email address that you can be reached at? An example of a professional email address of your business may be something like, “name@businessname.com.” Of course, this will also require money or some sort of fee, but setting up an email alias for your business is very important!

There are many other things that one can do in order to build his or her event planning business services. Advertising in newspapers or placing information brochures on doorknobs throughout your neighborhood are two other excellent ways to advertise and grow your client base. All in all, all of these methods are sure-fire ways to spread the word about your services!

On the other hand if you cannot handle everything in your event planning business by yourself then one option you may want to try is to take on an assistant. Of course, you will more than likely have to teach the person everything that you know and have learned about event planning itself, but using an assistant throughout your job could easily take a big load off of your shoulders! Here are some important guidelines, though, if you absolutely have to teach event planning to your assistant or another person, though:

The Customer Gets What They Want

Even though most businesses use this slogan as their motto, event planning specialists really have to do what is necessary so that their clients and customers get what they want. After all, the customer is the one coming to them for help and chances are that they simply don’t know where to find the right tools that they need to plan an event. Additionally, restaurants are the most popular stores for saying that the customer is always right and should get what they want, but everyone knows that oftentimes this rarely happens! For this reason, though, event planners and their assistants must do everything possible to make the client comfortable and confident in their decision of choose them as an event planning specialist!

Organization Skills

Right below the issue of customer service are organizational skills. There is literally no event planning specialist without superb organizational skills and with all the dates, occasions, and events they have to plan organizational skills should be at the top of their list. Event planning assistants, though, too have a responsibility to organization. Whether it is simply showing up on time or making sure that all the event props are set into place at the appropriate time, organization is important for everyone who gets in the event planning business!

There are plenty of other skills, of course, that are important to an event planning specialist that must be passed off to their assistant! All event planners, however, usually have organizational and people skills, which are two crucial elements of the personality of an event planning professional so that they are able to succeed with all their clients!

The Franchise Partnership

As mentioned, owning a franchise takes a great deal of financial equity and responsibility. This is something that many people are ill-equipped to handle even though they may want to own the franchise all they want! On the other hand, a franchise partnership may be just the option that they are looking for. As in any partnership, a franchise partnership relies on both people being involved in the business. One party makes half of the financial commitment while the other party makes the other half. Of course there could be various other business agreements as well, such as one party may make the sole financial commitment to purchasing the franchise in exchange for the majority of the profits for a time.

Franchise partnerships can be a great way to getting around owning a whole franchise by yourself and it definitely allows one to have greater freedom and relaxation in the things that are done. For example, instead of having to hire everyone by yourself in order to run the franchise then your partner will be equally as responsible for helping to hire managers, assistant managers, and other employees.

On the flip side, though, as quickly as a franchise partnership is made it can also be destroyed. If you have ever heard the saying that it only takes “one bad apple to spoil the batch” then this is definitely true here. Even though one person of the franchise partnership may be in the business for real and conduct him or her self in an honest way, there are plenty of other individuals who may just be interested in making a quick buck and then pulling out! This can be especially disconcerting if the person who ends up negating the contract was the one to have the least amount of financial obligations toward the franchise business.

All things considered, though, franchise businesses are a perfect opportunity for anyone who doesn’t want to own a whole business by himself. These opportunities provide an excellent way for two or more people to be involved so that the responsibilities and obligations, financial or otherwise, don’t all rest on one pair of shoulders or in one single back account!

On the other hand, though, there can be some downsides to owning a franchise. The first downside to owning your own franchise is that you won’t actually own your own company even though you’ll own your own store or other company location! Many people have the desire to actually open up their own store and create a company all by themselves, but owning a franchise is not what that’s all about.

In fact, you are essentially paying for a copyright allowance to be able to use the reputation of the company that you’re working for! Indeed, by owning a franchise you are essentially working for that company. Why else does McDonald’s or Burger King require part of the profits from your franchise? A franchisee owner is essentially working their franchise location in order to send more profits back to the company headquarters, even though that’s not the way that many would like to think about it.

Another downside to owning a franchise, though, could possibly be the contract that you’ve locked yourself into. Considering the fact that the average contract length for a franchise store owner is usually 15 to 20 years at the onset it would truly make it difficult to get out of if a franchise owner was having trouble getting the popularity of the franchise store off of the ground in the first place. Furthermore, there may actually be hefty breach of contract fees as well if, in fact, your franchise doesn’t do as well as projected and fails within the first few years!

The help and resources that a franchise owner might receive from the company may not be worth everything that is paid to the company headquarters as well! Many company headquarters actually have giant startup fees, annual fees, and royalties that must be shared with them, but if the franchise store owner is not able to get adequate help or training then the whole opportunity may be lost in the first place.

