Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
How I Became a Freelance Writer
I am a Graduate in English and based in India. I started out as a computer hardware professional about 14 years ago and stumbled upon 'writing' as a career, and have been doing just that for the past 6 years. Mainly because I found it more interesting and fulfilling than tinkering with the entrails of desktop personal computers and laptops. What I did not realize at the time was that even though I was being paid much more than I had expected to earn, I was being taken for a royal ride by my employer.
The first two years were pretty happily spent writing for websites and seeing my writings appear on many sites from all over the globe. I got engrossed with my work and never realized that I was working from 8:30 to 6:30, six days a week. I would be found at my computer in the office as late as 9:00 pm at least five days a month. I averaged 11 straight hours of work a day for five years. During this time, I realized on the 2nd of January 2007, that during my 5 year stint with the content writing company I had worked for, I had written over 14000 400-500 word articles with a lot of e-books, Press Releases thrown in, and much more editing of the work done by the other two employees working with me.
It was when I was given preference over the others in the firm that politics raised its ugly head. This is when I discovered that the boss was inclined to be biased towards the fairer sex. Things began to get bitter and I decided to move on, but not before ensuring a future in a profession I had so begun to enjoy – writing.
During my 5 years with the firm it had not struck me to figure out where the boss was getting his projects or contracts from. I had always presumed his relatives in the UK and US were helping him out through their contacts there. Lady luck smiled on me in December of 2006 and the boss asked me to draft an email to a client who was very dissatisfied with a certain submission, and the project in question was in jeopardy. The blame could not be laid on me as I had not edited any of the projects submissions. Politics turned again and the boss began to favor me once more asking me to take over and ‘handle’ the client. The client had to be convinced that he was dealing with a person whose ‘mother tongue’ was English, me. So, I was given direct contact with the client. It was through one of the emails from the client that I discovered where or how the boss was getting his work – Bidding Sites!!!!!!
I decided to try my hand at it – bidding I mean. Researching the net and singling out one of the free bidding sites, I submitted about 30 bids for projects at prices I thought were quite ‘reasonable’ never once thinking that I was grossly underselling my services. I bagged one project on the 24th December 2006, my Christmas gift from God! The project was for 400, 250 word articles priced at US $1.50 each. That totaled US $600.00 !! This made me do some math.
During the past 5 years I had written over 14000 articles for my employer and was paid Rs. 6000 per month (US $150). I would write about 10 SEO articles a day, 6 days a week plus edit 20 odd articles written by the others AND write sample articles, that I now realize he was using for bidding on new projects. Here I would write 25, 250 word articles a day and finish the whole project in 16 days AND earn US $600.00 (Rs. 24000). That is 4 times my monthly salary earned in 16 days. I also discovered I had much more time for myself, family and friends. With the math done and my payment assured, I took 3 weeks leave from work for the Christmas season and worked like a madman (taking three days off, two for Christmas and one for the New Year). The boss reluctantly extended me the favor of allowing me leave of absence for three weeks considering that I had only taken a total of 20 days leave in my five years with him.
When I returned to work I was more confident in my abilities and how I was going to treat the firm’s seasoned politicians. I was surprised to find a person in my place. I was also richer and had three more projects in hand, awarded to me by a very satisfied client, who is till date keeping me quite busy. The person in my place was recommended by a very close friend of the boss and so, had acquired some extent of authority over me. I was informed that I will be working “closely” with the new man. This characteristic of the boss, putting his ego before his business was the cause of many losses to his business, and he realized that a bit too late.
This ‘new man’, having mingled with my adversaries for three weeks in my absence, had obviously developed a dislike for me even without having the opportunity to meet me, started “editing” my English. I do not mind someone of authority or experience pointing out my flaws, and I do agree I am not a perfect writer of English and do make mistakes, I am more of a technical hand than a writer, but I do know when a person who asks me, “did it rain tomorrow? You are not knowing where the mistakes are?” is rather incompetent to correct my English.
The boss did not seem to want to displease his acquaintance through whom he got this “editor” and asked me to handle a smaller project independently. This was the last straw and we decided to part ways. Today I am glad I did, I am also glad the company has survived, albeit with new employees, but no longer writing articles but are engaged in data entry. I earnestly wish them all the luck they need, after all people are earning their bread and possibly a bit of butter from the firm I spent 5 years of my life with.
I have a lot of work in hand and am earning more than 8 times compared to when I was working for a person who did not appreciate hard work, least of all recognize quality over the nonsense being doled out by his so-called ‘writers’. I never let my ego get in the way of my professional decisions, and if a client tells me I have fallen short of quality standards, I make it a point to find out what he or she found wrong with my work. I then use the feedback to improve – not to gauge the client’s knowledge of the subject.
I have learned, through experience, never to bid on projects that require one or more “samples”, and I definitely do not accept projects that will pay you after the work has been “approved”. I feel these projects reek of dishonesty and fraud. I do understand the clients need for a sample of my work and so submit just enough for him or her to assess my work and if I get the project I give it my best then leave the rest to God ,after all he brought me to the bidding sites.
In retrospect, comparing what I was earning to what I am earning today in proportion to the effort I put in, I cannot help but be grateful to the almighty and my supporters. Thank God for introducing me to biding sites.
