E-business Attracts Entrepreneurial Crowd for Good Reason

E-business and E-commerce have quietly become the proving grounds for entrepreneurs seeking to parlay their ideas into a successful business entity. While online entrepreneurship is by no means a recent development, the number of non-traditional online entrepreneurial endeavors is growing at a rapid rate.

Where dot com businesses revolving around the business of dot com once reigned supreme, more traditional business models are now hitting the online marketplace en masse. From sales of mass market goods to services that can be performed through networking, the list is as endless as the number of available IP addresses.

The rise of the internet age has been a blessing for the entrepreneur, as it offers the ultimate low overhead in virtual space but exposes prospective business owners to high volumes of traffic they would be hard pressed to reach otherwise. With the capability for reaching millions worldwide, internet enterprises are fast forming the ultimate buyer’s market, where checking out the competition is only a point and click away.

Still, entrepreneurs experience far more positives than negatives when setting up shop on the internet. For starters, real estate is the great equalizer. Aside from being banned from Google or one of the other major search engines, there are no bad areas for business. Every “location, location, location” is on main street, and only the amount of window dressing separates one business from another. This allows the savviest entrepreneurs to focus far more effort on offering added value and being more creative with their marketing efforts. When the playing field is level, both businesses and consumers can benefit.

As more and more homes across the nation and around the world tap into the internet as a source of entertainment, information, goods and services, the market will continue to grow. The odds are in favor of entrepreneurs, instead of set against them as is often the case when opening a brick and mortar business. Though not all businesses can be run online, almost every business can benefit from an online presence. Since the internet is now more widely utilized than the phone book in most areas, even traditional entrepreneurial endeavors can attract a wider audience through the world wide web.

E-business Attracts Entrepreneurial Crowd for Good R

E-business and E-commerce have quietly become the proving grounds for entrepreneurs seeking to parlay their ideas into a successful business entity. While online entrepreneurship is by no means a recent development, the number of non-traditional online entrepreneurial endeavors is growing at a rapid rate.

Where dot com businesses revolving around the business of dot com once reigned supreme, more traditional business models are now hitting the online marketplace en masse. From sales of mass market goods to services that can be performed through networking, the list is as endless as the number of available IP addresses.

The rise of the internet age has been a blessing for the entrepreneur, as it offers the ultimate low overhead in virtual space but exposes prospective business owners to high volumes of traffic they would be hard pressed to reach otherwise. With the capability for reaching millions worldwide, internet enterprises are fast forming the ultimate buyer’s market, where checking out the competition is only a point and click away.

Still, entrepreneurs experience far more positives than negatives when setting up shop on the internet. For starters, real estate is the great equalizer. Aside from being banned from Google or one of the other major search engines, there are no bad areas for business. Every “location, location, location” is on main street, and only the amount of window dressing separates one business from another. This allows the savviest entrepreneurs to focus far more effort on offering added value and being more creative with their marketing efforts. When the playing field is level, both businesses and consumers can benefit.

As more and more homes across the nation and around the world tap into the internet as a source of entertainment, information, goods and services, the market will continue to grow. The odds are in favor of entrepreneurs, instead of set against them as is often the case when opening a brick and mortar business. Though not all businesses can be run online, almost every business can benefit from an online presence. Since the internet is now more widely utilized than the phone book in most areas, even traditional entrepreneurial endeavors can attract a wider audience through the world wide web.

The 5 Worst Home-Based Business Scams

By: Ben Welch

In a forum devoted to education and careers, a blog devoted to this topic was inevitable - home-based business scams. Anyone who has an email account has gotten an email - if not a thousand - like this:

Earn an Extra $5K+ per month!
Make your financial dreams happen!
Free information and training package!

Usually, the email includes a testimonial or two from people "just like you."

Before I started this business, I used to [insert bad career here]. But I started working [insert home-based business opportunity here] and made $2500 my first month! By my sixth month, I was making $11,000. This business is a dream come true!

Some of these emails can be fairly persuasive, especially if it's been a tight month. I mean, who wouldn't want to earn a little extra money? Then I think of the old adage, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," and I realize I'm probably dealing with a home-based business scam. At that point, the email becomes ridiculous.

But the truth is that thousands - if not tens of thousands - of people fall for these scams every day. Sadly, for many of these people, that decision will be disastrous. Home-based business scams tend to target people who can ill afford such a misstep - the sick and disabled, the elderly, stay-at-home mothers, low-income families, and people lacking a college education. (Note: it's not that people without college educations are less intelligent per se; rather, because they don't have college degrees, chances are they are more inclined to take risks.)

For anyone who's ever received these emails - or who every will - let me identify five of the most common and pernicious home business scams, which I've gleaned from several websites issuing similar warnings. Think of it as a public service announcement.

1. Multi-level Marketing (MLM)

Basically, multi-level marketing entails selling some kind of product or service but also rewards the participant for recruiting other people to join. Typically, early recruits are paid by the entry fees gleaned from new recruits, who in turn must collect their rewards from others. Each level feeds (or builds) off the one after it, which is why MLMs are sometimes referred to as "pyramid schemes." Granted, not all MLMs are true pyramid schemes - which is illegal in most states - but most MLMs still rely on deception in order to succeed. As such, beware of MLM "opportunities" that promise large incomes for selling dubious products and recruiting fellow distributors.

2. Reshipping Fraud

Reshipping involves receiving mail merchandise and then repackaging and reshipping it for a substantial profit. Sounds easy, right? The only problem is that the merchandise was paid for with stolen credit cards, which means you - the reshipper - are acting as a "fence" for stolen goods. Reshipping fraud is relatively new to the realm of home-business fraud; as such, reshipping "opportunities" still appear in legitimate newspapers and websites, which lend them an air of credibility. Don't be fooled. Reshipping fraud is not only illegal but also dangerous.

3. Craft Assembly

The variations on this scam are legion, but essentially it involves a company outsourcing the assembly of its product to you. All you need is a start-up kit and raw materials, which you purchase from the company, of course, and which you can do at home. Once you've assembled the products - toys, magnets, jewelry - you send it back to the company only to find that your products "fail to meet specifications." You're left with a bunch of useless products and no one to sell them to. Beware.

4. Medical Billing

The basic sales pitch with medical billing is that the health care industry is inundated with unprocessed paper claims and there's a need for someone - you - to process these claims electronically. The beauty of this scam is that it's true - there is a need and you can make money processing claims. The training you receive from promoters, while overpriced, will be legitimate. The only problem is that once you've finished your training you have to generate your own business. That's where the scam comes in - promoters tend to over-hype their ability to get you contacts within the medical community. The fact is that few medical-billing entrepreneurs are able to attract clients and earn a reasonable income. The truth is that the medical billing market revolves around several large firms and competition is stiff.

And finally...

5. Envelope Stuffing

The doyen of home-based business scams has been around since the 1920s. One website even referred to it as the "cockroach you just can't eliminate." Basically, this scam involves you sending off a fee to learn how to make money stuffing envelopes from home. Shortly thereafter, you get a letter telling you to place a similar envelope-stuffing ad in magazines and newspapers. That way, people will send money to you to learn how to make money stuffing envelopes. You, in turn, send them a similar letter about placing envelope-stuffing ads in other magazines and newspapers. In short, the way you earn money stuffing envelopes is by propagating the envelope-stuffing scam.

