Ten years have passed since we started our Top 10 scams list and it's amazing, looking back, how many of the scams we predicted a decade ago continue to plague victims, as you'll see if you check out that original list, Herbal Viagra and the other 9 top scams for 2001.
Those were relatively early days of the Internet, of course. Users were fewer and so were the number of crooks using the web to hook their victims.
Since then, the rapid change in the shape and operation of the Internet, notably the huge growth of social networking, has introduced new techniques for delivering scams, and the number of victims has gone up by leaps and bounds.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Hijacked Accounts Lead to New Shipping Scam
Crooks have turned their attention to small business fraud by hijacking firms' UPS and FedEx accounts, which they then use for their own benefit, often for sending out fake advance payment checks and shipping drugs.
This means, of course, that there's no way of identifying the crooks, since the packages go out through the accounts of innocent companies.
In the case of bogus checks, the use of legitimate company accounts also helps the scammers in their efforts to convince recipients that the deal, in which they're supposed to wire money, is genuine.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
This means, of course, that there's no way of identifying the crooks, since the packages go out through the accounts of innocent companies.
In the case of bogus checks, the use of legitimate company accounts also helps the scammers in their efforts to convince recipients that the deal, in which they're supposed to wire money, is genuine.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Sunday, December 19, 2010
7 Holiday Myths, Legends, Hoaxes and Superstitions
At this time of year, holiday myths and hoaxes add to the spice of the season -- though they're not always laden with good will.
Many urban legends about Christmas, especially religious ones, have been around for years and yet they still reappear each year.
Three, in particular, were highlighted in a previous issue of Scambusters, Are These Three Christmas Urban Legends True?. And we can report that they're still alive and kicking today.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Many urban legends about Christmas, especially religious ones, have been around for years and yet they still reappear each year.
Three, in particular, were highlighted in a previous issue of Scambusters, Are These Three Christmas Urban Legends True?. And we can report that they're still alive and kicking today.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Friday, December 10, 2010
Watch Out For 7 Online Games Scam Tricks
Fans of multi-player role-playing games, cell phone quizzes and online casinos have handed over all kinds of swag, from virtual "gold" and other imaginary credits, through real cash to personal details in a phishing scheme aimed at identity theft.
The irony is that, in at least some online games, it's perfectly legit to scam others within the scope of the gameplay, though not, of course, in the real world!
Read about the 7 online game scam tricks here and don't be a loser.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
The irony is that, in at least some online games, it's perfectly legit to scam others within the scope of the gameplay, though not, of course, in the real world!
Read about the 7 online game scam tricks here and don't be a loser.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Thursday, December 9, 2010
YOU CAN DO THIS C.J. Hayden, MCC
I've been hearing from many entrepreneurs lately that they are struggling. Our economy is still lagging and the year-end holidays can be a slow time for some businesses. There's been enough bad news in the past couple of years that some business owners remain fearful of what the next news report might bring. Many entrepreneurs are feeling pessimistic, or even worse, powerless, as if there's nothing they can do.
But there is something you can do. When you're in business for yourself, there is always something you can do. This is both the blessing and the curse of being an entrepreneur.
There are many difficulties that come with being a business owner. You have to get up every morning and go to work with no boss looking over your shoulder to tell you what to do and make sure it gets done. You never know whether what you're doing will pay off. You have to manage a fluctuating income, unexpected customer demands, and balancing the needs of your business with your own personal needs and those of your family.
But it can be done. You can succeed. And you can do so in any economy, at any time of year, and regardless of what roadblocks appear in your path. Look around you right now. Are some entrepreneurs in your field succeeding at this very moment? Yes? Then you can, too.
I don't have all the answers. No entrepreneur ever does. But here are some steps you can follow to put your business on the success track, now and any time you find yourself struggling.
1. Get grounded.
What made you decide to start your own business in the first place? Were you seeking more independence, control over your time, a higher income, to practice the profession you love, to make a difference in the world? Whatever your original vision of entrepreneurship was, get back in touch with it. The dream that motivated you in the first place can inspire you again.
Spend an hour recreating your business vision. Visualize your enterprise as a success, giving you everything you dreamed of. Write down what you see, or draw it, if you prefer. Imagine yourself living it. Then keep your vision in your sights. Re-read it or gaze at the picture every Monday morning and whenever you feel down or stuck. Let your vision guide your choices about what to do -- or not do -- to create the business you desire.
2. Get real.
What is it really going to take to make your business more successful? Do you need to improve your marketing, manage your time better, find a new customer base, raise your prices, lower your expenses, get more help? Too many entrepreneurs spend precious time "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." Just doing more of whatever you're doing now is rarely the answer. What do you need to do differently?
Outside perspectives can help a great deal with this question. Read entrepreneurial books like Gerber's The E-Myth Revisited or self-management books like Covey's First Things First. Ask for opinions from successful entrepreneurs you trust. Hire a consultant or business coach to help review your options. Allow yourself to explore new possibilities with a beginner's mind.
3. Get going.
What is the most important thing you could do today to boost your business? Now, are you doing it? Procrastination, fear, and self-sabotage kill more small businesses than external factors like economic conditions and changes in the marketplace. Make a three-item to-do list every day of what your business needs most to succeed, then make those items a priority. If you have trouble getting started on a task, commit to spend at least five minutes and see if that breaks the log jam.
