The Way to Success Timesharing

My comments are made on the basis that one is buying a timeshare for mainly trading purposes. All of the statements I will make are actual experiences not something someone said, or I heard somewhere. My family has been involved in timesharing since 1980. First my parents then my sisters and myself, now many of my extended family members own timeshare weeks. I am average income (work everyday), average intelligence. So since I did it anyone with patience, a minimum amount of time, and dedication can achieve the same results.

Before even considering purchasing a timeshare, please talk to people who have had bad experiences first. This way you will be leery of everything going on. Better yet just follow my advice and have no problems at all.

After deciding to purchase, remember no matter what resale is better. My reasoning for this is, there are a lot of dissatisfied owners out there willing to take a loss just to get out. So make their mistake your marvel. I have been and continue to take tours while on vacation just to stay intuned with the pricing of weeks. I have yet to find a resort that comes close to fitting into my price range of $2500.00 - $4000.00. If you are frugal then you will feel that $8000.00- $2000.00 is way too much to pay. However if a buyer goes resale through broker or individual very low prices can be attained. I purchased my two bedroom, red week/40 at SouthShore Lake Resort, rated Gold Crown in the RCI exchange system, in HotSprings Arkansas for $2800.00 in 1990. With this week my wife and I have exchanged within the RCI exchange system without many problems. Always getting a nice Resort at the desired time. Put a little time in shopping for a honest broker.

Next be sure to buy at a nice resort. This is simple to do just give RCI a call and ask about the demand for the resort and week you're interested in purchasing. When I've done this for family members the counselors have always been happy to give the information I requested. You probably already know why, but just in case, better resorts and weeks give you better trading power.

Also get a least a 2brm unit, since only a handful of resorts offer more than two bedroom anything more is a waste of money. Getting anything less limits one trading power depending on the resort, so two bedrooms are safe.

Two more reasons many timeshare owners get disgusted with their week is banking and searching. First banking, with RCI which is the only exchange system I'm familiar with one must bank at least one year in advance to maximize his trading power. A simple matter, just pay your maintenance fees and call RCI to space bank your week. Simple, yes but a great deal of owners wait too late and that creates disappointment. Next is searching, this can and has been a small problem sometimes for working people trying to schedule a vacation. Again within the RCI system the earlier one starts a search the better the chance of getting the resort you want. Usually I can schedule my New Years vacation one year in advance and get a match, other vacations I'm persistent with RCI on giving me the Resort I want. RCI says that it dosen't do any good to call back after a search has been put in however, I've found this to be untrue on many occasions. There are many counselors answering the phone at RCI and some will work harder to get you what and when you want better than others so I call quite often when I know I have a difficult search in.<

A couple of examples are News Years week 1995 I called until I got the best Resort in Palm Springs, Ca. The Desert Springs Villas 2/brm. Then New Years 1996 we went to Hilton Grande Vacation Villas in Las Vegas, Nv another tough one to match but persistence paid off. Some people may say this is too much trouble but free phone calls and a bit of time beats paying hundreds of dollars per for these accomidations.

Just a couple of other things I would like to cover. Owning in one place and living in another, dosen't matter. That's how I got my two bedroom week.. The people I purchased it from moved to Florida and didn't feel comfortable being away from their home resort, their loss my gain. Just make sure you get a desirable Resort, remember a call to RCI will take care of that.

Next I am living proof that you don't have to own in Las Vegas, Hawaii, or Orlando to get outstanding trades. I've heard for many many years that "you won't always be able to get trades like that". This may well come to truth some day but as for now it hasen't. We just recently got confirmed into the Quarter House in New Orleans for New Years 1997 week on that cheap ole Arkansas week.

Remember to consider these items when deciding to purchase maintenance fees, deeded property, and fixed or floating time. So ends my sermon on "KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL TIMESHARING". Once again all my suggestions are based on the premise that one is buying mainly for trading purposes however, they are basic and should work in most situations.

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10 Tips for a Successful Entrepreneurial Pitch

One of the hardest presentations to make is the entrepreneurial pitch. You have a great idea for a business and you want someone to give you money to make it happen. The problem is that venture capitalists, angel investors, and even rich uncles are heavily predisposed against you. Why? Because 99% of the pitches they hear sound like sure-fire prescriptions to lose money!

If you are pitching investors to give you money for a new venture, you should subscribe to the following rules:

1. Explain exactly what your business is within the first thirty seconds. Many entrepreneurs waste valuable time giving loads of data, background and other info-all the while investors are left scratching their heads thinking "What does this business actually DO?"