To conclude, let me just observe what these home-based business scams have in common: it's true that they lie, exaggerate, and misrepresent their products and services. That being said, the only reason they work is because people let themselves be carried away by delusions of "getting rich quick" or "making easy money." In other words, these scams, like all confidence games, feed off of greed and, in some cases, desperation. Don't be a victim. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember that the only foolproof ways to increase your earning potential are hard work and education.

Aspiring Webmasters Want To Know, "What Makes a Website Grow?"

By: A Raymond Randall

It appears that most webmasters have come from the world of advertising. Their website content emphasizes "marketing and promotion". Just to prove my point, do a Google search on "marketing promotion". As I write, Google comes up with "about 5,910,000" entries. Gosh imagine the good fortune of a listing on page one! Of course, the number of entries for "marketing promotion" gets shadowed by "sex" which provides you with "about 192,000,000". It's not money and sex; it's sex and money.

Prominent webmasters like Jim Daniels, Cory Rudll,and Kevin Bidwell (one of my favorites) et.al teach you Internet success strategies. Of course, they all started way back in '96 (that's 1996) when aspiring webmasters wanted to know how to succeed.

Someone asked me recently if Cory Rudll's two volume manual collects dust on my desk. Chagrined, I acknowledge, "sitting just to the right of my keyboard" (been there for two years). Then I think of all the other manuals, ebooks purchased to vault my Internet marketing skills.

What then gets you the income so many claim to make? You've read the ads, "so and so made $55,000 in one month" and this was their slowest month. Or, affiliate maven makes $463,000 a year marketing affiliate programs. Each of these testimonials appear attached to some alluring ebook which you "must have" to succeed. Well, hold off before entering your credit card number.

Here are 5 considerations to ponder before thinking about income from your website.

Purpose:

I never gave much credence to business plans; however, you can't get from my house to Boston without a map. Whether you write it down (which is best) or create pictures in your mind, there must be a map. A strategy which defines what steps you take. Strategies begin with brainstorming. Sit down, put a blank paper on your desk, grasp your pen, and write. Write anything that comes to mind relevant to your purpose. Write the not so relevant ideas too; who knows they might turn out to be the most important expression of your brainstorming.

A number of routes will get you to Boston from my house: some direct and boring, some scenic and slow. Who cares what way you get there. Herman Drost's article, "8 Steps to Creating a Simple Business Plan...." provides a "how to" outline.

Persistence:

No matter what Internet hype reads, this takes persistence. Perhaps the only emotion that separates the successful from the not so successful comes down to persistence. Calvin Coolidge's (1872-1933) viewpoint may be worth memorizing. "Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Kevin Sinclair's article, "Persistence - The Magic Key To Success" inspires you to continue. Also, if you've never read Russell Conwell's "Acres of Diamonds", find it and read it now.

Preparation:

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure," says Colin Powell. Well, historians will assess the current geopolitical "learning from failure".

Every endeavor requires preparation. Ever watch a chef work? Every summer I work a weekend at a camp which serves 250 men seven meals. Doesn't sound like much until I observed the chef arrives to work at 3AM. I would get there at 4:15AM in order to dice, chop, stir, and pour in preparation for the next meal. When meals get served, few understand the amount of "prep work" that preceded the meal. No one sees you doing it; it just has to be done. Judy Collins provides clear guidelines on Ten Steps To Prepare Yourself for Online Marketing.

Probabilities:

As this article is written, the banter of presidential poll interpretation continues. Everyone has an opinion, and every pole a changing nuance. Reading polls provides some lessons on reading the probabilities of website traffic.

Most of us read the primary poll results rather than referring to the "internal tracking polls". When reading website traffic, we look at the number of visits without reading the "internal tracking". Travis Reeder provides detailed explanations and reasons for digging deeper into the numbers in his article, "How (and Why) to Read Your Web Statistics and Analytics".

Learn to track visitors. "AWStats is a free powerful and featureful (sic) tool that generates advanced web, ftp or mail server statistics, graphically." "A reasonable probability is the only certainty," writes E.W. Howe. So what probabilities do you have for succeeding and how do you measure them?

Personality:

Ever start a conversation with someone until you recognize that person is not "there"? Many websites give the same impression. What does this webmaster think? What matters to them? What message do they want conveyed?

It takes more effort to insert your personality into your work, to evidence your opinions and world view on a website. Every website page represents you implicitly or explicitly. What matters to you should be evident on your website, and your website should reflect your values.

Little seems to be written about this subject. Terri Seymour's article, "The Power of Personality" provides further insights. Bob Baker's book, "Poor Richard's Branding Yourself Online" elaborates this premise.

Oscar Wilde's observation that "Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation" deserves a webmaster's attention.

As with all enterprise, Internet endeavors involve you with something that does not happen overnight. As with all worthy efforts, it requires a purpose clearly defined, a persistence resolutely affirmed, and a daily preparation involving your complete personality. You must remain passionately focused on the belief that you add value to this incredible enterprise known as the Internet.

Article Source: http://www.articles.web.com

How To Create A Sitemap?

By: Jeremiah Patton

A sitemap of a website is similar to the table of contents of a book. Sitemaps are important because it guides web surfers to the particular part of the website they have a point of interest in. With it they would save time following links and get right to the point instead.

Sitemaps are also where search engines look at if somebody is looking for a particular keyword or phrase. If you have a site map, you can most likely be searched.

Creating a sitemap, now with software technology surging in, is relatively easier than before. You need not be a programming guru to be one. All need is a notepad, a program editor, and some patience. Here’s how you do it:

Create the listing on a notepad.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a notepad. Any word processing program will do. First off, make sure to type in all the parts and pieces of your website. Include all pages and all links you have. Create it as if you listing the contents of your book. Make a draft first. You’re sure no to miss something out this way.

Create a new page for your sitemap.
You can insert the sitemap on your website on one of its pages or you can create an entirely different page for it. Using your notepad, incorporate all tags necessary to it to make another webpage. Open up your website creator program and tag your sitemap using it. If you have created your website on your own, this will be easy for you.

Create a link for the sitemap.
You won’t be able to view the sitemap if you won’t put a link for it, of course. Create the link on the front page of your website so that visitors can view it right away and be directed appropriately.

Check your work.
It is important to validate the functionality of the links you created on the sitemap. Test each and every one in there and if you get an error, be sure to fix it accurately. Run through every single page to make sure that all are accounted for.

Upload your work.
Place the sitemap now on your live browser and double check it. It should function as smoothly as the dry run. Error should be minimal at this stage since you already have verified it locally.

The steps provided herewith is the manual way of creating a sitemap. These days, if you search hard enough on the web, you will find online programs that will do all these work for you. All you have to do it type in the URL or the link of your website and they will create the sitemap with click of a button.

Of course that method is generic. All of you who have created their sitemap that way will have an end product that is all the same, plus there’s that possibility that something else will be inserted in there too. Then again, the process is less taxing and way, way simpler.

But if you want a more personalized output, and you are pretty good with computers and programming yourself, better make one of your own. And since you made your website anyway, creating sitemap is just like creating any other page on the website. Other than you’ll know for sure the links are accurate, you can organize the links the way you prefer it to be. Major parts of the site are emphasized compared to less significant. This is important especially if you are selling products or offering services online.

Sitemap is vital to a website. People search the web a lot for something. If your website has what that particular person is looking for, and your sitemap reports it, then you have a new customer looking at your items. Not only that, they will see some other things up for sale that they might be interested in as well.