For more information on my work and style please visit http://www.ewriterz.com/
I am a Graduate in English and based in India. I started out as a computer hardware professional about 14 years ago and stumbled upon 'writing' as a career, and have been doing just that for the past 6 years. Mainly because I found it more interesting and fulfilling than tinkering with the entrails of desktop personal computers and laptops. What I did not realize at the time was that even though I was being paid much more than I had expected to earn, I was being taken for a royal ride by my employer.
The first two years were pretty happily spent writing for websites and seeing my writings appear on many sites from all over the globe. I got engrossed with my work and never realized that I was working from 8:30 to 6:30, six days a week. I would be found at my computer in the office as late as 9:00 pm at least five days a month. I averaged 11 straight hours of work a day for five years. During this time, I realized on the 2nd of January 2007, that during my 5 year stint with the content writing company I had worked for, I had written over 14000 400-500 word articles with a lot of e-books, Press Releases thrown in, and much more editing of the work done by the other two employees working with me.
It was when I was given preference over the others in the firm that politics raised its ugly head. This is when I discovered that the boss was inclined to be biased towards the fairer sex. Things began to get bitter and I decided to move on, but not before ensuring a future in a profession I had so begun to enjoy – writing.
During my 5 years with the firm it had not struck me to figure out where the boss was getting his projects or contracts from. I had always presumed his relatives in the UK and US were helping him out through their contacts there. Lady luck smiled on me in December of 2006 and the boss asked me to draft an email to a client who was very dissatisfied with a certain submission, and the project in question was in jeopardy. The blame could not be laid on me as I had not edited any of the projects submissions. Politics turned again and the boss began to favor me once more asking me to take over and ‘handle’ the client. The client had to be convinced that he was dealing with a person whose ‘mother tongue’ was English, me. So, I was given direct contact with the client. It was through one of the emails from the client that I discovered where or how the boss was getting his work – Bidding Sites!!!!!!
I decided to try my hand at it – bidding I mean. Researching the net and singling out one of the free bidding sites, I submitted about 30 bids for projects at prices I thought were quite ‘reasonable’ never once thinking that I was grossly underselling my services. I bagged one project on the 24th December 2006, my Christmas gift from God! The project was for 400, 250 word articles priced at US $1.50 each. That totaled US $600.00 !! This made me do some math.
During the past 5 years I had written over 14000 articles for my employer and was paid Rs. 6000 per month (US $150). I would write about 10 SEO articles a day, 6 days a week plus edit 20 odd articles written by the others AND write sample articles, that I now realize he was using for bidding on new projects. Here I would write 25, 250 word articles a day and finish the whole project in 16 days AND earn US $600.00 (Rs. 24000). That is 4 times my monthly salary earned in 16 days. I also discovered I had much more time for myself, family and friends. With the math done and my payment assured, I took 3 weeks leave from work for the Christmas season and worked like a madman (taking three days off, two for Christmas and one for the New Year). The boss reluctantly extended me the favor of allowing me leave of absence for three weeks considering that I had only taken a total of 20 days leave in my five years with him.
When I returned to work I was more confident in my abilities and how I was going to treat the firm’s seasoned politicians. I was surprised to find a person in my place. I was also richer and had three more projects in hand, awarded to me by a very satisfied client, who is till date keeping me quite busy. The person in my place was recommended by a very close friend of the boss and so, had acquired some extent of authority over me. I was informed that I will be working “closely” with the new man. This characteristic of the boss, putting his ego before his business was the cause of many losses to his business, and he realized that a bit too late.
This ‘new man’, having mingled with my adversaries for three weeks in my absence, had obviously developed a dislike for me even without having the opportunity to meet me, started “editing” my English. I do not mind someone of authority or experience pointing out my flaws, and I do agree I am not a perfect writer of English and do make mistakes, I am more of a technical hand than a writer, but I do know when a person who asks me, “did it rain tomorrow? You are not knowing where the mistakes are?” is rather incompetent to correct my English.
The boss did not seem to want to displease his acquaintance through whom he got this “editor” and asked me to handle a smaller project independently. This was the last straw and we decided to part ways. Today I am glad I did, I am also glad the company has survived, albeit with new employees, but no longer writing articles but are engaged in data entry. I earnestly wish them all the luck they need, after all people are earning their bread and possibly a bit of butter from the firm I spent 5 years of my life with.
I have a lot of work in hand and am earning more than 8 times compared to when I was working for a person who did not appreciate hard work, least of all recognize quality over the nonsense being doled out by his so-called ‘writers’. I never let my ego get in the way of my professional decisions, and if a client tells me I have fallen short of quality standards, I make it a point to find out what he or she found wrong with my work. I then use the feedback to improve – not to gauge the client’s knowledge of the subject.
I have learned, through experience, never to bid on projects that require one or more “samples”, and I definitely do not accept projects that will pay you after the work has been “approved”. I feel these projects reek of dishonesty and fraud. I do understand the clients need for a sample of my work and so submit just enough for him or her to assess my work and if I get the project I give it my best then leave the rest to God ,after all he brought me to the bidding sites.
In retrospect, comparing what I was earning to what I am earning today in proportion to the effort I put in, I cannot help but be grateful to the almighty and my supporters. Thank God for introducing me to biding sites.
For more information on my work and style please visit http://www.ewriterz.com/
Thursday, October 18, 2007
So What Is Organic Gardening All About?
by: George Mole
Organic gardening is growing without chemical fertilizers, naturally building the soil to support healthy plant life. Organic gardening is a constantly evolving dance that allows you to be a full participant in your garden.