2. Tell your audience who your customers will be. Paint a vivid, specific picture of these people.

3. Explain why your customers going to give you there hard-earned money.

4. Explain who your competitors are. (And if you say you have no competitors, that is a certain sign you are unsophisticated and deserve no investment money!)

5. Explain why you are the ONE to make this happen.

6. Give your presentation with confidence and enthusiasm. Investors want a founder/CEO to be a chief salesperson; they want to see that you can convince the world of your dream-not just them.

7. Explain what star you can hitch a ride to. Has Best Buy or Radio Shack agreed to distribute your new product? Investors feel much more comfortable knowing you have an established player willing to distribute your wares.

8. Ask for a specific amount of money. If all you do is ask for money, then you can't complain if an investor gives you $3.25 for a cup of Starbucks coffee.

9. Tell prospects exactly what you are going to spend the money on (hint:a trip to Maui for you and your friends will not impress)

10. Dress well, act confident, and put on the air that you don't really need their money, but would be willing to accept it if they bring enough to the table to be a strategic partner for you. Sad but true regarding human nature, but people are much more likely to give you money if they feel you don't really need it.

Finally, make each pitch presentation serve as a focus group for your next presentation. When one group of investors asks you a series of questions after you pitch, write down all of those questions and make sure most of them are answered in your next pitch so that the next group doesn't have to ask them. Keep pitching and keep improving your pitch and eventually you may get funded.

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Impact of Corruption

Corruption is both a major cause and a result of poverty around the world. It occurs at all levels of society, from local and national governments, civil society, judiciary functions, large and small businesses, military and other services and so on. Corruption affects the poorest the most, whether in rich or poor nations.

The issue of corruption is very much inter-related with other issues. At a global level, the “international” (Washington Consensus-influenced) economic system that has shaped the current form of globalization in the past decades requires further scrutiny for it has also created conditions whereby corruption can flourish and exacerbate the conditions of people around the world who already have little say about their own destiny.

A difficult thing to measure or compare, however, is the impact of corruption on poverty versus the effects of inequalities that are structured into law, such as unequal trade agreements, structural adjustment policies, so-called “free” trade agreements and so on. It is easier to see corruption. It is harder to see these other more formal, even legal forms of “corruption.” It is easy to assume that these are not even issues because they are part of the laws and institutions that govern national and international communities and many of us will be accustomed to it—it is how it works, so to speak. Those deeper aspects are discussed in other parts of this web site’s section on trade, economy, & related issues.

That is not to belittle the issue of corruption, however, for its impacts are enormous too.

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Guide To Successful Affiliate Marketing

While studying the achievements of super affiliates that earn handsome money every month, we find that their attitude is fine tuned to get optimum results from their attempts. Apart from the attitude everything is the same. They sell the same products that everyone else sells, they sign up for the same advertising program and employ the same SEO tactics. What makes them different is their willingness to experiment more, think creatively and showing of better understanding of human nature.

1. Dare to Lead

Don't just be a follower; you can set new standards in affiliate marketing. This statement does not mean you should learn the nice good qualities of successful Internet affiliate marketers. You can take new ideas from the success of successful Internet marketers. But you can think differently and creatively. Creativity is the first thing every successful affiliate marketer possesses. You can creatively design your website, plan a promotional campaign and generally play your cards correct. Set standards and be a leader, let others follow.

2. Learn the Basics

Learn the basics of closing a sale. Learn from the innumerable websites in the Internet that sell products and services. Be a constant learner of marketing. This way you will know what sells and what does not. Goal setting, planning and implementing of the plans correctly make you a successful Internet marketer. Set daily, weekly and monthly targets, then lay down the plan and follow up with the implementation of the plans.

3. Set Priorities

Everything you plan to do to promote your new affiliate product may or may not be necessary or fruitful. Separate the tasks as immediately essential, moderately lesser and unessential. Cutting down on unessential tasks saves your efforts and gives you more energy to concentrate on highly essential tasks.<

4. Learn the art of Giving Before Receiving

You can't bind horse before the cart. To receive something you need to give something. Here what you give before you take is information, tips and strategies to maximize the use of products you sell. For example if you sell photography items, provide in your website useful information about the care of different photographic products and continuously update the information with whatever you learn. Thus you learn to give before you receive.

5. Network

Network with fellow affiliate marketers. Help someone if needed. Don't shy away asking help if needed. Affiliate marketing is not a 'I Win, You Lose game'. Everyone can benefit from combined strengths.