Sitemaps, be it generated by a program automatically or you made it yourself, presents the same purpose. That is to lead your visitors to where they’re likely headed, and for you to be seen on the World Wide Web through search spiders. So with these, make sure your website has a sitemap of its own, lest make one.

Build Your Own YouTube Site The Easy Way

by Stephen Carter

Do you like watching videos on the web? Apparently a LOT of people do. Google thought the phenomenon important enough to dish out $1.65 billion to acquire YouTube and guarantee its position as a number one provider of video feeds.

But is there really any reason the average webmaster could not build their own video or audio based portal? Would that not be a difficult thing to attempt? Well, that used to be the case, but it is not true any more.

Now, based on the fact that you are currently reading this article, I would hazard a guess that the following is true: At some point in the past, possibly even just recently, it occurred to you that building a YouTube-like site might be a fun thing to do. But then you tossed the idea out the window once you discovered that adding audio and video clips to your site can be time-consuming and tedious. Not to mention technically intimidating. But like I said, that no longer has to be the case. In fact, if you are prepared to fork out a few hundred dollars for the software to power your site, you can be up and running in no time flat.

In all likelihood you do not truly want to compete with YouTube for visitors. But maybe that real estate site you had been thinking about could benefit from audio and video feeds. Or perhaps that restaurant guide, or model plane construction website--short how-to videos on the best way to build remotely-controlled planes might be just the thing you need...

Are the ideas starting to bubble up? If so, read on to find out how you can set up a video or audio site painlessly.

So what are the barriers to us as webmasters wanting to set up such a site? Well, you have probably already investigated several multimedia-related web sites to see how they go about presenting audio and video clips to their visitors. Most of these sites now offer streamed content, which is to say the music or the video feed starts playing just a few seconds after you hit the play button. No waiting for a full download to occur. Visitors, even those with high speed connections, simply do not have that kind of patience. So, you must serve the content immediately.

There are two basic ways you can do this. One, you can install a special server that is optimized to stream audio and video files. However, this can cost you an arm and a leg, depending on the server you choose. It is also just one more thing you do not want to have to deal with if you can avoid it. The second option is to go with a simpler method, called progressive streaming, wherein you make a request to your regular web server to stream the file in such a way that it can be played almost as soon as the first batch of bytes is received. This is not as efficient as a dedicated streaming server, but unless you are running a very highly-trafficked site, the results are virtually indistinguishable. This is the option discussed in detail in this article.

Several applications exist on the market to handle progressive, or psuedo, streaming. The difficulty in using them lies in the amount of work it can take to add HTML code to individual pages on your site in order to call the application which will then stream your audio or video content. What you really need is an automated solution of some type. An application that will allow you, or your visitors, to simply upload the content that is to be streamed, and then have all the file storage and HTML link-formatting done for you, behind the scenes.

Fortunately there is at least one application that does all this for you (this is mentioned in the resource box below). In this case the application makes use of a Flash-based client named Wimpy, which exists in several different incarnations. The best known of the Wimpy players is the Wimpy MP3 Player which allows MP3s to be played from a fancy Flash-based jukebox. The appearance of this player is controlled by a skin, and there are literally dozens to choose from--some of which contain rotating dials, flickering volume bars, and so on. An alternative to placing a jukebox on your pages is to simply place a button that allows an MP3 track to be played or paused. This is the Wimpy Button Player. It is useful for pages where you are going for simplicity, or page real estate is at a premium.

But Wimpy can do more than just play MP3s. If you want to serve video files from your site you can elect to use the Wimpy AV Player. This version allows you to load an entire video playlist, just as the Wimpy MP3 Player does. But my preference for video presentation is the Wimpy WASP Player. This client will play just one video at a time, but it can be controlled with javascript commands, so it offers more in the way of programmable and presentation options. You can embed the videos right into your web pages, or you can elect to have them pop up when a visitor clicks on a link.

By using a solution that combines all these Wimpy clients into a single transparent application, and which also allows visitors to review the uploaded audio or video files, you have at your disposal just the tool you need to create a YouTube-like site complete with visitor reviews. Hopefully I have managed to convey the idea that creating such a site is fairly straightforward. With the right tools in hand, the only remaining ingredient you need to make it happen is dedication and passion. But if you have read this far, you likely have that in spades. Good luck!

About the author
Stephen Carter is the developer of Red Queen, a powerful product review script that allows webmasters to build audio-based customer review sites. To learn more, see: How To Create A Music Review Site.

India Becoming A Major Economic Power In The Field Of Software Development

By Ricki Morelli

India becoming a major economic power in the field of software development is all due to the definite strives taken by the huge potentially strong resources in the lead as designers, software developers, quality analyst, and many others. Software development services from India have many value-addition as we have diversity of able resources.

The website designing services are essential for any business as it is a part of your identity. This trend has taken pace in recent few years, with the scene changing drastically, that a website increases the chances of greater exposure and a lot many viewers coming in touch. A website that is aesthetically designed by professional software development company helps to convey the right message to the targeted audience.

The proficiency of experts in the web-designing field for compiling with interface standards sets the success level. The website for a particular company solidifies its existence in the world of Internet that opens its doors for e commerce, which is an added improver for their present existence.

The employing of existing standard set rules for the development of a website, with the logo of company in upper left hand corner, search box present on the home page, use of shopping caret, breadcrumbs, and so on result in practical but catchy web site. Our services of custom website development provides our clients; the much needed flexibility in deploying their ideas into reality. A friendly, personalized, but professional approach combines to have desired results.

Having the best of infrastructure and state-of-art facilities helps us to utilize out talented professionals for turning clients thoughts into advantageous online ventures. The websites particularly stanched for e commerce have become backbone for many businesses associations, as there had been a tremendous rise in the use of Internet. As an offshore software development company, initiative is to provide the best of services in web designing as right solution for every budget call.

Resale Rights: The Webmasters Most Powerful Asset

by Resale Rights Box

Creating an online business has become the favorite dream in our societies. Some choose to enter into an online business for an extra income stream. Yet, others are looking towards online business opportunities to create an extra income stream due to economic pressures.

While most entrepreneurs fret over how to begin starting an online business, many more get lost in their endeavors sorting through the masses of online business opportunities available.

Fact is, creating an online business takes time, planning and funding. Unlike brick and mortar businesses that mom and pop ran, an online business has the advantage over time with proper education and planning. The bonus advantage is that the required funding to start an online business can be kept reasonably within reach through the availability of already existing resources.

To quickly create an online business requires locating low cost, existing resources that can supply:

1. On-going relevant content

2. Professional pre-written sales pages

3. Up to date marketable products

4. And . . . ..Cater to Niches!

Seems like a tall demand. Even so, acquiring such a tall order can be accomplished in one central location through Resale Rights Memberships.

Starting your instant online business through a resale rights membership allows the luxury of owning an information product line ecommerce store.

Resale Rights Membership databases allow you to quickly set up an online business. Resale Rights Membership makes it affordable and convenient to maintain an online business within the quickest time and without having to first learn the brick and mortar educational process.

A complete Resale Rights Membership providing the online business webmaster with continuing resources to manage their website will offer, in one central convenient location:

1. A complete PLR Article vault.

2. A complete master resale rights vault.

3. A complete resale rights vault.

4. A complete resale rights software vault.

5. A complete resale rights movie vault.

6. Professional pre-written Sales Letters.

7. And . . . . . . Priced within reason!

Resale rights memberships allow the online business to set up and create income streams on the fly. Numerous resale rights products have been responsible for creating unlimited niche lists for the webmaster in many areas and for creating countless more diversified income streams.