It is not a fad or new in any way. In fact, it is the oldest method of cultivation and had its first serious beginnings in Europe. It's good for your family, and it's less expensive to do. Organic gardening is really about designing the garden as a complete ecosystem, a natural environment where the gardener is a participant, not an observer. The key to organic gardening is to work with nature in the growing of plants so that the resources consumed by the garden can be replenished both minimally and consistently.
Although organic gardening does require a few changes in the way things are done from traditional gardening, you will quickly discover organic gardening is easy and fun. Reduced pollution of the environment through recycling of garden, household and other wastes rather than dumping or burning them is seen as a beneficial by product. One of the basic tenant of organic gardening is to "Feed the soil and the soil will feed the plants". This involves the mysterious world of compost making. Organic compost is a great soil conditioner, is nutrient rich and will give your plants, crops and flowers all they need to prosper.
Organic matter (decayed plant material) is an essential ingredient in fertile soils, improving the soil tilth while preventing soil compaction and crusting. Adding organic matter improves any soil's texture as well as attracting soil organisms that create nutrients in the soil. Sadly, many people still view organic gardening as a niche or trend, not realizing the incredible benefits gained. Organic gardening benefits not only you and your family, but your land, animals and the earth. Benefits to our children and pets, which are often accidentally exposed to pesticides sprayed on people's lawns and gardens.
Benefits to wildlife if pesticide residue is kept out of our waterways and land. Benefits to the world (a recent study has shown that global warming IS happening, and it IS caused by humans) by keeping pesticides, herbicides and fungicides out of our air and soil. Remember that organic gardening is much more than preparing soil, using mulch, avoiding synthetic disease and pest controls, and planting your plants. When the kids discover how much fun organic gardening is, they will look forward to making this a normal part of life when they grow up.
by: George Mole
Organic gardening is growing without chemical fertilizers, naturally building the soil to support healthy plant life. Organic gardening is a constantly evolving dance that allows you to be a full participant in your garden.
It is not a fad or new in any way. In fact, it is the oldest method of cultivation and had its first serious beginnings in Europe. It's good for your family, and it's less expensive to do. Organic gardening is really about designing the garden as a complete ecosystem, a natural environment where the gardener is a participant, not an observer. The key to organic gardening is to work with nature in the growing of plants so that the resources consumed by the garden can be replenished both minimally and consistently.
Although organic gardening does require a few changes in the way things are done from traditional gardening, you will quickly discover organic gardening is easy and fun. Reduced pollution of the environment through recycling of garden, household and other wastes rather than dumping or burning them is seen as a beneficial by product. One of the basic tenant of organic gardening is to "Feed the soil and the soil will feed the plants". This involves the mysterious world of compost making. Organic compost is a great soil conditioner, is nutrient rich and will give your plants, crops and flowers all they need to prosper.
Organic matter (decayed plant material) is an essential ingredient in fertile soils, improving the soil tilth while preventing soil compaction and crusting. Adding organic matter improves any soil's texture as well as attracting soil organisms that create nutrients in the soil. Sadly, many people still view organic gardening as a niche or trend, not realizing the incredible benefits gained. Organic gardening benefits not only you and your family, but your land, animals and the earth. Benefits to our children and pets, which are often accidentally exposed to pesticides sprayed on people's lawns and gardens.
Benefits to wildlife if pesticide residue is kept out of our waterways and land. Benefits to the world (a recent study has shown that global warming IS happening, and it IS caused by humans) by keeping pesticides, herbicides and fungicides out of our air and soil. Remember that organic gardening is much more than preparing soil, using mulch, avoiding synthetic disease and pest controls, and planting your plants. When the kids discover how much fun organic gardening is, they will look forward to making this a normal part of life when they grow up.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
How I Became a Freelance Writer.
I am a Graduate in English and based in India. I started out as a computer hardware professional about 14 years ago and stumbled upon 'writing' as a career, and have been doing just that for the past 6 years. Mainly because I found it more interesting and fulfilling than tinkering with the entrails of desktop personal computers and laptops. What I did not realize at the time was that even though I was being paid much more than I had expected to earn, I was being taken for a royal ride by my employer.
The first two years were pretty happily spent writing for websites and seeing my writings appear on many sites from all over the globe. I got engrossed with my work and never realized that I was working from 8:30 to 6:30, six days a week. I would be found at my computer in the office as late as 9:00 pm at least five days a month. I averaged 11 straight hours of work a day for five years. During this time, I realized on the 2nd of January 2007, that during my 5 year stint with the content writing company I had worked for, I had written over 14000 400-500 word articles with a lot of e-books, Press Releases thrown in, and much more editing of the work done by the other two employees working with me.
It was when I was given preference over the others in the firm that politics raised its ugly head. This is when I discovered that the boss was inclined to be biased towards the fairer sex. Things began to get bitter and I decided to move on, but not before ensuring a future in a profession I had so begun to enjoy – writing.
During my 5 years with the firm it had not struck me to figure out where the boss was getting his projects or contracts from. I had always presumed his relatives in the UK and US were helping him out through their contacts there. Lady luck smiled on me in December of 2006 and the boss asked me to draft an email to a client who was very dissatisfied with a certain submission, and the project in question was in jeopardy. The blame could not be laid on me as I had not edited any of the projects submissions. Politics turned again and the boss began to favor me once more asking me to take over and ‘handle’ the client. The client had to be convinced that he was dealing with a person whose ‘mother tongue’ was English, me. So, I was given direct contact with the client. It was through one of the emails from the client that I discovered where or how the boss was getting his work – Bidding Sites!!!!!!