6. Widen your Horizon

Don't put all your eggs in the same basket. Diversify your efforts. This advice is not a license to dilute your focus. If you are the affiliate of a company that sells digital camera, you will have a good idea about digital cameras, its components etc. Instead of setting your focus solely on digital camera for a specific company, become an affiliate of different companies that sell digital cameras. Also sell digital camera components like memory sticks, batteries, flash units … You simply give yourself more exposure to a variety of opportunities.

7. Never Quit

Last but not least. This one tip you need to bind to your heart. Early setbacks and losses are only natural. In such occasions, heartlessly dump the products or services that bring you low or no returns. Cut down costs. But never ever give up your career. You can find profitable products to sell that will give you profits. If you really want to become a successful affiliate marketer, you must see such setbacks as essential natural learning points.

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Overcoming Barriers To Home Business Success

When we decide to start a home business, most of us are eager to get moving and achieve the success we know we're capable of. Some of us go full steam ahead and immediately start seeing results, while others seem to keep running into snags and obstacles no matter how hard we try to get ahead. It's important to consider that we may have subconscious issues that are preventing us from moving forward and achieving the success we desire.

If you've been struggling to make a success of your home business and feel like you've got invisible walls holding you back, ask yourself these five questions:

1. Are you afraid of success? Most of us THINK we want to be successful, but deep down inside we fear it. Why would anyone fear success? Because being "successful" often comes with a lot of baggage. We aren't necessarily afraid of the success itself, but what comes along with it. We might find ourselves in the spotlight and have more attention and admiration thrown our way. That sounds like a good thing, but it can be unnerving if we're not prepared to deal with it. We might also find ourselves with increased responsibility. Can we handle the pressure and do what is required of us? Can we properly support a large team and customer base? What if we don't have what it takes? As these thoughts keep floating through our mind, self-doubt creeps in, and we find ourselves shying away from the activities that could bring the success we desire. The best remedy for these fearful thoughts is to keep affirming your own ability to handle whatever comes your way. Take some time to study the aspects of business you fear, such as building long-term customer relationships and leadership techniques. Knowledge is power, and as you learn and grow, your confidence will also.

2. Are you afraid of rejection or ridicule? This is a big issue for some of us. If we have a big enough fear of rejection, we will avoid seeking new customers, clients and recruits. A wonderful technique to overcome this fear is to practice releasing your expectation of the outcome. When you approach a potential customer or recruit, make it your mission to put the information in front of them, and not get hung up on whether they will buy or sign on. It can be helpful to set "action goals" versus "results goals" also. For example, instead of making it your goal to gain five new customers each week, make it your goal to APPROACH twenty potential customers each week. Don't worry about how many will join you, just focus on perfecting your presentation and being helpful, professional and available. If you have a good product and a positive attitude, people will be attracted to you and want what you have to offer. Your job is simply to make it available.

3. Do you have negative emotions about money? While we dream of having a large, successful business that pays well, many of us also have negative thoughts about people who have a lot of money. We fear becoming one of "them" -- snobby, rude rich people. We might also feel guilty about having a lot of money when so many people in the world have nothing. If you have negative issues attached to money, you will resist the manifestation of it in your life. Your mind and heart will be at war and not allow you to create the wealth you truly want and deserve. The thing to understand about money is that it's simply the physical representation of abundance in your life. Money itself is not good or bad. It's what you do with the money that gives it positive or negative connotations. Just because you begin earning a lot of money doesn't mean you will turn into a snob. You can choose your attitude and remain just as kind and compassionate as you are today. And by having plenty of financial resources at your disposal, think of all the people you could help. Rather than feeling guilty about having a comfortable life, you can reach out and share your wealth with others

4. Do you lack confidence? Lack of confidence in yourself, the company you represent, or the products you are selling can hold you back also. Confidence, like anything else, is a learned skill that grows stronger with practice. If you are new to your home business, you might shy away from approaching potential customers and recruits because you aren't comfortable with the procedures yet, or feel you don't know enough. You might be afraid that people will ask a question you can't answer. Remember the first few times you drove a car? You were nervous and cautious, weren't you? Are you more confident driving now? I bet you are, because you've done it thousands of times. You can also become comfortable with the aspects of your home business that frighten you, by simply practicing until you feel more comfortable with them. Devote some time to memorizing your prospecting script, the benefits of your products, and your approach. Write it all down and read it aloud over and over again until you've memorized it and feel more comfortable with it. Your confidence and enthusiasm will then shine through and attract success.

5. Are you afraid of failure? Some of us never even get started because we're so afraid we might fail. We're afraid to even try to make our dreams a reality. It seems safer to stay in our unhappy circumstances, because even though we aren't satisfied, at least they are familiar and comfortable. The unknown is scary. But if we don't try, we'll miss out on the chance to make our lives better. Progress and advancement in life is not gained by sitting meekly on the sidelines; we need to actually get in the game and start playing! The only true failures in life occur when we give up or don't try at all.