Carrying this fact one step further, a resale rights membership make it undoubtedly affordable to continue to offer products to your interested list subscribers, increasing your income exponentially every month by continually supplying them interesting content and products.

Furthermore, it has become apparent why a resale rights membership has become paramount in resources for the webmaster in their quest for a stable online business. By taking advantage of the resale rights membership in your online business, you can award yourself as an authority of your chosen niche.

With the right resources, located in one central location through a resale rights membership a webmaster will see their online business consistently grow to become the much needed income stream and quickly providing that nice sought after monthly financial reward.

Web 2.0, Build On It

By: Joseph Pratt

Web 2.0 is just getting started. There is a focus on making the Internet a platform for end users. Paying bills online is no longer a novelty. Shopping for clothes and books online is commonplace. Mobile music playing components are built around the compatibility of downloading music off the Internet and not store bought units.

In 1999, ICMediaDirect.com opened up shop as an online advertising agency, and we viewed our chosen milieu, the Internet, as a limitless possibility – there was no talk of bubbles, no clouds on the horizon. In fact, conversations in the business tended to include terms like venture capital or IPO and it didn’t matter who was talking. We knew who scored what and when. Like weekend golfers talking about the Masters, we dreamed of being the next eBay. Guys like me with, well, ordinary websites talked turkey, big turkey. And why wouldn’t we? Those were halcyon times then.

And they’re back – except, ahem, this time it’s different. I hope. Nah, I’m sure of it.

Y2K was distinctly a time of fortuitous updraft; we were swept up in a tide of optimism. This Internet thing seemed like it was going to last forever. The early 90’s brought us a proliferation of interconnected tech advances that gave rise to a new medium of business.

Personal computing had become universally available and affordable. Rapid advancements in the digital media field, improvements in size and scope of network infrastructures, and the rise of giant Internet companies for connection and service created an Internet we still recognize today. Deals went down, geeks got rich (or richer), and about the magic in this Internet – we believed.

There was a problem, though – promise and wonder alone cannot fill out a bottom line. Economic reality called in its chips and publicly traded stocks, the most successful of the start-ups who’d already actually “made it”, with their valuations 100, 200, 300 times earnings came tumbling down. So, that money, which had raced too far ahead of ideas and their implementations, retreated. And when the markets soured, so too did sentiment.

Money, as it’s wont to do, overtook dreams; it had run right past the sensible bounds of ideas. Soaring stock prices and gaudy deals in unproven fields had created a nasty bubble. It was the Web 1.0 bubble, but at the time I thought it was a buying opportunity.

It was March 2000 when the tech market started tanking. Actual technology however, never retreated, even though the casual observer might have thought engineers went to find new careers. Okay, some did, but still, science did not retreat. So, as the money dried up, Internet capability continued to grow.

And it grew rather quietly until the shape of a Web 2.0 was recognized. Like the Internet itself, Web 2.0 did not start with the flip of a switch, but instead it materialized with the gradual confluence of profitable web ventures, added Internet usability, and mass availability to high-speed connection.

I am not uncomfortable crowning Google king, or at least the most emblematic of Web 2.0 examples. In fact, while the dot-com bust was at its most bleak, the boom times of Google were just getting started.

More importantly, Google and their successful IPO mark a new age of profitability for Internet advertising. Sure, people may talk bubble, but they’d be talking about GOOG being overpriced, and not a leaky boat in a storm. Google is profitable. Yahoo is profitable. Microsoft’s AdCenter is coming. Ask.com might be on the rise. These are big companies vying for share in a profitable Internet arena.

Compare this with the original Internet boom, there was certainly competition, sizable big money competition – but over unproven business models that were ultimately unprofitable. It’s different now.

Web 2.0 is just getting started. There is a focus on making the Internet a platform for end users. Paying bills online is no longer a novelty. Shopping for clothes and books online is commonplace. Mobile music playing components are built around the compatibility of downloading music off the Internet and not store bought units. MySpace is an interactive pen-pal phenomenon far beyond anything we’d have predicted only two years ago. Even Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phoning is saving phone customers money.

These are the old dreams that went up in smoke five and six years ago. We’re just getting started .

Web 2.0: For the User, By the User

By: Joseph Pratt

‘Web 2.0’ is a term derived from a tech conference held in 2004 of the same name. It loosely describes a second coming of the Internet, a rebirth to replace the dross shed in the dot.com bubble burst of 2000-2001. Web 2.0 is characterized by its increased utility for the user.

I still remember the thrill of my father bringing home our first VCR. The features were dizzying – would it really record television shows in the middle of the night when we were fast asleep? Finally, just what we needed! Or did we?

Sadly, we only mastered the art of renting and playing movies. Confusion from unclear directions overrode our interest level in learning the finer points of our VCR’s features. Dad rightly claimed that corporate design labs and family dens have different standards for what might pass as “user-friendly”. We used the VCR as it suited our needs while disregarding its more complex features.

Some years and many technologies later “user friendly” is back defining, in digital terms, what is loosely referred to as Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is the latest generation Internet. It’s the perfect market for users and advertisers alike: now it-s Adsense, not DoubleClick; live blogs, as opposed to static webpages.

That lack of user friendliness that kept us from mastering our VCR is similar to what made Web 1.0 the stuff of great, yet unrealized potential for online advertisers. Players in Web 1.0 could not help but stumble through the trial-and-error process before the onset of newer, more user-friendly technology that we see in today’s Internet.

The initial Internet bubble of five years ago is littered with Web 1.0 wreckage. It’s funny how many of us qualify as short sighted animals – some of us thought the Internet actually had limits. Okay, at least I thought the Internet actually had limits. Wall Street did, too. But stock prices don’t measure progress, they just measure the final word in investor sentiment.

‘Web 2.0’ is a term derived from a tech conference held in 2004 of the same name. It loosely describes a second coming of the Internet, a rebirth to replace the dross shed in the dot.com bubble burst of 2000-2001. Web 2.0 is characterized by its increased utility for the user. Rather than being limited to a select bunch of web gurus, everyday users participate in its development. As you read these very words, cynics, comics, and contrarians are scanning the horizon for Bubble 2.0, but as far as I can tell, it’s not here yet. Knock on wood.

This Web 2.0 business is a touchy subject for some malcontents. While some try to identify a Web 3.0 (catchphrase overkill?), others feel that a key characteristic of the Web 2.0 paradigm, the democratization of the Internet space, is what’s bound to fail us.

While being one of Web 2.0’s darlings because of its open-source success, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.org also receives criticism for the very same reasons. It’s the handiest of resources and has skyrocketed in popularity. What’s more, users repeatedly return to the site once they’ve used it, an impressive quality. It’s in the top 25 most heavily trafficked sites-not bad at all for a site that doesn’t advertise. Kind of like another free website whose popularity is not reflected in visible advertising: Google.

Wikipedia’s services are free. Its content is also wholly submitted by web-users. However, in being constructed by amateurs, Wikipedia is thus susceptible to the foibles of amateur contribution. Recently Wikipedia falsely identified a Tennessean as being linked to both of the Kennedy assassinations, a joke perpetrated by a co-worker. The open-ended format leaves such shenanigans possible.