I decided to try my hand at it – bidding I mean. Researching the net and singling out one of the free bidding sites, I submitted about 30 bids for projects at prices I thought were quite ‘reasonable’ never once thinking that I was grossly underselling my services. I bagged one project on the 24th December 2006, my Christmas gift from God! The project was for 400, 250 word articles priced at US $1.50 each. That totaled US $600.00 !! This made me do some math.
During the past 5 years I had written over 14000 articles for my employer and was paid Rs. 6000 per month (US $150). I would write about 10 SEO articles a day, 6 days a week plus edit 20 odd articles written by the others AND write sample articles, that I now realize he was using for bidding on new projects. Here I would write 25, 250 word articles a day and finish the whole project in 16 days AND earn US $600.00 (Rs. 24000). That is 4 times my monthly salary earned in 16 days. I also discovered I had much more time for myself, family and friends. With the math done and my payment assured, I took 3 weeks leave from work for the Christmas season and worked like a madman (taking three days off, two for Christmas and one for the New Year). The boss reluctantly extended me the favor of allowing me leave of absence for three weeks considering that I had only taken a total of 20 days leave in my five years with him.
When I returned to work I was more confident in my abilities and how I was going to treat the firm’s seasoned politicians. I was surprised to find a person in my place. I was also richer and had three more projects in hand, awarded to me by a very satisfied client, who is till date keeping me quite busy. The person in my place was recommended by a very close friend of the boss and so, had acquired some extent of authority over me. I was informed that I will be working “closely” with the new man. This characteristic of the boss, putting his ego before his business was the cause of many losses to his business, and he realized that a bit too late.
This ‘new man’, having mingled with my adversaries for three weeks in my absence, had obviously developed a dislike for me even without having the opportunity to meet me, started “editing” my English. I do not mind someone of authority or experience pointing out my flaws, and I do agree I am not a perfect writer of English and do make mistakes, I am more of a technical hand than a writer, but I do know when a person who asks me, “did it rain tomorrow? You are not knowing where the mistakes are?” is rather incompetent to correct my English.
The boss did not seem to want to displease his acquaintance through whom he got this “editor” and asked me to handle a smaller project independently. This was the last straw and we decided to part ways. Today I am glad I did, I am also glad the company has survived, albeit with new employees, but no longer writing articles but are engaged in data entry. I earnestly wish them all the luck they need, after all people are earning their bread and possibly a bit of butter from the firm I spent 5 years of my life with.
I have a lot of work in hand and am earning more than 8 times compared to when I was working for a person who did not appreciate hard work, least of all recognize quality over the nonsense being doled out by his so-called ‘writers’. I never let my ego get in the way of my professional decisions, and if a client tells me I have fallen short of quality standards, I make it a point to find out what he or she found wrong with my work. I then use the feedback to improve – not to gauge the client’s knowledge of the subject.
I have learnt, through experience, never to bid on projects that require one or more “samples”, and I definitely do not accept projects that will pay you after the work has been “approved”. I feel these projects reek of dishonesty and fraud. I do understand the clients need for a sample of my work and so submit just enough for him or her to assess my work and if I get the project I give it my best then leave the rest to God ,after all he brought me to the bidding sites.
In retrospect, comparing what I was earning to what I am earning today in proportion to the effort I put in, I cannot help but be grateful to the almighty and my supporters. Thank God for introducing me to bidding sites.
I am a Graduate in English and based in India. I started out as a computer hardware professional about 14 years ago and stumbled upon 'writing' as a career, and have been doing just that for the past 6 years. Mainly because I found it more interesting and fulfilling than tinkering with the entrails of desktop personal computers and laptops. What I did not realize at the time was that even though I was being paid much more than I had expected to earn, I was being taken for a royal ride by my employer.
The first two years were pretty happily spent writing for websites and seeing my writings appear on many sites from all over the globe. I got engrossed with my work and never realized that I was working from 8:30 to 6:30, six days a week. I would be found at my computer in the office as late as 9:00 pm at least five days a month. I averaged 11 straight hours of work a day for five years. During this time, I realized on the 2nd of January 2007, that during my 5 year stint with the content writing company I had worked for, I had written over 14000 400-500 word articles with a lot of e-books, Press Releases thrown in, and much more editing of the work done by the other two employees working with me.
It was when I was given preference over the others in the firm that politics raised its ugly head. This is when I discovered that the boss was inclined to be biased towards the fairer sex. Things began to get bitter and I decided to move on, but not before ensuring a future in a profession I had so begun to enjoy – writing.
During my 5 years with the firm it had not struck me to figure out where the boss was getting his projects or contracts from. I had always presumed his relatives in the UK and US were helping him out through their contacts there. Lady luck smiled on me in December of 2006 and the boss asked me to draft an email to a client who was very dissatisfied with a certain submission, and the project in question was in jeopardy. The blame could not be laid on me as I had not edited any of the projects submissions. Politics turned again and the boss began to favor me once more asking me to take over and ‘handle’ the client. The client had to be convinced that he was dealing with a person whose ‘mother tongue’ was English, me. So, I was given direct contact with the client. It was through one of the emails from the client that I discovered where or how the boss was getting his work – Bidding Sites!!!!!!