There are many entrepreneurial tasks that can provoke fear, bring up resistance, and otherwise seem too difficult to tackle. But as Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, said, "It is far harder and more painful to be a blocked artist than it is to do the work." Substitute your own occupation for the word "artist," and you'll probably agree.
4. Get help.
What or who can provide the support you need to succeed? It's a rare entrepreneur indeed who is completely self-motivating, knows everything necessary to build a successful business, and already possesses all the skills required. There is no rule that says you have to succeed on your own or it doesn't count. In fact, I'd argue that trying to succeed without help is more likely a recipe for failure.
Take a class to learn more about topics like sales or finances. Work with a business or marketing coach for ongoing support. Hire professionals for focused help with copywriting, bookkeeping, web design, or any other area where you're not an expert. Join an action group, success team, or mastermind group for entrepreneurs. Don't wait until you're drowning to ask for a life jacket.
It's time to take back your power to create your own future as an entrepreneur. Put pessimism on hold, and surround yourself with people who believe in you. Make smart choices about what will make a difference in your business, then take action on what you choose. You can do this.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
But there is something you can do. When you're in business for yourself, there is always something you can do. This is both the blessing and the curse of being an entrepreneur.
There are many difficulties that come with being a business owner. You have to get up every morning and go to work with no boss looking over your shoulder to tell you what to do and make sure it gets done. You never know whether what you're doing will pay off. You have to manage a fluctuating income, unexpected customer demands, and balancing the needs of your business with your own personal needs and those of your family.
But it can be done. You can succeed. And you can do so in any economy, at any time of year, and regardless of what roadblocks appear in your path. Look around you right now. Are some entrepreneurs in your field succeeding at this very moment? Yes? Then you can, too.
I don't have all the answers. No entrepreneur ever does. But here are some steps you can follow to put your business on the success track, now and any time you find yourself struggling.
1. Get grounded.
What made you decide to start your own business in the first place? Were you seeking more independence, control over your time, a higher income, to practice the profession you love, to make a difference in the world? Whatever your original vision of entrepreneurship was, get back in touch with it. The dream that motivated you in the first place can inspire you again.
Spend an hour recreating your business vision. Visualize your enterprise as a success, giving you everything you dreamed of. Write down what you see, or draw it, if you prefer. Imagine yourself living it. Then keep your vision in your sights. Re-read it or gaze at the picture every Monday morning and whenever you feel down or stuck. Let your vision guide your choices about what to do -- or not do -- to create the business you desire.
2. Get real.
What is it really going to take to make your business more successful? Do you need to improve your marketing, manage your time better, find a new customer base, raise your prices, lower your expenses, get more help? Too many entrepreneurs spend precious time "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." Just doing more of whatever you're doing now is rarely the answer. What do you need to do differently?
Outside perspectives can help a great deal with this question. Read entrepreneurial books like Gerber's The E-Myth Revisited or self-management books like Covey's First Things First. Ask for opinions from successful entrepreneurs you trust. Hire a consultant or business coach to help review your options. Allow yourself to explore new possibilities with a beginner's mind.
3. Get going.
What is the most important thing you could do today to boost your business? Now, are you doing it? Procrastination, fear, and self-sabotage kill more small businesses than external factors like economic conditions and changes in the marketplace. Make a three-item to-do list every day of what your business needs most to succeed, then make those items a priority. If you have trouble getting started on a task, commit to spend at least five minutes and see if that breaks the log jam.
There are many entrepreneurial tasks that can provoke fear, bring up resistance, and otherwise seem too difficult to tackle. But as Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, said, "It is far harder and more painful to be a blocked artist than it is to do the work." Substitute your own occupation for the word "artist," and you'll probably agree.
4. Get help.
What or who can provide the support you need to succeed? It's a rare entrepreneur indeed who is completely self-motivating, knows everything necessary to build a successful business, and already possesses all the skills required. There is no rule that says you have to succeed on your own or it doesn't count. In fact, I'd argue that trying to succeed without help is more likely a recipe for failure.
Take a class to learn more about topics like sales or finances. Work with a business or marketing coach for ongoing support. Hire professionals for focused help with copywriting, bookkeeping, web design, or any other area where you're not an expert. Join an action group, success team, or mastermind group for entrepreneurs. Don't wait until you're drowning to ask for a life jacket.
It's time to take back your power to create your own future as an entrepreneur. Put pessimism on hold, and surround yourself with people who believe in you. Make smart choices about what will make a difference in your business, then take action on what you choose. You can do this.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Lottery Scams Rake in Big Winnings for Crooks
The old, familiar "You've won a fortune" lottery scams. The trick hinges on convincing someone -- by phone or email -- that they've won a fortune, then either telling them they have to pay fees or other charges to collect, or asking for bank details so the supposed winnings can be deposited.
In the first case, the money has to be wired and is never seen again; in the other instance, the crooks use the bank details for identity theft.
In an attempt to make themselves more convincing, scammers these days often use celebrity or official labels for the supposed lottery.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
In the first case, the money has to be wired and is never seen again; in the other instance, the crooks use the bank details for identity theft.