No matter what fears hold you back, know that you have the power to overcome them and achieve every success you desire. Simply begin changing your negative thoughts to positive ones, and take steps to make your dream a reality. When you come up against something that frightens you or makes you uncomfortable, know that you've just encountered an invisible barrier to your success. You can choose to let it defeat you, or you can smash it to bits by pushing right through it.

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Buying A Franchise

Buying a franchise can be a life changing experience. There are many good reasons to pursue your dream of owning a successful franchise. For starters when you buy a franchise you are buying a proven system. Buying a franchise comes with the advantage of knowing that the business has been successful in other locations. The idea and process of running this business has already been proven. Therefore the learning curve in operating the business can be virtually eliminated.

When you are buying a franchise your are also buying an established customer base or brand name. Most franchises are already recognizable to consumers. The brand awareness provides security and trust to the customer who expects uniform quality to be provided. Therefore a customer base is already established.

You can also benefit from any advertising or promotion that the franchiser (owner of the franchise) does at the national or local level, without absorbing the cost. The franchiser can also provide input to the franchisee on a local marketing plan.

If you buy a franchise you also receive ongoing support. Training and support is usually always part of the deal. Since the franchise company has a vested interest in how well you do, ongoing training, system upgrades, product enhancements, and question and answer resources are provided. The franchiser offers experience to franchisee in such areas as accounting procedures, personnel and facility management, and business planning.

Also, many times obtaining financing for buying a franchise is easier since the franchise name and reputation are usually recognized by the lenders. Therefore, banks are more likely to fund the franchisee. In addition, relationships with suppliers are already established; affording the opportunity to buy in bulk, enabling a great deal of savings for the business.

The first step when buying a franchise is choosing an industry you are interested in or have prior experience in. There are many great franchises out there to choose from. Auto franchises and coffee franchises are very popular franchises but it is important to research the each opportunity before investing. It is recommended you sit down with a Franchise Consultant and decide if buying a franchise is right for you.

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10 ways to advertise online (and where to get started)

Most business owners fully understand that not advertising is the surest way to kill your business.

However they are also bombarded by so much information and so many choices they quickly lose track of what options are available to them.

There are a number of cheap and easy online advertising options available to you.

1. Ezine Advertising

Ezine advertising is one of the best ways to reach your future customers because it is often inexpensive and flexible as well as offering you the option to match the ezine audience with your product and ad. It also often offers a double benefit--your initial ad plus longevity in the ezine archives.

2. Text Links

This simple tool is often overlooked by many. It is simply one of the least expensive and yet most powerful advertising option available. You can often buy text links for under $10 and the link will not only promote the specific site or page you choose but also connect it with the specific key words that will benefit you the most.

Text links also provide a double bonus. You can attract immediate traffic from the host site as well as achieve better search engine ranking which will further increase traffic.

3. Pay per click advertising

Just like it sounds pay per click advertising is simply paying for specifically targeted traffic. You can monitor and control these advertising programs very closely and tweak your ad copy and the key words that you are sponsoring. This can be a very expensive option but doesn't have to be if you plan carefully and watch closely.

4. Email marketing

Despite ever-increasing vigilant attempts to stop spam, we all know that email marketing is still alive and well. While it is foolish in the extreme to risk your business, web host, or internet connection, by sending out spam you can still use email marketing as a way to reach out and touch your customers and your future customers.

You just need to make sure that no one receives mail except the people who ask for it. People are still willing to sign up for mailing lists--especially if you have something to offer them in return for sharing their email address. Sponsor a contest; give away an article, ebook, or tutorial; or offer a discount and you will have people sign up willingly.

Then if you don't abuse the mailing list you will have the opportunity to reach them again and again!

5. Banner Ads

Banner ads have a bad reputation. In part because of the proliferation of banner farms that killed all the banner swap programs (or at least made them completely ineffectual). Also we all have memories of those hideous banners flashing across the top of so many web sites.

Banners have come along way since then and a cleverly designed banner can be a real asset to any advertising campaign. Also don't forget that you don't have to use one of those big giant banners that span the width of the screen. You can use smaller simple ads that can fit easily into the sidebar or special box on a web site so they can suit the design and work more effectively.

It is also important that you pay close attention to what sites you will choose for displaying your banner. IE. A site about web development for your web hosting service ad or a site about parenting for your ad promoting your potty training book.

Many text link and pay per click advertising vendors also offer the option of banner ads. Similarly many ezine and newsletter publishers sell space on their sites.