I decided to try my hand at it – bidding I mean. Researching the net and singling out one of the free bidding sites, I submitted about 30 bids for projects at prices I thought were quite ‘reasonable’ never once thinking that I was grossly underselling my services. I bagged one project on the 24th December 2006, my Christmas gift from God! The project was for 400, 250 word articles priced at US $1.50 each. That totaled US $600.00 !! This made me do some math.
During the past 5 years I had written over 14000 articles for my employer and was paid Rs. 6000 per month (US $150). I would write about 10 SEO articles a day, 6 days a week plus edit 20 odd articles written by the others AND write sample articles, that I now realize he was using for bidding on new projects. Here I would write 25, 250 word articles a day and finish the whole project in 16 days AND earn US $600.00 (Rs. 24000). That is 4 times my monthly salary earned in 16 days. I also discovered I had much more time for myself, family and friends. With the math done and my payment assured, I took 3 weeks leave from work for the Christmas season and worked like a madman (taking three days off, two for Christmas and one for the New Year). The boss reluctantly extended me the favor of allowing me leave of absence for three weeks considering that I had only taken a total of 20 days leave in my five years with him.
When I returned to work I was more confident in my abilities and how I was going to treat the firm’s seasoned politicians. I was surprised to find a person in my place. I was also richer and had three more projects in hand, awarded to me by a very satisfied client, who is till date keeping me quite busy. The person in my place was recommended by a very close friend of the boss and so, had acquired some extent of authority over me. I was informed that I will be working “closely” with the new man. This characteristic of the boss, putting his ego before his business was the cause of many losses to his business, and he realized that a bit too late.
This ‘new man’, having mingled with my adversaries for three weeks in my absence, had obviously developed a dislike for me even without having the opportunity to meet me, started “editing” my English. I do not mind someone of authority or experience pointing out my flaws, and I do agree I am not a perfect writer of English and do make mistakes, I am more of a technical hand than a writer, but I do know when a person who asks me, “did it rain tomorrow? You are not knowing where the mistakes are?” is rather incompetent to correct my English.
The boss did not seem to want to displease his acquaintance through whom he got this “editor” and asked me to handle a smaller project independently. This was the last straw and we decided to part ways. Today I am glad I did, I am also glad the company has survived, albeit with new employees, but no longer writing articles but are engaged in data entry. I earnestly wish them all the luck they need, after all people are earning their bread and possibly a bit of butter from the firm I spent 5 years of my life with.
I have a lot of work in hand and am earning more than 8 times compared to when I was working for a person who did not appreciate hard work, least of all recognize quality over the nonsense being doled out by his so-called ‘writers’. I never let my ego get in the way of my professional decisions, and if a client tells me I have fallen short of quality standards, I make it a point to find out what he or she found wrong with my work. I then use the feedback to improve – not to gauge the client’s knowledge of the subject.
I have learnt, through experience, never to bid on projects that require one or more “samples”, and I definitely do not accept projects that will pay you after the work has been “approved”. I feel these projects reek of dishonesty and fraud. I do understand the clients need for a sample of my work and so submit just enough for him or her to assess my work and if I get the project I give it my best then leave the rest to God ,after all he brought me to the bidding sites.
In retrospect, comparing what I was earning to what I am earning today in proportion to the effort I put in, I cannot help but be grateful to the almighty and my supporters. Thank God for introducing me to bidding sites.
Friday, October 12, 2007
This is an article I found on http://www.articlecity.com/ - Kudos Royleena
Brand Yourself And Success Will Come!
by: Royleena Nicholas
The internet is growing daily with folk who are looking for ways to earn a comfortable living from their home base. However, the sad truth is many online business owners never make a profit online! Sadly, even in today's online market, many business owners have no idea how to effectively market their internet business. In addition, they don't understand the importance of "branding" their name to build a quality online presence and reputation.
To welcome online success, "branding you" should be the number one online business owners' priority. When beginning an online Internet career, it is detrimental to online longevity that the online promoter cultivate a squeaky clean image.
Many online business owners tarnish their name, by promoting worthless downloadable software and eBooks. It is a good idea to test-drive any eBook or software package before you decide to promote the product as an affiliate marketer. It's not an intelligent idea to promote worthless products to your opt-in list, so be careful what you endorse online.
Another way you can ruin your branded name and good reputation is opportunity jumping or program hopping. To highlight this point, I will talk about only five popular online business programs that are heavily promoted online. The programs are Perfect Wealth Formula, edc Gold, Passport to Wealth, Wealth Magnet System and Roadmap to Riches.
Lets go back a few months to when Passport to Wealth launched in February 2007. Since February I have seen the same top earners, jump from :
(1) edc Gold to (2) Passport to Wealth to (3) Perfect Wealth Formula to (4) Wealth Magnet System and now to (5) Roadmap to Riches.
What a great way to earn instant cash daily! Now. I am not saying, that all these business opportunity promoters are all tarred with the same brush, but in amongst this group of business promoters are a few bad eggs, that like nothing more than to take your hard earned money and thereafter never return your emails or phone calls.
The good news is it doesn't take long before the online internet community, catches onto these dirty quick cash generating tricks and unlike the offline business world, this type of underhanded home business owner can't move to another state or country, and start all over again!
To profit quickly on the net, firstly brand and protect your name. Next make sure you do your research and only promote quality products. To explode your success online, in your first year, it is a good idea to find yourself a personal eCoach to educate yourself in online advertising and marketing methods.