In an attempt to make themselves more convincing, scammers these days often use celebrity or official labels for the supposed lottery.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Money Wiring Scams
Money wiring scams cost victims millions every year, yet one simple step will avoid most of them. Despite all the publicity and additional security measures, money wiring scams rob victims of tens of millions, maybe even hundreds of millions, every year.
But their success hinges on one simple feature: the willingness of those victims to send cash, untraceable, to someone they don't know.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
But their success hinges on one simple feature: the willingness of those victims to send cash, untraceable, to someone they don't know.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Monday, November 8, 2010
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: BOON OR BOONDOGGLE? C.J. Hayden, MCC
It seems that everywhere you turn these days, someone is promoting social media as the lowest cost, highest impact marketing channel available for small business owners. And that right there is a problem. Far too many people are promoting this idea -- many of whom are those likely to benefit if you make use of their media channel, enroll in their social media class, or hire them to manage your social media for you.
But what is the reality? A recent study reported by eMarketer shows that only 42% of small business owners who use social media marketing are receiving sales leads from Facebook, 36% from LinkedIn, and 16% from Twitter. That's a pretty poor showing from a marketing channel that's being touted as so effective.
The study doesn't indicate the quantity of leads these businesses are getting, or what percentage they've been able to convert into paying customers. But it does report how much these leads are costing them. More than 70% of the small businesses surveyed say they are either losing money or no more than breaking even on their investment in social media. Ouch! What small business can afford that?
How is it that so many small business owners are being misled about the value of social media for their marketing? Let's consider this question for independent professionals, the small business owners I know best.
First of all, social media is not a marketing strategy or even a set of tactics. It's a platform for marketing that can be used in a wide variety of ways, like the telephone, email, or the Internet itself. You can use social media to execute any of the six strategies that independent professionals typically employ: direct contact and follow-up, networking and referral-building, public speaking, writing and publicity, promotional events, or advertising.
Ranked from most effective to least effective, the strategies above are listed in order. For an independent professional seeking clients, the least effective marketing strategy is advertising. But this is exactly how self-employed professionals are most often using social media. They are hosting company pages and posting status updates that consist primarily of sales messages about their services, products, and programs. No wonder they're not getting the results they expect.
The best use of social media for independent professionals is to execute the most effective strategies rather than the least. That means using it for direct contact and follow-up, and networking and referral-building.
Social media is no different in this respect from any other marketing channel for professionals. Phoning someone you already know to have a conversation is much more effective than having a robot deliver voice mails to strangers. A personal email to share helpful resources with an existing contact works much better than sending promotional email broadcasts to people who never heard of you.
What social media is best for is actually what it was originally designed for. Remember when we called it social networking? For the independent professional, that is still this platform's best use -- networking with people you already know in order to stay in touch and deepen your relationship.
There are many nuances to the effective use of social media I don't have space to detail in this article. For example, the awareness that networking must be reciprocal rather than self-centered. You can't just keep putting out your own information and never read or respond to what others have to say. Or the need to balance promotional items with healthy doses of useful, entertaining, or inspiring posts if you want people to keep following you.
Or recognizing that a significant number of the people who choose to follow you are doing so just so you will follow them back, and will never read anything you post. Or admitting that your attraction to social media may be that it allows you to stay in your office and never have to speak with strangers, thereby avoiding rejection.
But the overriding issue for any independent professional to resolve about social media is this. What is the role it should play in your overall marketing plan?
For businesses in general, social media can be a useful tool for creating brand awareness and market visibility. But small businesses can rarely afford that type of visibility marketing, and independent professionals even less so.
The smaller the business and more personal the service being delivered, the more important it becomes to focus your marketing plan specifically on client acquisition. That is, identifying prospects who might become clients and following up with them until you close the sale.
Looking through that narrow lens, the most fitting uses of social media for independent professionals are not brand awareness, market visibility, or even attracting new prospects (as the study quoted above shows). Instead, its best uses are one avenue (among others) to network with your existing contacts, and to follow up with prospects you attract in other ways.
In other words, social media can play a part -- and perhaps a small part -- in your marketing plan. It can't carry the whole plan. You need to use other strategies to attract prospects in the first place, and other channels to follow up with them after you do.
Is social media marketing a boondoggle? Not necessarily. Social media, like any marketing channel, has its uses. But neither is it the ultimate boon to small business marketers that many are claiming.
There is still no "silver bullet" solution for marketing your professional services at zero cost in your spare time. You still have to invest time and money to identify likely prospects, follow up with them to deepen relationships, and have sales conversations that expose you to rejection. And that will be true no matter what new technology for marketing is invented next month or next year.
Copyright © 2010, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
But what is the reality? A recent study reported by eMarketer shows that only 42% of small business owners who use social media marketing are receiving sales leads from Facebook, 36% from LinkedIn, and 16% from Twitter. That's a pretty poor showing from a marketing channel that's being touted as so effective.
The study doesn't indicate the quantity of leads these businesses are getting, or what percentage they've been able to convert into paying customers. But it does report how much these leads are costing them. More than 70% of the small businesses surveyed say they are either losing money or no more than breaking even on their investment in social media. Ouch! What small business can afford that?