~~ Sell Your Knowledge ~~

These next five advertising methods are all free or relatively inexpensive because you are trading something of value -- your knowledge and expertise -- in return for advertising.

6. Publish a Newsletter

Creating your own regular newsletter or ezine offers you all the advantages of ezine advertising and email marketing offered above.

7. Publish a Blog and RSS Feed

While publishing a newsletter or ezine isn't that difficult it is much easier to create a blog and make its content available via RSS feed. This can offer you the benefits of regularly updated material for your web site which will be attractive to visitors and search engines alike. It will also help establish you as an expert in your field.

I personally like using WordPress on your own site but many web hosts now offer blogging services and there are many free blogging sites around where you can create a blog on their site.

8. Write Articles

Take some of the material you have generated for your newsletter and/or blog and share it with others. Make it available in one of the many free content directories available on the web. This not only helps to establish your credibility but the contact info you provide in your resource box (which will run every time someone else publishes your material) will bring in both direct traffic as well as search engine attention.

9. Create an Ebook

Once you have enough material generated from your newsletter and blog then you can package it into a convenient Ebook and give it away. Make sure to collect names and email addresses and offer a coupon or discount to bring people back to your site!

10. Post in Forums

If you have the time you should start your own forum but even if you only have a few minutes a week to spare for this effort then it can be well worth the effort. Don't offer blatant spam posts but find a forum where you have something to offer. Make sure that you include an appropriate url and description for your forum signature and you will attract the double benefit of traffic and search engine attention!

No successful advertising campaign embraces one single method of advertising and no single method of advertising works for everyone. Advertising cannot be treated as a one-size-fits all proposition. However you know what your business needs and can offer--mix and match methods and make sure to track your results--to optimize your choices.

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Investment Scandals & Scams: What's Next!

We humans are as creative on the "Dark Side" of commercial activity as we are in developing beneficial new products and services. In the face of huge financial benefits, however, some corporate executives can't resist taking an extra dessert even before their shareholders have finished dinner. Some scandals have more of an impact on investors than others, and most produce unwarranted layers of government regulation and control that stifle honest creativity.

Plain vanilla fraud and theft are less worrisome to me than situations where the general acceptance of misinformation or "business as usual" practices allows inherently bad product ideas and blatant mismanagement to become accepted by regulatory authorities, financial professionals, and myopically gullible consumers. Here are some candidates for future "Blockbuster Scandal Awards" (B S Awards, if you will): Variable Life Insurance & Annuities, Wrap Fee Managed Investment Accounts, Portfolio Window Dressing, Asset Allocation Mutual Funds, and Obscene Executive Compensation.

1. Variable Insurance and Annuities: Variable products are a relatively new thing in the insurance industry, circa 1980 or so. Before that, the conventional wisdom labeled the Shock Market much too risky for Life Insurance Policy and Annuity Contract guaranteed benefits. In fact, these benefits had been "guaranteed" for so long that it became a generic expectation of anyone in the market for either. So why did the State Insurance departments cave in to the Variable Product lobby? And what is not emphasized as these products are marketed to potential insureds and annuitants?
As if the 8% sales commission on Straight Life Annuities wasn't enough, the addition of Mutual Fund bonuses made the Variable Annuity irresistible... to financial professionals. Similarly, this product is so lucrative for the companies that they manipulate their rates to become more competitive. Since the introduction of variable benefits, there have been more insurance company failures and scandals, and not just a few disappointed recipients of reduced annuity payments. What's in your retirement plan?

2. Wrap Fee Investment Accounts: From the very beginnings of wealth, the very wealthy employed Investment Managers to protect and to grow their portfolios. Most Investment Managers had just a few huge clients that they tended to while the rest of the fledging financial industry focused on property protection and estate creation through life insurance. Most of today's (salaried) Investment Managers are employed by Financial Institutions to supervise thousands of Mutual Funds for millions of investors of all financial shapes and sizes. There are more Equity Mutual Funds than there are individual Equities on the New York Stock Exchange. Most investors today will employ many Investment Managers and never actually speak to any of them.

Enter the personally managed investment portfolio product offered by most major Financial Institutions. For a single fee, you receive the personal services of a professional Investment Manager, and a portfolio specifically designed for you. Except, of course, that you get neither. You get precisely the same portfolio as everybody else, and all at once regardless of price... a Mutual Fund with individual statements. But of course, you can speak to the manager any time you like, change your asset allocation, set aside a reserve for an upcoming expenditure, etc. Yeah, sure you can!