To conclude, every new internet business promoter should understand that online marketing success doesn't happen overnight; sometimes it can take 2-3 years to build a successful online presence. I believe, perseverance is the key to success, with any Internet business and online marketing endeavour.
http://www.ewriterz.com
http://dexterfigg.blogspot.com
http://figgdexter.blogspot.com
http://viewzornewz.blogspot.com
http://hadesviking.sulekha.com
http://infoonwork.blogspot.com
Brand Yourself And Success Will Come!
by: Royleena Nicholas
The internet is growing daily with folk who are looking for ways to earn a comfortable living from their home base. However, the sad truth is many online business owners never make a profit online! Sadly, even in today's online market, many business owners have no idea how to effectively market their internet business. In addition, they don't understand the importance of "branding" their name to build a quality online presence and reputation.
To welcome online success, "branding you" should be the number one online business owners' priority. When beginning an online Internet career, it is detrimental to online longevity that the online promoter cultivate a squeaky clean image.
Many online business owners tarnish their name, by promoting worthless downloadable software and eBooks. It is a good idea to test-drive any eBook or software package before you decide to promote the product as an affiliate marketer. It's not an intelligent idea to promote worthless products to your opt-in list, so be careful what you endorse online.
Another way you can ruin your branded name and good reputation is opportunity jumping or program hopping. To highlight this point, I will talk about only five popular online business programs that are heavily promoted online. The programs are Perfect Wealth Formula, edc Gold, Passport to Wealth, Wealth Magnet System and Roadmap to Riches.
Lets go back a few months to when Passport to Wealth launched in February 2007. Since February I have seen the same top earners, jump from :
(1) edc Gold to (2) Passport to Wealth to (3) Perfect Wealth Formula to (4) Wealth Magnet System and now to (5) Roadmap to Riches.
What a great way to earn instant cash daily! Now. I am not saying, that all these business opportunity promoters are all tarred with the same brush, but in amongst this group of business promoters are a few bad eggs, that like nothing more than to take your hard earned money and thereafter never return your emails or phone calls.
The good news is it doesn't take long before the online internet community, catches onto these dirty quick cash generating tricks and unlike the offline business world, this type of underhanded home business owner can't move to another state or country, and start all over again!
To profit quickly on the net, firstly brand and protect your name. Next make sure you do your research and only promote quality products. To explode your success online, in your first year, it is a good idea to find yourself a personal eCoach to educate yourself in online advertising and marketing methods.
To conclude, every new internet business promoter should understand that online marketing success doesn't happen overnight; sometimes it can take 2-3 years to build a successful online presence. I believe, perseverance is the key to success, with any Internet business and online marketing endeavour.
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Ten Ways to Write Great Blog Posts That Get Attention
by: Courtland Bovee
Millions of blogs fight for readership online (over 75 million by some counts), with thousands more being created every day. Making yours stand above the rest may seem like a daunting task, but here are ten suggestions for making your blog posts stand out from the crowd.
1. Write each post title so it grabs the reader's attention. It is the first thing someone reads, and it should get your reader's attention right away. Your title should both pique the reader's interest and be informative. Do not write "Business Writing Advice"; instead, say "The Best-Kept Secret to Reducing Your Business Writing Worries." Longer titles have the advantage of describing in detail what your post is about; 8-12 words are a good range.
2. Keep sentences short and clear. A little goes a long way. Readers are busy people and they will not spend hours detangling complex syntax or sifting through blocks of text. Also, use strong language. Start a new paragraph every few sentences, and limit each post to 250 words, if possible. If you cannot write it in under 250 words, split it into two entries.
3. Break up the text. Use numbered lists, bullet points, and subheadings to make your posts easy to scan. Lots of white space on the page is a good thing-it allows your reader to take mental breaks and let the knowledge soak in. In addition, with the inevitable clutter of banner ads and side text, this technique puts some distance between your writing and all those distractions.
4. Keep current. No one wants to read old news. Your job is to stay up-to-date so your readers do not have to themselves. Read newspapers. Scour the web for references. For example, if you write a blog about business communication, subscribe to Google News Alerts using keywords related to the field, such as blogs, podcasting, instant messaging, business letters, memos, and business reports, so you will always be well informed. Posting items from last month or last year will lose your reader's interest faster than you can say "Enron."
5. Be bold. Timidity is an easy path to anonymity. Do not be afraid to create and state your opinions. Of course, there are some situations in which objectivity rules-but you have to give people a reason to read this blog by you and not by the person next door.
6. Be accurate. If you make a statement, be prepared to back it up. Know what your sources are and quote them accurately. Misinformation spreads like wildfire online; do not be the spark that sets it off or the wind that fans it.
7. Contribute to the conversation. Links are great-but then what? Do not just post links to the same tired sites, offer your reader something new. Contribute to the conversation. Your goal is to be the site to which everyone else is linking-so you had better have something worth writing about.
8. Stay focused. Once you have defined the theme of your blog, stick to it. A blog about piggy banks has no business posting about the latest innovation in alternative energy. Such a deviance will only confuse your reader and chip away at your virtual authority.
9. Use key words liberally. Keywords are, well, key. Harness your blog's search engine potential by dousing your title and post with effective keywords that will help interested parties find your page in the vast, muddled blogosphere. This is one of the most important elements of getting your blog read-go at it with gusto.
10. Be consistent. Keep a schedule and stick to it. Post frequently-at least several times per week if you want to increase your potential of attracting new readers. Let your blog languish for weeks without updates and your audience will move on to fresher ground.