How is it that so many small business owners are being misled about the value of social media for their marketing? Let's consider this question for independent professionals, the small business owners I know best.
First of all, social media is not a marketing strategy or even a set of tactics. It's a platform for marketing that can be used in a wide variety of ways, like the telephone, email, or the Internet itself. You can use social media to execute any of the six strategies that independent professionals typically employ: direct contact and follow-up, networking and referral-building, public speaking, writing and publicity, promotional events, or advertising.
Ranked from most effective to least effective, the strategies above are listed in order. For an independent professional seeking clients, the least effective marketing strategy is advertising. But this is exactly how self-employed professionals are most often using social media. They are hosting company pages and posting status updates that consist primarily of sales messages about their services, products, and programs. No wonder they're not getting the results they expect.
The best use of social media for independent professionals is to execute the most effective strategies rather than the least. That means using it for direct contact and follow-up, and networking and referral-building.
Social media is no different in this respect from any other marketing channel for professionals. Phoning someone you already know to have a conversation is much more effective than having a robot deliver voice mails to strangers. A personal email to share helpful resources with an existing contact works much better than sending promotional email broadcasts to people who never heard of you.
What social media is best for is actually what it was originally designed for. Remember when we called it social networking? For the independent professional, that is still this platform's best use -- networking with people you already know in order to stay in touch and deepen your relationship.
There are many nuances to the effective use of social media I don't have space to detail in this article. For example, the awareness that networking must be reciprocal rather than self-centered. You can't just keep putting out your own information and never read or respond to what others have to say. Or the need to balance promotional items with healthy doses of useful, entertaining, or inspiring posts if you want people to keep following you.
Or recognizing that a significant number of the people who choose to follow you are doing so just so you will follow them back, and will never read anything you post. Or admitting that your attraction to social media may be that it allows you to stay in your office and never have to speak with strangers, thereby avoiding rejection.
But the overriding issue for any independent professional to resolve about social media is this. What is the role it should play in your overall marketing plan?
For businesses in general, social media can be a useful tool for creating brand awareness and market visibility. But small businesses can rarely afford that type of visibility marketing, and independent professionals even less so.
The smaller the business and more personal the service being delivered, the more important it becomes to focus your marketing plan specifically on client acquisition. That is, identifying prospects who might become clients and following up with them until you close the sale.
Looking through that narrow lens, the most fitting uses of social media for independent professionals are not brand awareness, market visibility, or even attracting new prospects (as the study quoted above shows). Instead, its best uses are one avenue (among others) to network with your existing contacts, and to follow up with prospects you attract in other ways.
In other words, social media can play a part -- and perhaps a small part -- in your marketing plan. It can't carry the whole plan. You need to use other strategies to attract prospects in the first place, and other channels to follow up with them after you do.
Is social media marketing a boondoggle? Not necessarily. Social media, like any marketing channel, has its uses. But neither is it the ultimate boon to small business marketers that many are claiming.
There is still no "silver bullet" solution for marketing your professional services at zero cost in your spare time. You still have to invest time and money to identify likely prospects, follow up with them to deepen relationships, and have sales conversations that expose you to rejection. And that will be true no matter what new technology for marketing is invented next month or next year.
Copyright © 2010, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Friday, November 5, 2010
The GOP Recipe for Keeping the Economy Down Until Election 2012
Alternet/ Robert Reich's Blog by Robert Reich
Could it be that Republicans want to keep the economy struggling through Election Day, 2012?
The real message from voters was “Fix this stinking economy.” But Republicans have no intention of doing so. With Republicans in control of the House, forget spending increases or tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
Republicans don’t believe in stimulating economies. They think markets eventually clear — once the pain is sufficient. Or in the immortal words of Herbert Hoover’s treasury secretary, millionaire industrialist Andrew Mellon: “Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmer, liquidate real estate. It will purge the rottenness out of the system. People will work harder, lead a more moral life.”
Click here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Robert Reich's Blog by Robert Reich
Could it be that Republicans want to keep the economy struggling through Election Day, 2012?
The real message from voters was “Fix this stinking economy.” But Republicans have no intention of doing so. With Republicans in control of the House, forget spending increases or tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
Republicans don’t believe in stimulating economies. They think markets eventually clear — once the pain is sufficient. Or in the immortal words of Herbert Hoover’s treasury secretary, millionaire industrialist Andrew Mellon: “Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmer, liquidate real estate. It will purge the rottenness out of the system. People will work harder, lead a more moral life.”
Click here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Robert Reich's Blog by Robert Reich
Securing Your Resume For Online Job Hunting
These days, when most people change employment every few years, online job hunting is very much part of the search process.
And to give themselves the best chance of success, many job-seekers post their resume on one or more of the scores of Internet job search sites.
This makes sense if you believe that the wider you cast the net, the more likely you are to land a good catch, but promoting yourself online does pose a risk of identity theft, spahamming (misspelled intentionally) and other scams, as we've reported in previous issues.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
And to give themselves the best chance of success, many job-seekers post their resume on one or more of the scores of Internet job search sites.