Note that "Flat Fee" managed accounts are quite different and may actually be separately and personally managed.

3. Portfolio Window Dressing: Every quarter, every year, we hear about the adjustments that portfolio managers are making as they attempt to look smart to their largest clients. Now in a discipline (Investing) that they all officially recognize as a long-term commitment to some specific strategy or plan, why do the Masters of the Universe spend so much time manipulating their short-term performance numbers? And why is this considered business as usual instead of common fraud?

4. Asset Allocation Mutual Funds: I look at Asset Allocation a bit differently than most professionals seem to and I regulate and monitor a portfolio's structure using the cost basis of securities rather than their Market Value. But how, logically, can a one-size-fits-all Mutual Fund be the right mix for all investors? Here's a definition found on the Internet: "A mutual fund that rotates among stocks, bonds, and money market securities to maximize return on investment and minimize risk". And a definition of Asset Allocation from a similar source: "The practice of distributing a certain percentage of a portfolio between different types of investment assets, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, cash, real estate, options, etc. By diversifying an individual's asset base, one hopes to create a favorable risk/reward ratio for a portfolio".

In reality, Asset Allocation is a structure-planning tool that determines what percentage of an Investment Portfolio is to be invested for Growth in Equity securities and what percentage is to be invested for income production. The proper allocation is a function of the investor's age, marital status, financial position, employment status, retirement plans, expenditure needs, risk tolerance, family responsibilities, etc. Diversification occurs within the two (just two) asset classes. One size fits all... who's kidding whom?

5. Corporate Executive Compensation: I strongly believe that everyone has the right to become filthy rich, legally of course. I respect anyone who gets there honestly because their success creates jobs, opportunities, wealth, and a higher standard of living for everyone. But, once they sell shares of their successful enterprises to the public, they have a responsibility to share future profits and growth. Obscene executive suite compensation (right down to the chauffeured limousines) is simply stealing from shareholders.

With every new Scandal, a voracious Media and a hypocritical Congress exacerbate the fear of shocked investors and call for more regulation of the very entities whose success, freedom, viability, and competitiveness they should be nurturing. Ironically, politicians are always the most outspoken critics... probably because of their familiarity with cover-ups and improprieties. But no one ever questions the integrity of the Financial Institutions that invent, produce, price, and promote products and services that do far more long-term harm than the few (albeit serious and sensational) incidents of corporate wrong doing.

Four of the five candidates for this year's Blockbuster Scandal (B S) Award were created on Wall Street. The fifth is ignored by it. Which one bothers you most?
 

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Can You Really Make Money Online?

There are many people from all walks of life searching for ways to make more money, and the internet seems to be full of opportunities. Usually when you start searching for jobs or work at home possibilities, you get bombarded with a lot of hype! You know the old saying, "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is!" Remember that when you start looking for opportunities to help you make money online! If everything were as easy as it seems to be, then we could all quit our full time day jobs and just work online from the comfort of our home! Okay-maybe not, but I have been doing this online working thing for awhile now, and I want to share with you some advice about how to do it the right way!

1. Start Slow! When you first start out trying to make money online, the internet is going to seem like a huge place with tons of information everywhere. You'll probably feel overwhelmed with an information overload! Don't let that happen. You need to take it a little bit everyday and learn as much as you can bit by bit. 

One of the best ways to do this is to keep paper by your computer and take notes. Write down any good websites you find that you may want to refer back to. Print out information that you will need in the future. 

Read as much as you can and go back and read it again. You need to really let it soak in, and you need to absorb as much as possible. Generally, if you allow yourself enough time to do some research before you try to get started, you will arm yourself with a lot of important necessary knowledge. Of course, most of you will still be working your day job, so maybe try to allow some time in the evenings or on the weekends to do your research. Also, stay organized! Nothing is worse than sifting through a huge pile of papers looking for a specific site or web address. If you can go into this venture from a learning perspective, it will make everything easier down the road. Whenever you are working to make money online, research, learning, studying, and keeping up-to-date are going to be some of the most important things you can do. Remember that a lot of your competition will probably try to go in blindly, so then you'll be one step ahead.

2. Find Good Products and Test Them. When you are ready to take the step into making money online, affiliate marketing is one of the simplest ways beginners can make money. Not only can you have the potential to start generating sales, but you will get exposed to a lot of people who know what they are doing, who have already had success, and who are actually willing to help you. Once you find a good product that you want to try to sell, test the waters. Place some ads in various areas and keep track of whether or not you're making any sales. When first starting out, only promote one or two products at a time! It seems like you will do better if you start promoting 100 things at once, but when you have so many campaigns going at the same time, it's easy to lose focus and concentration. You want to be able to put forth your full effort and really see whether or not this product is going to pay off for you. Keep in mind that a lot of products end up not being successful money makers, so if you find that is the case, go back to the drawing board and pick something else. Don't spend a lot of money until you find a profitable product! Most of us just starting out don't have much extra money to spend on advertising anyway, but keeping costs down is important. Your ultimate goal is making a profit, right?