The beauty of the open-source format is not questioned, but there are more issues than potentially spotty performance, or the occasional office prank. Wikipedia, by virtue of its free nature, smothers the chances for a successful and authoritative online encyclopedia created professionally. The market just won’t be there. As it stands, many treat Wikipedia.org as a first stop before searching elsewhere for what are perhaps more credible resources.

I’m not sure how to assuage the hurt that people may feel from any oncoming rush of online democracy, but I can guarantee that a stance against the flow of Web 2.0 will be wasted effort. Still, some are stuck in the old ways and will continue to try and stamp their vision of the way things should be onto the evolving freedoms and new realities of the Internet.

The Fall 2005 issue of Revenue Magazine, “The Performance Marketing Standard”, featured an interview with a marketing executive from OgilvyOne North America, an online advertising division of the traditional advertising giant Ogilvy & Mather. Throughout the interview the executive used industry jargon to liberally slather advertising platitudes in almost total disregard to the questions posed to her. In other words, she’s treating the Internet market the way she should a television audience. That’s so 1.0.

The reader can’t miss an unintended subtext entwined in her jibber jabber. In answering a question about why advertising agencies are slow in adapting to change brought by online advertising she asserts that agencies, Ogilvy in particular, have been, in fact, “leading the revolution” and need to push to understand their targets. I don’t blame her any more than I blame politicians whose job compels them to regularly make statements that make me wince. However her statement typifies just how the first push, or Web 1.0, did not storm the castle of Internet success.

In TV or radio you make the push and attack your target. In Web 1.0 advertising agencies tried to identify and push their ads onto their targets. They studied user behavior and plotted to meet them there with ‘effective’ advertising. What constituted ‘effective’ were non-contextual pop-ups and banners. The aggressive poppers of Web 1.0 did not translate into quality CTRs; rather they bred angry surfers. To be blunt, this method failed then and still does. A Web 2.0 mindset understands that we accommodate our “target” to the extent that our target lets us. The user finds the advertiser and the smart advertiser will be ready. It’s simple, it’s search.

ICMediaDirect.com started up as a fully online advertising agency. Like any online advertising agency, we match our efforts to the Internet user’s whim. In deference to the reality of Web 2.0, we concede that the Internet user, that voice of the public, is in fact the driver of “the revolution”. The rules are different here. Our dialogue with clients doesn’t consist of conspiring to convince the public of anything. Our job, in full accordance with a Web 2.0 flow, is to get advertisers as appealing and available to web searchers as possible.

Here, ‘going with the flow’ means understanding that the searcher, or internet user, is steering the boat. We do not seek to attack them with ads. Instead, we prepare the advertiser for the user. And, thankfully, the Web 2.0 searcher is ready for e-commerce in a way those on Web 1.0 never were. The proof: SEM and SEO works.

Free content can still be free. The Internet is, more than anything, a mass network of individuals who have an easier and easier go of it in skirting the traditional keepers of the gate. The trick is to get users to come to you when they are ready to do so, on their terms. That’s exactly what we do best. For better or worse, Web 2.0 is here to stay. The wise will find out how to participate. For the rest, there are VCRs.

Creating a community spirit

Creating a community spirit.

The key to long-term success with any website is repeat customers. The bookmark is the Holy Grail to any site that aspires to regular income but achieving this isn’t always easy. Visitors have to like what they see, yes, but they also have to feel that these is going to be new and relevant information posted to a website that will warrant their return. Tired and stale single pages don’t attract repeat visitors and unique hits are all you can ever hope to achieve but it’s a fact that the more trust your website builds the more chance it has of making sales and encouraging people to click on links. So, where does the answer lie?

The forum.

Many of us have used a forum whether to ask a question or to answer somebody else’s and without realising it you are already beginning to trust that forum. Most forums offer the function to send you updates when somebody has responded to your query or when a query on a certain topic is posted. The forum has just gained another repeat customer. If it’s a popular forum you will get several answers and return to the site on a fairly regular basis increasing the chances that you will either buy something from the site or click the affiliate links.

The community.

By building a community spirit with plenty of regular posters you are not only encouraging visitors to read your posts but there is bound to be something in there that sparks that little flame of intrigue. A message board post later and they’re being sucked into using your site and your forum on a regular basis. You now have their email address and as long as they are ok with you sending your ‘weekly newsletter’ to them you have created yourself a free and invaluable opt in lead; a resource that webmasters across the world salivate at the thought of.

The popularity.

The forum and its popularity is something of a paradox though, because as more and more people post on the forum the more inviting it becomes to new members. Members make members without a doubt. The hardest part about populating a forum is receiving those first few visitors. Without knowing it or acting intentionally they will be the ones to bring in the hundreds of members that follow. Offer a free gift to anyone that signs up or consider ‘employing’ active moderators who will not only moderate the posts but start conversations, competitions and anything else to attract people.

The possibilities.

Once you have a forum the possibilities are virtually endless. Follow up sales become a breeze as your Autoresponder kicks in to say thanks for signing up and the affiliate link in your signature has never been such a good money spinner. You can populate mailing lists while you’re sleeping and the content on your site remains as fresh as a daisy for as long as you can keep visitors in your forum. As far as valuable website additions go, there aren’t many better options than the humble forum.

Do You Really Own Your Web Site? Maybe Not

Here are some important tips for you to remember and some questions to ask your web site design or development company. If you don't understand the 'ownership' issues when you are buying a web site design or web based application, this is must read material for you! Don't get caught paying twice.

I recently interviewed a new client who was looking to add the functionality of a database to their existing web site. Their current webmaster had completed a business logo and designed the initial interface for the site. The clients asked their webmaster for a quote to add the functionality to the site and he returned a price that far exceeded the clients’ budget.

Long story made short, we found a great application that already exists that would meet the clients’ needs for substantially less than custom development. The client advised the previous webmaster that they were moving services. Do you think they got to keep their original web site? Nope. We had to start over again, which unfortunately meant that this customer had to pay for extra design time that they had effectively already paid for.

Here are some important tips for you to remember and some questions to ask your web site design or development company.

Web Design Source Code

When you hire a web designer or a developer they are going to produce a web site or web based application that your business is going to be dependant on. In fact, a web application may be your whole business. This is absolutely the case where a business is 100% online and depends on the process built into their web site. E-commerce stores are a perfect example of a whole business online.

Web designers create web pages with a compilation of images and hyper-text markup language (HTML). The HTML is a text based standard language that most every web designer in the world knows. The HTML is what is used to hold the structure of your web site together. It keeps the pretty pictures and text all in the right places. Your web browser interprets that HTML and shows you the web site images and text.

Your web designer will start your design by “drawing” your web site in a graphics program. Macromedia Fireworks and Photoshop are two tools that are very often used by professionals. Your designer will draw the site using shapes, colors, images and fonts that are all piled up in layers to create the final “look and feel” for your new web site design. The designers will then slice up the images and use the resulting smaller images to build your working website using HTML to hold it all together.

Here is the key. You need the original art file that was used to design your web site in Macromedia Fireworks or Photoshop or whatever software your designer uses. If you don’t get the source file, your next web designer will have to start your design from scratch if you want artwork changes. This is no walk in the park if the original images that were used are not available. Macromedia Fireworks source files have the extension .PNG (yourWebsite.PNG). Photoshop files have the extension .PSD (yourWebsite.PSD).