Considering all of these things before going down the road of opening up your own franchise is very important. Not only is it important to make sure you understand all the implications of owning a franchise, but making sure one understands the total commitment is also important!

Use of the Company’s Whole Reputation

One great thing about starting out with a franchise is that you are able to use the company’s whole reputation in order to advertise services, give out coupons, and treat the customer’s right. In some cases a franchise may actually be better for the company itself if the company has previously had a bad reputation in certain aspects of treating their customers. But the use of the company’s whole reputation means that their is less work involved for the franchise owner.

The Ability to Change

Most companies that allow their stores to be franchised usually have stipulations that go along with owning a franchise of their store. However, one of the abilities that a franchise owner has that others do not is they are able to change things as much as possible. Of course, a pizza company’s franchise can’t change the whole structure of the business and can’t go from selling pizza to office supplies, but other things about that pizza franchise could change. For starters, perhaps the company uses a specific sauce that the franchise doesn’t want to use. Of course, all of this and many of the changes have to be cleared with the officials at the company before it’s done, but franchise owners do have the ability to change things within their actual store.

One other element of change that franchise owners are usually allowed to do is to change the outside or “look” of the building that they’re in. Many people realize that usually all stores, restaurants, and other businesses usually all have the same outside look and feel of the store. However, franchise owners are sometimes not bound to that same outer look of the building!

Simply put, franchise owners really do have the upper hand when forming a branch of a company in their own town or city that they want to start it from. Even though the franchise owners themselves won’t gain any of the recognition for starting a company from scratch, he or she will still be able to enjoy everything else that goes along with forming a company and turning profits!

But there is a lot of money to be made attacking computers just like yours and stealing all of your financial and personal information and it is happening to people like you and I every single day.

Have you thought about computer security at all? Most likely not. Many unsuspecting individuals believe that computer hackers only hack into corporations and rich people. This is far from the truth.

Spyware roots around your hard drive and absorbs any personal information. Spyware tends to bog down your system and put your personal information up for anyone to take advantage of. You can purchase anti-spyware of download it for free from browers and software providers. It is great idea to add anti-spyware software to your computer security plan. Anti virus programs are available in many different types and prices as well, so make sure that you first do your homework to determine which type would be best for you.

So beware. Computer security does not involve just warding off bad hackers. Every day your computer is susceptible to threats regarding your computer system and the information you store on your computer. Don’t care about identity theft? Why not? What about the amount of time and money you have put into your computer? If your computer has a virus it can destroy your memory and hard drive causing you to lose all your information.

Your computer will be an simple target if you dont’ have a security system. Your unprotected computer will eventually fall prey to a computer virus. A computer virus can be catastrophic. To avoid the hassels and crippling effects of a computer virus, you need to set up a security system on your computer. Make sure that you have a firewall installed.

A firewall can screen information from the Internet and check to make sure it is not harmful to your computer. If the firewall determines that the information is harmful then it will block it. A firewall should be the first component of your computer security plan. The next thing to do is to set up anti-virus software on your computer system. The Internet is home to dishonest people that will rob you of your information and use it for their own gain. Protect yourself against these hackers and conartists by having an effective, robust computer security system. Do it now.

Anti-virus software provides tools that will thwart anything that accidently passed your firewall. Hackers have been known to break into the computers and use them as a clone computer. Don’t let this happen to you or your friends.

It is imperative that you have a secure computer, especially in this highly technical computer age.

If you are connected to the internet, you need to make sure you get your computer set up properly if you want to avoid problems down the road.

With all the viruses, spyware and other threats on the internet today, no computer should be set up without the proper protection.

And that protection needs to be in place as soon after you hook up your new machine as possible.

The following five steps will make your computer a much harder target for threats. You still won’t be completely immune to problems, but 99% of the time the threat will pass you by, looking for the easy mark.

1. Running a Personal Firewall

A personal firewall is software that basically makes your computer invisible to hackers, worms and other threats that can infect your computer over the internet.

Setting up a firewall is the absolute first thing you should do if you’re going to connect to the internet. Without a firewall, your computer could get infected in as little as one minute after connecting.

If you have a brand new computer running Windows XP Service Pack 2, there is a firewall built into Windows. It will already have been turned on when you first set up your computer.

If you’re running an older version of Windows, even an earlier version of Windows XP, there is no firewall automatically set up for you. In this case there are two possibilities:

- Your computer came pre-loaded with a firewall such as Norton Internet Security or McAfee Internet Security

- You have no firewall installed and should download one ASAP.

If you don’t have any personal firewall software installed, you should do so right away. Zone Alarm is a very good firewall program that has a version that you can download and install for free.