3.Get Excited and Don't Give Up! Start promoting yourself and your products as much as you can. Many well established and successful sites have opt-in email lists where you can sign up to get their daily or weekly newsletters. Get your email address on all of the ones that look helpful to you or your product. Many times, these emails are full of valuable information, and you're getting it for free! These companies are reputable and are not going to sell or give away your email address, so it's completely safe to go ahead and sign up! This is a continuation of your learning process, as well, because they will send you up to the minute information, and may even introduce you to new products! The more you can learn, the better! Speaking of email, send out some emails to family members and close friends and let them know about your new online adventure! No, you don't have to try to sell them anything, but this is an easy way to start getting yourself out there. Please don't spam anyone, though. Just send it out to those people who you know will be accepting of your emails. Also, when you send them out, ask your friends and family to let you know their personal opinions about your products, website, or any other feedback they can give. If you can get some open and honest feedback from those you trust, you can begin to get an idea of how you will be able to relate to the general public.

You're ultimately hoping a lot of these people will be your customers someday! This whole experience working online can be a lot of fun, but there are definitely going to be some very frustrating days. There may even be some frustrating weeks. Keep going, keep working, keep learning, and stay in the game! There are no people who succeed in making money online if they give up within the first couple of months! The longer you stick with it, the more chance you have to improve your skills, and eventually you'll get where you want to be. Keep your perspective, and if you need a break, take one. Sometimes, when you're taking a break, you do your best thinking and get some of your best ideas.

Hopefully I've provided you with some basic information for getting started making money online. It really is a learning experience, but at least you can do it from the comfort of your own home! Lots of moms and stay at home caregivers have options for generating online incomes that weren't there even a few years ago. This market is open to anyone and everyone. Take it step by step, don't jump in head first, and learn, learn, learn! Here's to your success!

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How to explode traffic to your website free

You know, almost everybody nowadays owns a website. But what good is it when NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY, knows about it?. You could tell your friends and familybout it and surely they way pay it a visit, but that will basically be all.

What you want is traffic, thousands of hits per day. Maybe you have some affiliate links on your site and hope to make a few bucks off it. Or maybe you got a blog and want loads of people to join in your discussion.

One option is to pay an advertising company a few hundred dollars to do the job, or you can join Adwords from Google Inc to help you out, but this all cost money. What I am about to reveal to you, will cost you absolutely nothing at all. It will only cost you your time and effort.

Ask yourself the following question. DO I REALLY, REALLY WANT TRAFFIC?. If your answer is YES my friend, you need to build backlinks to your website or blog. And not just backlinks. ONEWAY BACKLINKS. The search-engines will love you for it.

Why is it so important to have backlinks?

You see, when the search engine spiders crawl these websites, they will most definately find your link and crawl your site. So every website on which the search engine spider finds your link, it will basically be forced to crawl your site as the link on those sites points the spiders in your direction. Those backlinks are actually votes for your site from the other sites and in no time you will see that are starting to get more traffic to your site.

The higher the pagerank of a site, the better it will be for your website. Some people reason that you should not submit your site to websites with a low or zero pagerank. That's kinda funny, cause did'nt we all start at pagerank zero? The site with your backlink on it might be PR 0 today, but what about next week, next month, or next year? Then you'll feel sorry for yourself, because then they might not even accept links anymore, cause their PR0 went up to PR7!!

So what can you do to get these free backlinks? You just have to write one article about any topic you are good at. Then join as much as possible Article Directories and submit your article there. Rlly, it's free to join them. There's literally thousands of these directories on the net. Some will accept your article, while others might decline it. But the bottom line is, those who accept it, is giving you valuable backlinks to your website, which automatically creates free traffic.

My friend, act now ! It's never too late. Just google around for free submission directories. You will find thousands of them.

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Free Traffic - Seven Ways

Free traffic? The other day I saw that someone had been putting post-it stickers with the name of their website on bus stop benches and telephone poles. How many ways can you get free web site traffic? Who knows, but here are seven ways to get you started.

1. Online classified advertisements. Search "free advertising" or "free ads", and you'll find there are many places that you can advertise for free. Few of them seem to be of any value, but I have been using two that work well. Place a few ads, then check your reports to see if they are bringing in traffic. Start regularly using the ones that deliver.