Another design issue that you may run into in the future is fonts. If your designer uses fancy fonts that are not installed by default on your computer or your future designers computer, you will have to substitute different fonts. In some cases, choosing a new font is not a big issue. However, if you could image that the font used in the logo for Coca-Cola® became unavailable because Coke® changed designers it would most likely cause them real damage. They need the font used in their logo or corporate branding and so do you!

Questions to ask your web designer

1) When you are finished designing my web site will you provide me with the source files used in the design of my new web site?

2) Will you transfer the ownership (copyright) of these source files to me or my company? Or at least give me perpetual license to continue using them and to make revisions?

3) Will you provide me with the names and files for all non-windows fonts used in the design of my new web site? At the very least, because there may be real copyright issues with transferring the fonts, you need to know the names of the fonts and where you can buy copies of them for your project archive.

Web Application Source Code

Web developers create programs that work as applications on the internet. They create code that is compiled, usually in real-time, at the web server. The code will, for example, connect to a database and extract a set of data. The data will then be compiled into an HTML table (so that it is readable) and then sent from the web server to your web browser as pure HTML. You will not be able to “view source” and read the scripting language because it never leaves the web server. If you “view source” from the web browser, you will only see the HTML.

Some of the code that your developer writes will be protected by copyright. Your developer may also buy code in the form of server components, use code blocks for functionality from other programmers or purchase complete application in order to finish your program. You need to ensure that the developer tells you that you can continue to use the software that they develop for your business for an unlimited period of time, and that if there are any licensing restrictions or reoccurring licensing costs that they are disclosed to you before you start the project. Find out if you will be bound forever to a hosting or server plan for you application.

Here are some questions you may want to ask your web developer

1) Will you transfer an unlimited a perpetual license to me or my company to use the application that you develop for me?

2) Will you disclose any licensing restrictions to me regarding the application?

3) Will you write code using common standards or languages that I will be able to move to another hosting provider or eventually to my own server?

4) Can I move my application to another server in the future if it is necessary?

Use of Encryption

So your web developer says “yes” to the last four questions and you think, “great, I’m home free, let’s get started”. Then two years later you decide it’s time to move your web application to your own servers because your e-commerce store is screaming busy and the cost of bandwidth and hosting is killing your profits.

You start the process to move your application to your new server and call up your webmaster for help, but he has gone to University in the states and “isn’t doing that anymore”. You think to yourself, “I guess I should have used a more established company…” So you find a new webmaster. Incidentally, I am often told by new clients that I am their second, third and sometimes even fourth web developer. So we go to move the web site, but wait, something is wrong… portions of the source code are encrypted. Even the government couldn’t decrypt it. We have to rewrite those blocks of code and the client has to pay… again.

If your web sites source HTML or application scripting language is encrypted then it may have to be rewritten or you will have no way to add functionality, or to fix bugs, without involving the original developer who holds the key to the encryption. They are quite clever, aren’t they?

There are some good reasons to encrypt some portions of the source code, even on in a web application. Most web applications will contain, in the source code, the database, username and password within one of the files. This is a great example of a code block that should be encrypted before it is placed into a shared hosting environment.

If your web developer is going to encrypt portions of the source code, make sure you get a copy of the unencrypted source code for your project archive. In this manner you will be able to work with a new developer.

Questions to ask your web developer regarding encryption

1) Will you be encrypting any or all of the source code in the application you are developing for me?

2) Will you provide me with a copy of the original source code prior to being encrypted?

Technologies

There are a number of technologies used in the development of web sites and web applications they include Pre-Hypertext Processor (PHP), Active Server Pages (ASP), Active Sever Pages dot Net (ASP.NET), and Cold Fusion to name a few. All of these scripting languages facilitate connecting web sites to databases and accessing functionality on the web server such as sending mail or uploading files. All of these technologies are widely used, widely available and there is a great number of developers that know these languages. There are some lesser known programming and scripting languages that may be able to do a lot of the same things as the more widely used languages. The pitfall is that you may have a more difficult time finding a programmer that knows the language.

Some web scripting or programming languages like Microsoft’s® Active Server Page or Active Server Page dot Net technologies are developed specifically for use on the Mircrosoft operating systems. These technologies are difficult, if not impossible, to run on a Linux operating system. When your programmer selects a language to develop your web application with, he may be marrying you to a long term relationship with a particular operating systems and software vendor. This is okay as long as you recognize the long term ramifications of these choices, some of which may be greater costs to you in the future.

Questions to ask your web developer regarding programming languages

1) Is the technology you use tied to one particular operating system or can I host my web site on my choice of servers with my choice of operating system? More specifically, can I host my application on a Microsoft web server and a Linux server?

Transferability

Make sure that you are able to move your web site to a server with comparable standards in the future should you wish to do so. Moving a web site to a new server is not necessarily due to a break down in the relationship with your web designer. You may be forced to move if your existing server can no longer handle your traffic bandwidth. If your costs become too high in a shared hosting environment you may find it more economical to setup your own web server and host your own application.

If you do choose to host your own application this is where the cost ramifications of your earlier choices will hit your pocket book. For example if your site was developed using PHP, an open-source scripting language for websites, then the cost of your new server will likely not include any software licensing because the operating system (Linux) is free. If on the other hand your site is developed using .ASP or .ASP.NET, you are going to have to buy expensive server licenses from the big guy.

Can You Use Your Site Into the Future?

If you commission a web designer or developer to complete a project for you make sure that you have an agreement in place that clearly specifies that you can continue to use the project and the related source files when it is completed. Check the service agreement that you have signed with your web company. Of course if there is no documentation then you will not know if you own you web site or web-based application.

In Summary

There are some good reasons for web designers and developers to protect their rights and to ensure their future earning potential. As the client or purchaser of web design services you need to understand where you stand with regard to choices that will be made on your behalf regarding your web site or web based application.

Make Money Online With Targeted Traffic

More and more people in today's world use the Internet as a tool to get or sell product, service or information. The trend is that most of them use keywords search. Google holds the half market of keywords search. To be indexed and ranked high in search engine, you have the potential opportunities to make money online with targeted traffic.

Targeted traffic for your website is as vital as knowing how to survive. The information which surfers are looking for is usually available on thousands of websites, so you have to make sure you are extremely excellent to beat your competitors. Keeping your website high in the search engine rankings, you can continue to get targeted traffic for making money online.

Why targeted traffic is so important for you to make money online? How to make money online with targeted traffic?

We can list two possibilities for our purchase: use search engine or go familiar websites. Based on psychology, we know using search engine has strong incentive meaning: the behavior has high possibility to be an action. So the first website or first several websites which related to your item will have advantage to target you as their customer. You may compare others or delay your purchase. But undoubtedly, they will give you a deep impression. The second choice is that you will go those familiar websites, like eBay, Amazon to look for. This is also targeted traffic. Other ways still are effective, but not efficient.

Search engines are sophisticated enough to allow users to quickly find relevant websites by searching for a simple word or phrase. Sites that provide useful content will bring back targeted traffic. Meanwhile, search engines reward these sites to give them a high ranking and more exposure to targeted traffic. The more targeted traffic comes, the more likely you will make money online.

To mention targeted traffic, you should know the term of search engine optimization. The search engine optimization is not only the skills but also is your efforts. The more relevant keywords you use in your website, the more likely you get the targeted traffic that visitors will find your site when they conduct a search. Search engine optimization will increase your page rank and give you a chance to make money online with those targeted traffic.