You can download the free version of Zone Alarm from http://www.computer-help-squad.com/zonealarm

2. Turn on Windows Updates

Again, if you’re running Windows XP Service Pack 2 this is already set up, but otherwise you should turn on Windows Updates. Microsoft releases updates for security problems and other bugs in Windows on a regular basis.

These updates will keep your computer running better, and they often fix security issues that could compromise your information or privacy.

If you are running Windows XP Service Pack 2, you can double-check that automatic updates are turned on by clicking Start, then click Control Panel, then double-click Security Center. The window that opens will tell you if automatic updates are turned on, and lets you turn them on if they’re not.

To turn on automatic updates in earlier versions of Windows XP, click on the Start menu, click Control Panel and then double-click on System. On the “Automatic Updates” tab, click the option to “Automatically download the updates and install them on the schedule I specify.”

To turn them on in Windows 2000, click on Start, click Control Panel and then double-click on Automatic Updates. Again, click the option to “automatically download the updates and install them on the schedule I specify.”

Now when Microsoft releases updates, they will be downloaded for you automatically and Windows will tell you when they are ready to be installed.

3. Install & Update Antivirus Software

Most new computers come with antivirus software these days. You might have Norton, McAfee, PC-Cillin or another brand. No matter what program you have, you will need to update it when you get connected to the internet.

It doesn’t matter how new your computer is – there will be new viruses, and new updates for the antivirus software, since it was loaded.

The exact process is different for each brand of antivirus program, but most of them will have an icon in the bottom right corner of your desktop, beside the time. The icon might be a picture of a shield (McAfee), a stethoscope (Norton) or something else.

In most cases, if you point to the icon for your antivirus and click the right mouse button, a menu will pop up with an update option. It could be simply called update or could be something like Live Update or Download Latest Updates. If you click on the update option (with the left button this time) it will install the newest updates for you.

If you’re not sure which icon is for your antivirus software, just point to each one for a few seconds and a little title should pop up telling you what it is.

4. Install Anti-Spyware Software

Spyware – and other things known as adware and malware – is becoming as big a problem as viruses. Spyware programs can cause a lot of problems with your computer, not to mention they can track your personal information and you never know where it’s being sent.

Some new computers might includes antispyware software, but most of them don’t yet. There are quite a few anti-spyware programs available, some free and some not. The one I recommend is from Microsoft and is one of the free ones.

One of the reasons I like it is because it always runs in the background and will automatically catch a lot of spyware before it gets on your computer.

Many of the other programs don’t catch it until you run a scan. Not only does this allow things to get on your computer, it also means you have to actually remember to run a scan.

You can download the free Microsoft Antispyware from http://www.computer-help-squad.com/antispyware

5. Set up a Free Email Account

This last item is not as critical as the first four, but I would highly recommend you set up an email account with one of the free services like Hotmail or Gmail.

Once you’re on the internet, you’ll find a lot of useful information that you want that requires you to provide an email address. In some cases, these people will end up sending you a bunch of spam.

If you use a free email account to sign up for anything that you don’t know for sure you can trust, it’s not going to fill your main email with a bunch of junk.

This goes for anything really, not just online information. If you’re entering a contest or signing up for anything offline and you don’t know where your information could end up being used, I would suggest using your free email address.

If worse comes to worse, and your free email address gets inundated with spam, you can always just set up a new one and let the old one expire.

Some of the better free email services are www.hotmail.com, www.gmail.com and mail.yahoo.com.

If you’ve had your computerfor a while and never done any of these things, you should still take these steps to get it set up properly. It will definitely save you a lot of time – and possibly money – as you use your system.

For example, a portfolio website would want to be visited and it’s content viewed. For companies and internet businesses, your website certainly aims to provide product information, to make sales, or somewhat similar.

However, most individuals undoubtly prefer visually captivating designs, so on and so forth. It is undeniable that this causes no harm, but one must put himself(herself) in other people’s shoes,so as to understand how a visitor to the website might think, do and react.

Let us think for a moment about ‘Navigation’ – or in other words consider the implications of how easy or otherwise it is for your visitors to find his or her way around your website.

As I said, a web designer has to learn how to think the way your visitors think.

Consider the the following two examples:

Situation A : Website with good navigation (2-3 hyperlinks to target page), well planned in terms of placement, and design.

Situation B : Website with poor navigation (takes forever for the visitor to reach his or her target page),hard-to-read navigation fonts and poor placement of the navigation button bar.

In Situation A, a visitor will always want to be able to access his(her) target page. For example, the individual comes across your website, and is interested in the product sold, but wants to find more information. He(she) finds the navigation with no trouble,