Maintaining an informative blog that people want to read takes hard work and good writing skills. Find what makes your writing unique-and flaunt it for all it is worth.
by: Courtland Bovee
Millions of blogs fight for readership online (over 75 million by some counts), with thousands more being created every day. Making yours stand above the rest may seem like a daunting task, but here are ten suggestions for making your blog posts stand out from the crowd.
1. Write each post title so it grabs the reader's attention. It is the first thing someone reads, and it should get your reader's attention right away. Your title should both pique the reader's interest and be informative. Do not write "Business Writing Advice"; instead, say "The Best-Kept Secret to Reducing Your Business Writing Worries." Longer titles have the advantage of describing in detail what your post is about; 8-12 words are a good range.
2. Keep sentences short and clear. A little goes a long way. Readers are busy people and they will not spend hours detangling complex syntax or sifting through blocks of text. Also, use strong language. Start a new paragraph every few sentences, and limit each post to 250 words, if possible. If you cannot write it in under 250 words, split it into two entries.
3. Break up the text. Use numbered lists, bullet points, and subheadings to make your posts easy to scan. Lots of white space on the page is a good thing-it allows your reader to take mental breaks and let the knowledge soak in. In addition, with the inevitable clutter of banner ads and side text, this technique puts some distance between your writing and all those distractions.
4. Keep current. No one wants to read old news. Your job is to stay up-to-date so your readers do not have to themselves. Read newspapers. Scour the web for references. For example, if you write a blog about business communication, subscribe to Google News Alerts using keywords related to the field, such as blogs, podcasting, instant messaging, business letters, memos, and business reports, so you will always be well informed. Posting items from last month or last year will lose your reader's interest faster than you can say "Enron."
5. Be bold. Timidity is an easy path to anonymity. Do not be afraid to create and state your opinions. Of course, there are some situations in which objectivity rules-but you have to give people a reason to read this blog by you and not by the person next door.
6. Be accurate. If you make a statement, be prepared to back it up. Know what your sources are and quote them accurately. Misinformation spreads like wildfire online; do not be the spark that sets it off or the wind that fans it.
7. Contribute to the conversation. Links are great-but then what? Do not just post links to the same tired sites, offer your reader something new. Contribute to the conversation. Your goal is to be the site to which everyone else is linking-so you had better have something worth writing about.
8. Stay focused. Once you have defined the theme of your blog, stick to it. A blog about piggy banks has no business posting about the latest innovation in alternative energy. Such a deviance will only confuse your reader and chip away at your virtual authority.
9. Use key words liberally. Keywords are, well, key. Harness your blog's search engine potential by dousing your title and post with effective keywords that will help interested parties find your page in the vast, muddled blogosphere. This is one of the most important elements of getting your blog read-go at it with gusto.
10. Be consistent. Keep a schedule and stick to it. Post frequently-at least several times per week if you want to increase your potential of attracting new readers. Let your blog languish for weeks without updates and your audience will move on to fresher ground.
Maintaining an informative blog that people want to read takes hard work and good writing skills. Find what makes your writing unique-and flaunt it for all it is worth.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
When Gambling Becomes a Problem
While most people enjoy casino gambling, sports betting, lottery and bingo playing for the fun and excitement it provides, others may experience gambling as an addictive and distractive habit. Statistics show that while 85 percent of the adult population in the US enjoys some type of gambling every year, between 2 and 3 percent of will develop a gambling problem and 1 percent of them are diagnosed as pathological gamblers.
Where can you draw the line between harmless gambling to problem gambling? How can you tell if you or your friend are compulsive gamblers? Here you can find answers to these questions and other questions regarding problem gambling and gambling addiction.
What is the Meaning of Problem Gambling?
Problem gambling or compulsive gambling is defined as an uncontrollable urge to gamble despite the destructive effect of gambling on the gamblers life and despite feelings of guilt and remorse. Problem gambling tends to have a negative effect on the gamblers financial state, relationships and daily life. Severe cases of problem gambling can be defined as pathological gambling.
Am I a Compulsive Gambler?
1) Do you gamble until your last penny runs out? 2) Do you gamble to win back your former losses or debts? 3) Did you ever had to borrow money to continue gamble? 4) Did your gambling habit ever made you lie to your friends or family? 5) Did you ever skip work or other obligation to gamble? 6) Do you tend to gamble to forget about your personal problems or to celebrate happy occasions? 7) Does gambling have a negative affect on your daily life or relationships?
If you have answered yes on at least one of the questions listed above, then you have a problem.
Can Anyone Become a Compulsive Gambler?
Theoretically, yes. Any gambler can develop gambling problem regardless to the type of gambling he is occupied with, the amount of money and time he is spending on gambling. Researches show that slot machines that can be found in bars and convenient stores are the most addictive type of gambling activity, while lottery draws and bingo games are located on the other end of the scale. Gambling addiction is an emotional problem; its symptoms, causes and treatments are similar to any other form of addiction.
How Can I treat Gambling Addiction?
1) Group Therapy:
Gamblers Anonymous offers a 12 step self help program similar to the one offered to alcohol addicts in Alcoholics Anonymous. Group therapy also offers gambling addicts advice and support from professional counselors and other gambling addicts in different phases of their recovery process. Gambler Anonymous centers are available in more than 1,200 locations statewide.
2) Individual Therapy:
Cognitive or behavior therapy can help gambling addicts to identify their unaware thinking and acting patterns, which led them to gamble compulsively, and to replace them with controllable and healthier ways of thinking.