Pay per click advertising is another way within the search to give you the targeted traffic. Compare to nature search, sometimes it is expensive, especially for those hot keywords. But it is direct way to know how your business does. What you get are all of targeted traffic. Google AdWords is the best way to make money online with targeted traffic.

Getting other web pages to link to your website is very important for you to make money online with targeted traffic. This is nature and not to pay. The excellent way to generate no cost targeted traffic is by submitting articles to article directories or newsletter publishers with your "resource box" attached. The important thing to remember is that you have your back link in your resource box and contain most relevant keywords there.

Search engine optimization, pay per click advertising and link popularity are three key ways for you to increase your targeted traffic and make money online with targeted traffic. By implementing these suggestions on your online business, you will quickly realize that the more targeted traffic, the more sales you get. In fact, the content can do more to expand your online business and let you make more money online with targeted traffic.

What is a Niche and Why do You Need One?

No matter where you go online, you are likely to hear the same thing. “Before you can get started with your online business, you must find a niche.” You will do well to pay heed to this advice, especially if you are new to Internet Marketing.

Each day, thousands of people go online in search of, you guessed it, WEALTH. So many, tend to jump right into those markets that are already so completely saturated with competition and then wonder why it is that they are failing to make any money.

If a person has unlimited money, time and patience, they may have a chance at succeeding. But what about those who do not have unlimited supplies of these resources, it would then be much wiser to start your online business having a smaller niche market.

So what is a niche anyway?

You could purchase anyone of the hundreds of e-books telling you all about niche markets and get the longer answer. Or you could find the definition of a niche from the dictionary. But to give you the shorter version, niche simply means individual or distinct.

Seems everyone and their mother wants to start an Internet Marketing business. The big guns are making their money in this niche market, so it must be the way to go, right. Wrong, that’s the problem. So many people have years of experience in this area, that they have totally saturated the market. So, when someone new tries to compete in this broader market, they will likely not have any chance of success.

Susan Ward on About.com, defines Internet Marketing as “the strategies that are used to market a product or service online, marketing strategies that include search engine optimization and search engine submission, copywriting that encourages site visitors to take action, web site design strategies, online promotions, reciprocal linking, and email marketing". Anyone who is new to starting an online business will not know enough about all of the areas above to be able to compete in this fast pace market.

So can a new person have a chance at becoming successful? Yes.

But you must think smaller – think niche!

You could possibly come up with any one of the following niches just from the definition above:

Copywriting
Linking
Marketing
Email Marketing
Web Site Design
Search Engine Optimization

Even if you are already extremely experienced or lucky in any one of the above niches, there is still a lot of competition out there in these broader niches. You may decide to do this anyway in the end, but spend some time exploring smaller niches within the more broad areas. This may lead you to finding a niche that you are better suited to anyway.

Finding just the right niche market can be time consuming, for this reason using a resource such as Wordtracker can be helpful. Even though you can find similar software programs on any number of sites, Wordtracker will help break a broad site concept down into many smaller niches.

What you will end up with by using software such as Wordtracker is a list of keywords relevant to your niche that your can focus your business on. Choose a smaller niche so that you will have a better shot at being successful with your business, rather than a broader topic such as Internet Marketing.

Keep in mind, that in order to be successful in any business, it all comes down to supplying a product or service that the public has a demand for and the market has room for. Discover the right niche and you will discover that you are on the right path.

How to add photos to 5, 10 or 100’s of web pages and articles in a flash

Web design and development has come a long way since the days of static webpages. The new world of Web 2.0 and advanced search engine algorythmns require webmasters to provide striking content that will generate hundreds of in-bound links but also make visitors stop and spend their time with the content. No more can webmasters rely on pages stuffed with keywords and mediocre content – people can choose from billions of pages and with broadband connections that can quickly and easily move on.

To make a strong impact and encourage visitors to comment and spend time with the page or to encourage in-bound links, webpages need photographs. Photos raise the quality and appearance of an article keeping the prospective reader for those extra vital seconds to engage them in reading the page. Finding web photographs can be very difficult. Some stock exchanges offer free photos, but they are all high resolution and require the webmaster to download, resize, alter and upload the photo. It can take hours to find a good photo and if you have 5, 10 or 100’s of pages this can consume an incredible lot of time.

A better way to add photographs to 100’s of web pages and articles is to sign up with a service like Plinkme.com. This is a Photo Library for webmasters with a lot of content, to make it easy to add a photo to every page and also create a link between the photographers gallery and every web page. This creates an automatic relationship where a link to the web page is automatically created in the Photographers’ gallery, providing another place to promote the web page and/or article.

Most stock exchange services are for the benefit of the graphic designers and web designers. Services like Plinkme.com are designed for the benefit of the webmaster as well as the photographer. Plinkme has several benefits over traditional services. The first is the way it puts photographs on the webpage. The webmaster copies and pastes a small piece of code on the page. The code chooses a picture based on keywords or category, and then displays it on the website. The webmaster doesn't need to worry about sizing or resolution. A writer or webmaster can populate 5, 10 or 100’s of pages in an instant with little effort.

The Plinkme code encourages relationship by adding links to the photographer's website and in turn creating a link from the photographer's gallery to the webpage hosting the photo. The Plinkme photo also keeps the page fresh and relevant to visitors.

Today's content websites are demanding. The code from a site like Plinkme is JavaScript, so it will fit on any type of webpage, dynamic or static. Webmasters and article writers can use the code from a category and have plinkme select a photo automatically from the category. This is great for large content sites or article sites where the webmaster or writer can quickly pop the code in the dynamic page, passing in a category name and 100’s or thousands of pages can appear with a relevant photo, creating hundreds or thousands of links back to the pages.

However, Plinkme also understands that there are some hands-on webmasters who will not be interested in having the code select their photographs. That is why they include a self serve feature. The webmaster can select the images they prefer, and then copy and paste the code for that specific image to a particular webpage.

There are many photo services on the internet, but Plinkme has gone the extra step to help webmasters. They understand how important in-bound links are, and they include an inbound link from the Plinkme gallery to every article or web page that uses a photo from a Plinkme photographer. A large content based website can generate hundreds or more in-bound links, just by adding plinkme photographs to their webpages and articles. The best thing about Plinkme is that it is free. This makes the service accessible to small and non-commercial websites and article writers.

Increasing content almost daily, and updating search engines, is only half of the secret to success. There is so much content on the internet now, and so many webmasters claiming to be experts. It is difficult to make visitors stop and read an article. Encouraging them to finish reading the article and comment or follow through further on the site can be almost impossible. That is why webmasters are adding photographs to articles instead of just offering up a page of text.

It’s a well known fact that Photographs will increase a visitors attention to a page and it’s this extra attention that is critical to being able to engage the visitor in your content. Plinkme makes it easy to add a photo to a page one by one or quickly place a photo in hundreds of pages all by using a small piece of JavaScript code. Very quickly with little effort and no cost you can raise the attention span of your pages and create more inbound links to your web pages and articles in a few minutes with plinkme.com

How to get free artwork for your website?

You can get free artwork from talented artists, for your website, without spending any money. You do however, have to put in some time and effort. Here is how to do it.

You are a webmaster. That is what you do. And you have a website or a blog. Maybe you have several websites. But you are definitely not an artist. You have tried to create the banners, icons, logo or other artwork for your site and it just doesn’t have that professional look. So you spend hours looking for free artwork and pictures that you can use on your site but that hasn’t worked out very well either.