2. Link exchanges. Link exchanges with other web sites help you get free traffic in two ways: traffic directly from the other site, and traffic from the search engines, because the link helps your ranking with them. Find sites that have a theme similar or related to yours, and send out nice e-mails suggesting an exchange.

3. Post in discussion forums. This can be a great source of traffic for some sites. You just talk about things of interest to you, and get free traffic to your web site (always sign off with a link to your site). If you link to subscription pages for newsletters or e-courses you offer, you'll get repeat visits from the traffic. Don't spam, or you'll be kicked out but true participation makes a relevant link okay in many forums.

4. Search engine submissions. Don't wait for search engines to find you. Automatically submit to 15 of them at www.freewebsubmission.com. You can also submit manually to Google (www.google.com/addurl.html). Ultimately, search engines will be some of your primary sources of free traffic

5. Submit to directories. First do a search for niche directories for the topic of your website. Type in "directory + online games," or whatever your site is about. Many general directories also accept submissions for free. The value of directories is not direct traffic, however (you won't get much). The value is in the links, which help your ranking (and therefore traffic) with the search engines.

6. Write and submit testimonials. If you love an e-book or other online product, tell the author, and let her know she can use your testimonial. Of course, mention that you'd appreciate it if she left the link to your site (under your name) active. Good testimonials are valuable, and you've probably seen them with a name and link attached.

7. Submit articles. This is one of the best ways to generate free web site traffic. In fact, it's why I wrote this. An article is valuable because of the "resource box," or "about the author box" at the bottom, where there is always a link. If I leave you intrigued, and wanting more, you might click through. This is a great way to generate free traffic.

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Getting Your website Right

The temptation to rush through the creation of your website can force you to compromise on a great many fundamentally important aspects of solid website operation - compromises that you will ultimately need to go back and correct. The trick is to get it right the first time, leaving changing your website for those infrequent times when you change your corporate look or shift your company's message.

There are a number of things you need to consider when constructing your website so as to avoid the costly revisions later on. It should also be noted that many times, despite the good intentions, the revisions you are intending to make never seem to get made, as you become to busy to tend to them. The result then, is that you are stuck with a deficient website.

So what are those elements you need to keep in mind? Tudog has a few questions you should be asking yourself. They are:

1. What is the purpose of this website?

There are a number of legitimate functions a website can serve. For example a website can be set up as a means of disseminating information. It can also be an online example of your company's skills and expertise. Whatever the purpose, you must have it clearly and well defined before you start considering other aspects of website development.

2. What should be my user paths?

The navigation you incorporate into the website with significantly influence the experience your visitors will have, how long they will stay, and how successful they will be in extracting from the website what they wanted (and what you wanted them to get out of it). User paths need to be logical, clear, easy to follow, and categorized in language that is common and typical. You do not want to create links that people cannot understand or send them through a maze to get to where they want to go.

3. How do I want the site to look?

The appearance of your website will greatly influence the extent to which you are able to extract from the website the full potential of your effort. The development of the look of your site begins with the corporate identity of your company. The website should be consistent with this look. In addition, you should consider what "feel" you want the website to have. For example, a financial services website might want a "safe and established" feel, while a technology company might want to demonstrate its technical savvy or communicate its high technology image.<

4. How will the site be used?

While you considered your objectives, you also need to consider the objectives of the people who will be visiting the site. There is a need to anticipate the purpose people will have in exploring your site and make sure that you deliver the experience as you understand they would want it. While some of this has to do with the aspects we discuss above, such as site appearance and navigation, it also has to do with the core message of the website and the content you provide.

5. How should the content be presented?

Beyond what content you should provide is the question of how it should be organized. While some of this is taken care of when considering the navigation, much of it has to do with the way pages are laid out and the interaction of text with graphics. Once again, this question is at the core of the visitor's experience, the success of which will determine in the long run the success of your business.

6. What communication channels have you created?

You need to make sure that you are allowing your visitors the opportunity to interact with by providing the ability to email you or call you. Tudog recommends providing as much contact information as possible because we believe that websites with little contact information lack credibility, as if they do not want inquiries. You need to put your company out there for evaluation and you need to do so in such a way that you express confidence that you will pass any evaluation with flying colors.

The creation of a high quality, well conceived website will afford your company the ability to establish and maintain credibility while also serving as an interactive tool for people interested in learning more about your company. What they learn - and what they perceive - has a lot to do with how good your site is. When building your site, ask yourself these 6 questions, and you'll be able to answer the question "how good a site do I have" with the answer "quite good indeed".

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