This makes sense if you believe that the wider you cast the net, the more likely you are to land a good catch, but promoting yourself online does pose a risk of identity theft, spahamming (misspelled intentionally) and other scams, as we've reported in previous issues.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Friday, October 22, 2010
How To Improve Your Online Conversion By 300% Or More
By Michael Fleischner
Do I have your attention? Anyone trying to make a living online is interested in one thing, improving conversions. As an Internet marketing veteran, I’ve seen plenty of web sites and blogs miss one their biggest opportunities for growth. The answer is actually quite simple, making the most of your list.
Maybe you have your own email list of fifty-thousand names or more. Perhaps you have a small list of just a few dozen prospects who have emailed you questions or comments. Regardless of where you begin, having a list is only part of the equation. The most successful marketers I know utilize their list in a variety of ways to build relationships and sell products that are a win-win for both buyer and seller.
The first way to utilize your list is through an auto responder sequence. If you’re not using an auto responder, I advise you to search for auto responder services online. Popular services like Aweber only charge around twenty dollars per month, allowing you to send unlimited messages. These messages should position you as an expert, provide purchase ideas, and continually provide value.
The second way to use your list effectively is to provide pre-notification of product launches. There are many super affiliates that use their list in this manner, generating tens of thousands of dollars per month. Once you know of an affiliate product being launched within a six to eight week period, map out a pre-launch communication plan that reaches out to individuals prior to launch. This may include access to product information, downloads, videos, etc., to build anticipation around launch day. When launch day comes, create a sense of immediacy and scarcity – purchases will ensue.
The third way to leverage the power of your list is through referrers, building an even larger list that you can communicate with. Are you asking those who sign up for your list to refer your company, products, or services to others? Make your emails easy to forward and encourage referrals. This is a great way to reach individuals who are more likely to value your content and accept your offers.
The final method for leveraging an email list is to communicate on a regular basis. Your auto-responder sequence should integrate a series of messages spread out over time. By continually staying in front of your list and utilizing the content that you have to provide value, these individuals will stay engaged and have a higher propensity to purchase from you.
The time to start building your email list is now. In parallel, be sure to focus your energies on leveraging that list using the proper techniques. Having a great list is fine but unless you utilize it properly, you’ll never see the true value inherent in the list itself.
Michael Fleischner is an SEO consultant and author of SEO Made Simple, revealing strategies guaranteed to improve search engine rankings. Learn more about Michael's hands-on SEO training program, Internet Marketing Forum, and SEO consulting at MarketingScoop.com or contact him via the Marketing Blog at http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
Do I have your attention? Anyone trying to make a living online is interested in one thing, improving conversions. As an Internet marketing veteran, I’ve seen plenty of web sites and blogs miss one their biggest opportunities for growth. The answer is actually quite simple, making the most of your list.
Maybe you have your own email list of fifty-thousand names or more. Perhaps you have a small list of just a few dozen prospects who have emailed you questions or comments. Regardless of where you begin, having a list is only part of the equation. The most successful marketers I know utilize their list in a variety of ways to build relationships and sell products that are a win-win for both buyer and seller.
The first way to utilize your list is through an auto responder sequence. If you’re not using an auto responder, I advise you to search for auto responder services online. Popular services like Aweber only charge around twenty dollars per month, allowing you to send unlimited messages. These messages should position you as an expert, provide purchase ideas, and continually provide value.
The second way to use your list effectively is to provide pre-notification of product launches. There are many super affiliates that use their list in this manner, generating tens of thousands of dollars per month. Once you know of an affiliate product being launched within a six to eight week period, map out a pre-launch communication plan that reaches out to individuals prior to launch. This may include access to product information, downloads, videos, etc., to build anticipation around launch day. When launch day comes, create a sense of immediacy and scarcity – purchases will ensue.
The third way to leverage the power of your list is through referrers, building an even larger list that you can communicate with. Are you asking those who sign up for your list to refer your company, products, or services to others? Make your emails easy to forward and encourage referrals. This is a great way to reach individuals who are more likely to value your content and accept your offers.
The final method for leveraging an email list is to communicate on a regular basis. Your auto-responder sequence should integrate a series of messages spread out over time. By continually staying in front of your list and utilizing the content that you have to provide value, these individuals will stay engaged and have a higher propensity to purchase from you.
The time to start building your email list is now. In parallel, be sure to focus your energies on leveraging that list using the proper techniques. Having a great list is fine but unless you utilize it properly, you’ll never see the true value inherent in the list itself.
Michael Fleischner is an SEO consultant and author of SEO Made Simple, revealing strategies guaranteed to improve search engine rankings. Learn more about Michael's hands-on SEO training program, Internet Marketing Forum, and SEO consulting at MarketingScoop.com or contact him via the Marketing Blog at http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
HERE IT IS AT LAST — THE SECRET TO MARKETING C.J. Hayden, MCC
Well, that got your attention! Isn't that what every independent professional is really looking for -- that one magic formula that will take the effort out of marketing and bring you all the clients you need, forever?
Searching for this marketing silver bullet, they read articles and books, take seminars and home-study courses, and hire consultants and coaches. And in the process they learn about many, many so-called marketing secrets.
These "secrets" to marketing consist of supposedly surefire approaches like search engine optimization for your website, publishing articles online, social networking, joining a leads group, sending postcards, and running pay-per-click ads. There are of course many more, and each of them is being touted by someone as the ultimate solution for marketing your business.