You could dish out the money to purchase artwork, and this can be expensive because you can either buy a suite of images or you can buy single images. And after that, you only have pictures or images. You still don’t have a banner or a logo. These kinds of things need to be designed from the pictures and images! That’s why you need an artist!

So how do you get an artist without spending any money?

The answer to that is actually quite simple. You are not an artist but you are a webmaster and there is value in that! There are plenty of artists out there that don’t know much about making websites and would be willing to trade some of their time for some of your time.
The common lament of a new artist is “ I need to get my work out there. I need some web exposure.” You can give that to an artist. You can give him or her some great webpages all about their artwork, their studio, store, book, or whatever projects they are working on. That’s the trade you offer -some free graphics for some free web exposure.

How to find the right artists

You are looking for an artist that is hungry for exposure and reasonably skilled at the craft. There are plenty of them out there and there are probably one hundred of that type for every “successful” artist. Start your search by first putting up something on your webpages. Something like this would be good: “Are you an artist? Would you like to create the banner for this website in exchange for write-ups about you and your work? Email me.”

Another excellent source of artists is the yahoo and google groups. There are a lot of artistic groups that have many artists who would love to get the chance to get their artwork onto a website. Join some of these groups and get a feel for what they all talk about then make a post with your proposition for a trade. I have done this and you will be shocked by how much response you get. This process also works well in forums.

The artist’s interest is key

You shouldn’t just look for “an artist”. This approach doesn’t work well. You have to look for an artist that is interested in the subject matter of your website. If your website is about unicorns then you need to scout out an artist who loves to do unicorn artwork. This applies to any subject at all from apple pie to zebras. There are plenty of artists who would be jazzed to do some artwork in that genre. Make sure you filter for this when looking for suitable forums groups.

How much of your web creation time should you put into the work?

A talented artist can often times sit down and have some really great stuff in an hour or two. It is really amazing how somebody can do this. Personally, I am willing to devote ten times that to writing about the artist and building web pages about him or her. Why? Because that artwork is gold. Over the course of time, thousands, even tens of thousands of people are going to visit your site (more if you are persistent). And that artwork will make a big impression. It’s worth every minute you put into it.

What to offer

Reach into your toolbox and dig out some of your best stuff! Create an about the author page. If the author has a website, offer links. If the artist has created your banner you can offer to put a link in your navigation box that says “Banner for this site created by”. You can create a gallery of his work with explanations of how the artist created it. You can do a telephone interview. Or better yet, ask the artist what he would like in exchange for the artwork.

Finding good artwork is not a negative thing. Bartering for artwork is very much a positive thing because everybody benefits. You benefit by some great artwork, and the artist benefits by getting some legitimate web exposure. Take the first few steps and you will be surprised by the strong response you get from artists who are looking for some quality web exposure.

How To Detect Reciprocal Linking Frauds?

by Monica Corral - Lorica

Reciprocal linking is a web marketing strategy that web marketing specialists use for the purpose of generating higher search engine ranking and more site traffic. These are the original purposes of reciprocal linking. For years, reciprocal linking is an indispensable web marketing strategy, not until the reciprocal linking frauds came to be.

Why Do Website's Use Reciprocal Linking Frauds?

There are some websites who claim to be a trusted reciprocal linking partner when in fact they just aim to outwit their so-called linking partner. Why do they use reciprocal linking frauds? There are two possible reasons for this.

• These websites want to have one-way incoming links rather than a reciprocal link. This is due to the fact that one-way incoming link is more valuable than a reciprocal link.
  

• To avoid participating in reciprocal linking activity with lower ranking websites.

These two are the most possible reasons why some websites have thought of tricking their reciprocal linking partners. What reciprocal linking frauds do these websites use?

Warning: Reciprocal Linking Frauds

Since reciprocal linking has marked its own worth in terms of web marketing and site promotion, it became a favorite object for fraud. There are some websites who just can't make a true and clean reciprocal linking. They always try to outwit their linking partners using any of the following reciprocal linking frauds and tricks:

• Absent Back Link
  

One reciprocal linking fraud that some websites use is the absent back link. This happens when your website's reciprocal linking partner asks for a link from your website in exchange of a back link. When you have already linked to their website, they won't give your website a back link. Thereby, giving their websites a one way incoming link.

• Hidden Link
  

There are times when some websites make your back link invisible to the search engines. They use JavaScript to hide the back links. There are times when your reciprocal linking partner uses the rel="nofollow" attribute which makes the search engines ignore your link.

• Redirect Script For Back Link
  

Some reciprocal linking partners use a redirect script to hide the back link pointing to your website. The back link which is supposed to take the search engines and online users to your website actually points to another page on the reciprocal linking partner's website. This way, the back link pointing to your website is not recognized by the web crawler, making it a useless link.

Reciprocal linking still lives and is still effective in increasing your website's search engine ranking and traffic, BUT only if it is performed properly. Don't be a victim of reciprocal linking frauds and don't be a reciprocal linking fraud user as well. This is to ensure that we can still enjoy the benefits of reciprocal linking in our web marketing activity.

Tips to increase your website's visibility

by Charles K

What is website visibility?

Think about the truth about human nature and understanding and you will come to know why you must be visible to get your self noticeable. A highly visible website draws more visitors and thereby increases sales. So it goes that visibility results in profitability. Let's try to learn some amazing points to increase the visibility of your web site.

Pulling traffic the effortlessly:

There is not a single short cut to increase your web sites visibility but sure there are several ways by which you can let search engines know about your website. If these search engines realize your website's existence, you will be part of its search results. But if these search engines identify your website as highly popular, it will not just recognize your site as one of the millions on the list instead, it will place your site on a top rank position. Below are some recommended ways to draw traffic to your site, increase its visibility and enhance its popularity:

Letting them know through useful links:

Search engine will appreciate your web site more if you have more links that point to your website, the more search engines will record your website as a popular one. But these must be good links; otherwise, your website doesn't earn the profit of the links. A good number of quality links leads to high traffic, visibility and popularity of your website. You should start finding some nice links for your web pages.

Right key words can take you miles away:

That's right! You better know more about meta-tags, SEO and importance of right key words while putting them into your web site. It will not only Increase your website's visibility by optimizing relative pages but also render a Search for the right pages and components on your website and take you towards a good rank position in search results.

Directory positions:

Please don't get lazy on this one if you want to prove your net presence you should put your web site into maximum possible directories. The upper limit of it should consider as many as you can find. Directories are supportive in your website's objective to get to the top of search results. They are mostly categorized based on specific topics and aimed for a particular market only. You should respect this fact and act accordingly to donate more efforts in this regard.

Slot in your own directory on the site:

This one is a great idea, as having your own directory on the site is an vital step to drive traffic to your website. How? Every time a particular site visits your directory and adds a listing, it increases traffic to your domain. Aside from this, a directory will contribute to the size of your website.

How to underline your upbeat edge:

Some factors are important while considering this need of a website; and it generally includes smaller details like the choice of anchor texts, descriptions, and the kind of link to place on other websites. There are also some other methods and practical ways to heighten your websites visibility on search results. These details are not to be overlooked as they also play essential roles in your main endeavor of building a more visible and popular website. And finally, keep an eye on your website's page rank - so you will know how healthy you are doing in your goal or if you need a enhanced approach to get the desired results?