3) Psychiatric Medication:
It has recently been proven that antidepressant medications from the family of SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can be affective in treatment of gambling addicts.
While most people enjoy casino gambling, sports betting, lottery and bingo playing for the fun and excitement it provides, others may experience gambling as an addictive and distractive habit. Statistics show that while 85 percent of the adult population in the US enjoys some type of gambling every year, between 2 and 3 percent of will develop a gambling problem and 1 percent of them are diagnosed as pathological gamblers.
Where can you draw the line between harmless gambling to problem gambling? How can you tell if you or your friend are compulsive gamblers? Here you can find answers to these questions and other questions regarding problem gambling and gambling addiction.
What is the Meaning of Problem Gambling?
Problem gambling or compulsive gambling is defined as an uncontrollable urge to gamble despite the destructive effect of gambling on the gamblers life and despite feelings of guilt and remorse. Problem gambling tends to have a negative effect on the gamblers financial state, relationships and daily life. Severe cases of problem gambling can be defined as pathological gambling.
Am I a Compulsive Gambler?
1) Do you gamble until your last penny runs out? 2) Do you gamble to win back your former losses or debts? 3) Did you ever had to borrow money to continue gamble? 4) Did your gambling habit ever made you lie to your friends or family? 5) Did you ever skip work or other obligation to gamble? 6) Do you tend to gamble to forget about your personal problems or to celebrate happy occasions? 7) Does gambling have a negative affect on your daily life or relationships?
If you have answered yes on at least one of the questions listed above, then you have a problem.
Can Anyone Become a Compulsive Gambler?
Theoretically, yes. Any gambler can develop gambling problem regardless to the type of gambling he is occupied with, the amount of money and time he is spending on gambling. Researches show that slot machines that can be found in bars and convenient stores are the most addictive type of gambling activity, while lottery draws and bingo games are located on the other end of the scale. Gambling addiction is an emotional problem; its symptoms, causes and treatments are similar to any other form of addiction.
How Can I treat Gambling Addiction?
1) Group Therapy:
Gamblers Anonymous offers a 12 step self help program similar to the one offered to alcohol addicts in Alcoholics Anonymous. Group therapy also offers gambling addicts advice and support from professional counselors and other gambling addicts in different phases of their recovery process. Gambler Anonymous centers are available in more than 1,200 locations statewide.
2) Individual Therapy:
Cognitive or behavior therapy can help gambling addicts to identify their unaware thinking and acting patterns, which led them to gamble compulsively, and to replace them with controllable and healthier ways of thinking.
3) Psychiatric Medication:
It has recently been proven that antidepressant medications from the family of SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can be affective in treatment of gambling addicts.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Internet Marketing - Making Waves!
Recently, there has been a lot written about email and its (impending) death. From what you read on forum boards and in newsletters from well-known internet marketers, email marketing is dead. Too many ISPs are taking it upon themselves to limit the number of emails you can send at one time, or are blocking your emails from even getting to your subscribers’s inboxes.As a way around this, many marketers are telling you to get a blog and an RSS feed. This makes good sense, and there is some indication that RSS and related technology will become more popular in the near future, but before you invest in an ebook or multimedia course from a marketer, ask yourself if that marketer has a vested interest in moving you over to an RSS system (i.e., they conveniently sell an RSS starter kit, or affiliate for someone who does).On the contrary, though, email marketing is not dead. Recently, on a membership-only forum, discussion centred on how Getresponse and Aweber have improved their open and deliverability rates for emails, even as high as 85% for deliverability. One contributor, who owns an autoresponder company, noted that many tricks marketers use to get their messages past spam filters (such as using "f^ree" for "free") are actually backfiring and triggering spam filters, resulting in emails being blocked. Instead, marketers should focus on trick-free, valuable content in their emails.Apparently, email marketing works much the same way as search engine marketing (and, really, all good marketing) does: in the long run, you are rewarded for building (and sending out) trick-free, useful, and informative content.So how should you build your business? With one quality blog post or article at a time. And how should you market with email? With one quality email message at a time.
Recently, there has been a lot written about email and its (impending) death. From what you read on forum boards and in newsletters from well-known internet marketers, email marketing is dead. Too many ISPs are taking it upon themselves to limit the number of emails you can send at one time, or are blocking your emails from even getting to your subscribers’s inboxes.As a way around this, many marketers are telling you to get a blog and an RSS feed. This makes good sense, and there is some indication that RSS and related technology will become more popular in the near future, but before you invest in an ebook or multimedia course from a marketer, ask yourself if that marketer has a vested interest in moving you over to an RSS system (i.e., they conveniently sell an RSS starter kit, or affiliate for someone who does).On the contrary, though, email marketing is not dead. Recently, on a membership-only forum, discussion centred on how Getresponse and Aweber have improved their open and deliverability rates for emails, even as high as 85% for deliverability. One contributor, who owns an autoresponder company, noted that many tricks marketers use to get their messages past spam filters (such as using "f^ree" for "free") are actually backfiring and triggering spam filters, resulting in emails being blocked. Instead, marketers should focus on trick-free, valuable content in their emails.Apparently, email marketing works much the same way as search engine marketing (and, really, all good marketing) does: in the long run, you are rewarded for building (and sending out) trick-free, useful, and informative content.So how should you build your business? With one quality blog post or article at a time. And how should you market with email? With one quality email message at a time.
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