Trying to sort out the truth in these conflicting claims leaves you with three basic possibilities:
1. All of this is nonsense; there is no secret to marketing.
2. One of these approaches probably really is the secret, but since you have no way of knowing which one, you'd have to try them all.
3. All of these probably are secrets for some people at some times, but none of them may be right for you.
No matter which of these points of view you take, the result is that none of these secrets are ultimately very helpful.
For many years, I've said that the real secret to marketing for independent professionals is choosing a set of simple, effective things to do, and doing them consistently.
That word "effective" can make this a bit tricky. You have to know what is effective in order for this secret to work for you. If you were to choose a set of completely ineffective things to do, this approach would fail.
But by "completely ineffective," I mean ideas like running a Yellow Pages ad to market a management consulting business, or networking on Facebook in order to make more contacts with doctors, or sending out direct mail letters to attract psychotherapy patients. When the marketing tactics you pick are that far off base, no amount of consistency will make them work.
If you choose a set of activities that have any level of effectiveness, they will work if you do them consistently. Cold calling will work if you make enough calls. In-person networking will work if you attend events regularly and follow up with the people you meet. Public speaking will work if you speak to audiences of a decent size on a regular basis.
With consistency and persistence, you can make even the most mildly effective marketing approaches pay off in the long run. But that qualifier "in the long run" is the catch. You don't want to wait that long. No one does.
Is there another layer to this secret that will make it all happen faster? Yes. Choose a target market that needs your services and can afford to pay for them, craft a message that market will respond to, choose a set of simple, effective approaches to reach that market, follow through on each approach, and spend enough time on your marketing to produce results.
Notice your emotional reaction to reading those words. They're not very exciting, are they? It sounds like work.
It would be much easier if the secret was something like search engine optimization, where you could pay someone else to do all the work and the clients would simply appear. Or joining a leads group, where you could show up at a weekly meeting and the other members would hand you business. Or running pay-per-click ads, where you would never have to talk to people before they became your clients. But of course none of these approaches really work that way.
Don't blame yourself for wanting to avoid hard work. It's human nature to look for the easy way out. But if you spend all your time searching for the effort-free way to market, you will end up making your job much harder. Every time you try another new way to market but then don't follow through on it, or give up too soon to see results, you waste time and money, and lose momentum. By trying to avoid work, you actually create even more.
So instead of looking for a magic formula to avoid the work of marketing altogether, find ways to make it easier on yourself. Here are four suggestions that will help.
1. Choose a target market you enjoy spending time with, and whose issues and goals you care about.
2. Get help with crafting marketing messages if messaging isn't your strong point.
3. Use role models, recommended advisors, or a trusted system to identify only the best marketing approaches, then do what they advise.
4. Use the support of a buddy, coach, or success team to help you follow through on your plans, market consistently, and break through fear and procrastination.
Note that if the above are ways to make marketing easier, doing the opposite of any of these will make it harder. Refusing to choose a target market, for example. Or spending time and money marketing with an off-target message. Or trying flavor-of-the-week marketing tactics no successful person in your field uses. Or not doing enough marketing because it's scary. Or trying to do everything on your own. Or continuing to chase after silver bullet solutions.
The secret to successful marketing for independent professionals is choosing a set of simple, effective things to do, and doing them consistently. The secret behind this secret is finding ways to make the process easier. And the secret behind that secret is to stop looking for another secret and get to work on implementing the first one.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Searching for this marketing silver bullet, they read articles and books, take seminars and home-study courses, and hire consultants and coaches. And in the process they learn about many, many so-called marketing secrets.
These "secrets" to marketing consist of supposedly surefire approaches like search engine optimization for your website, publishing articles online, social networking, joining a leads group, sending postcards, and running pay-per-click ads. There are of course many more, and each of them is being touted by someone as the ultimate solution for marketing your business.
Trying to sort out the truth in these conflicting claims leaves you with three basic possibilities:
1. All of this is nonsense; there is no secret to marketing.
2. One of these approaches probably really is the secret, but since you have no way of knowing which one, you'd have to try them all.
3. All of these probably are secrets for some people at some times, but none of them may be right for you.
No matter which of these points of view you take, the result is that none of these secrets are ultimately very helpful.
For many years, I've said that the real secret to marketing for independent professionals is choosing a set of simple, effective things to do, and doing them consistently.
That word "effective" can make this a bit tricky. You have to know what is effective in order for this secret to work for you. If you were to choose a set of completely ineffective things to do, this approach would fail.
But by "completely ineffective," I mean ideas like running a Yellow Pages ad to market a management consulting business, or networking on Facebook in order to make more contacts with doctors, or sending out direct mail letters to attract psychotherapy patients. When the marketing tactics you pick are that far off base, no amount of consistency will make them work.
If you choose a set of activities that have any level of effectiveness, they will work if you do them consistently. Cold calling will work if you make enough calls. In-person networking will work if you attend events regularly and follow up with the people you meet. Public speaking will work if you speak to audiences of a decent size on a regular basis.
With consistency and persistence, you can make even the most mildly effective marketing approaches pay off in the long run. But that qualifier "in the long run" is the catch. You don't want to wait that long. No one does.
Is there another layer to this secret that will make it all happen faster? Yes. Choose a target market that needs your services and can afford to pay for them, craft a message that market will respond to, choose a set of simple, effective approaches to reach that market, follow through on each approach, and spend enough time on your marketing to produce results.
Notice your emotional reaction to reading those words. They're not very exciting, are they? It sounds like work.
It would be much easier if the secret was something like search engine optimization, where you could pay someone else to do all the work and the clients would simply appear. Or joining a leads group, where you could show up at a weekly meeting and the other members would hand you business. Or running pay-per-click ads, where you would never have to talk to people before they became your clients. But of course none of these approaches really work that way.
Don't blame yourself for wanting to avoid hard work. It's human nature to look for the easy way out. But if you spend all your time searching for the effort-free way to market, you will end up making your job much harder. Every time you try another new way to market but then don't follow through on it, or give up too soon to see results, you waste time and money, and lose momentum. By trying to avoid work, you actually create even more.
So instead of looking for a magic formula to avoid the work of marketing altogether, find ways to make it easier on yourself. Here are four suggestions that will help.
1. Choose a target market you enjoy spending time with, and whose issues and goals you care about.
2. Get help with crafting marketing messages if messaging isn't your strong point.
3. Use role models, recommended advisors, or a trusted system to identify only the best marketing approaches, then do what they advise.
4. Use the support of a buddy, coach, or success team to help you follow through on your plans, market consistently, and break through fear and procrastination.
Note that if the above are ways to make marketing easier, doing the opposite of any of these will make it harder. Refusing to choose a target market, for example. Or spending time and money marketing with an off-target message. Or trying flavor-of-the-week marketing tactics no successful person in your field uses. Or not doing enough marketing because it's scary. Or trying to do everything on your own. Or continuing to chase after silver bullet solutions.
The secret to successful marketing for independent professionals is choosing a set of simple, effective things to do, and doing them consistently. The secret behind this secret is finding ways to make the process easier. And the secret behind that secret is to stop looking for another secret and get to work on implementing the first one.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
10 Ways to Avoid Online Dating Scams
Online dating scams have been hitting the headlines with increasing frequency recently, causing not only heartache but a pain in the pocket.
In earlier issues, we explained how scammers try to strike up online relationships then, claiming to be stranded in another country or in desperate need to visit a sick relative, ask the victim to help pay for an airplane ticket.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
In earlier issues, we explained how scammers try to strike up online relationships then, claiming to be stranded in another country or in desperate need to visit a sick relative, ask the victim to help pay for an airplane ticket.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Why the U.S. Has Launched a New Financial World War -- and How the Rest of the World Will Fight Back
Alternet/ Counter Punch/ by Michael Hudson
Finance is the new form of warfare -- without the expense of a military overhead and an occupation against unwilling hosts.
What is to stop U.S. banks and their customers from creating $1 trillion, $10 trillion or even $50 trillion on their computer keyboards to buy up all the bonds and stocks in the world, along with all the land and other assets for sale in the hope of making capital gains and pocketing the arbitrage spreads by debt leveraging at less than 1 per cent interest cost? This is the game that is being played today.
Finance is the new form of warfare - without the expense of a military overhead and an occupation against unwilling hosts. It is a competition in credit creation to buy foreign resources, real estate, public and privatized infrastructure, bonds and corporate stock ownership.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Counter Punch/ by Michael Hudson
Finance is the new form of warfare -- without the expense of a military overhead and an occupation against unwilling hosts.
What is to stop U.S. banks and their customers from creating $1 trillion, $10 trillion or even $50 trillion on their computer keyboards to buy up all the bonds and stocks in the world, along with all the land and other assets for sale in the hope of making capital gains and pocketing the arbitrage spreads by debt leveraging at less than 1 per cent interest cost? This is the game that is being played today.
Finance is the new form of warfare - without the expense of a military overhead and an occupation against unwilling hosts. It is a competition in credit creation to buy foreign resources, real estate, public and privatized infrastructure, bonds and corporate stock ownership.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Counter Punch/ by Michael Hudson
Friday, October 8, 2010
44 WAYS TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR PROSPECTS C.J. Hayden, MCC
You know you need to follow up with prospective clients, but you often find yourself putting it off. "I already called them three times," you think. Or, "They never answer the phone anyway." Or, "I hate hearing no." Or, "I don't want to bug them." Or, "What do I say that's new?"
It's only natural to resist placing phone calls to prospects who didn't return your last call, never seem to be there, may not be ready to buy, or might say they're not interested. But here's the good news. Calling prospects on the phone and asking them to hire you is not the only way to follow up!
Yes, you can call your prospects on the phone, but you can also email them, send a letter or note by postal mail, fax them, overnight them a package, send a text message, or instant message them online. And those are just the different communication channels you might use. The type of messages you deliver can be much more varied than simply asking prospects to do business.
Consider the following 44 ways that you can follow up with your prospects via any communication channel you choose, in order to build a relationship, remind them of what you do, and present yourself as a valuable resource and expert in your field. Many of these follow-up approaches can also be used with potential referral sources and networking contacts.
1. Ask if they have new questions about what you last discussed.
2. Tell them about a book, article, or website that might help with what you talked about.
3. Send a personal note with a copy of your brochure.
4. Point them to a vendor who can solve one of their issues you don't address.
5. Prepare a personalized marketing kit for them focused on their unique issues.
6. Tell them about an upcoming event that addresses an issue you think they have.
7. Invite them to an event where you are a speaker, organizer, or sponsor.
8. Attend an event where you are likely to run into them.
9. Send a nice-to-meet-you or good-to-see-you note with your business card.
10. Call or email to ask what's new in their world.
11. Leave a brief benefits-oriented commercial on their voice mail.
12. Ask them to meet you for coffee, a drink, or lunch.
13. Invite them for golf, tennis, a bike ride, or a walk in the park.
14. Invite them to a concert, play, reading, or art opening.
15. Offer to stop by their place of business.
16. Send a letter summarizing what you last talked about and suggesting next steps.
17. Ask for a meeting so you can prepare a detailed proposal for them.
18. Send them an article (or link to one) that you have written.
19. Send them an article someone else has written about a topic relevant to them.
20. Send them a present -- chocolate, cookies, flowers, a plant, a bottle of wine, or a book.
21. Send them a birthday card.
22. Send them a joke or cartoon about their industry or your field.
23. Send a postcard reminding them what you do.
24. Tell them about a special offer available if they act now.
25. Offer them a free sample of what you can do for them.
26. Send an announcement about a new development in your business.
27. Send a copy of your newsletter or post from your blog and invite them to subscribe.
28. Send a link to a print or audio interview with you about your work.
29. Send a link to a video where you share helpful tips or a client success story.
30. Refer them a prospect for their own business.
31. Watch for their posts on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and comment on them.
32. Post something useful to a message board where they are members.
33. Post a comment on their blog.
34. Invite them to visit your updated website.
35. Make them a free offer that will subscribe them to an autoresponder series.
36. Give a free teleclass or webinar and invite all your prospects.
37. Invite them to an open house, reception, demonstration, or free workshop.
38. Host a networking breakfast or brown bag lunch and invite several prospects.
39. Offer to give a talk or brown bag lunch for their organization at no charge.
40. Write a white paper or case study and send it to all your prospects.
41. Ask the person who introduced you to contact them and mention you again.
42. Introduce them to a colleague of yours they might like to know.
43. Volunteer for an organization where they also serve.
44. And of course, you can always ask if they are ready to start working with you.
Following up consistently is one of the most productive marketing activities there is, but it won't work if you don't do it. The next time you realize you are avoiding follow-up, pull out your prospect list and choose an approach at random from the suggestions above. It matters much less how you follow up than it does that you follow up.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
It's only natural to resist placing phone calls to prospects who didn't return your last call, never seem to be there, may not be ready to buy, or might say they're not interested. But here's the good news. Calling prospects on the phone and asking them to hire you is not the only way to follow up!
Yes, you can call your prospects on the phone, but you can also email them, send a letter or note by postal mail, fax them, overnight them a package, send a text message, or instant message them online. And those are just the different communication channels you might use. The type of messages you deliver can be much more varied than simply asking prospects to do business.
Consider the following 44 ways that you can follow up with your prospects via any communication channel you choose, in order to build a relationship, remind them of what you do, and present yourself as a valuable resource and expert in your field. Many of these follow-up approaches can also be used with potential referral sources and networking contacts.
1. Ask if they have new questions about what you last discussed.
2. Tell them about a book, article, or website that might help with what you talked about.
3. Send a personal note with a copy of your brochure.
4. Point them to a vendor who can solve one of their issues you don't address.
5. Prepare a personalized marketing kit for them focused on their unique issues.
6. Tell them about an upcoming event that addresses an issue you think they have.
7. Invite them to an event where you are a speaker, organizer, or sponsor.
8. Attend an event where you are likely to run into them.
9. Send a nice-to-meet-you or good-to-see-you note with your business card.
10. Call or email to ask what's new in their world.
11. Leave a brief benefits-oriented commercial on their voice mail.
12. Ask them to meet you for coffee, a drink, or lunch.
13. Invite them for golf, tennis, a bike ride, or a walk in the park.
14. Invite them to a concert, play, reading, or art opening.
15. Offer to stop by their place of business.
16. Send a letter summarizing what you last talked about and suggesting next steps.
17. Ask for a meeting so you can prepare a detailed proposal for them.
18. Send them an article (or link to one) that you have written.
19. Send them an article someone else has written about a topic relevant to them.
20. Send them a present -- chocolate, cookies, flowers, a plant, a bottle of wine, or a book.
21. Send them a birthday card.
22. Send them a joke or cartoon about their industry or your field.
23. Send a postcard reminding them what you do.
24. Tell them about a special offer available if they act now.
25. Offer them a free sample of what you can do for them.
26. Send an announcement about a new development in your business.
27. Send a copy of your newsletter or post from your blog and invite them to subscribe.
28. Send a link to a print or audio interview with you about your work.
29. Send a link to a video where you share helpful tips or a client success story.
30. Refer them a prospect for their own business.
31. Watch for their posts on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and comment on them.
32. Post something useful to a message board where they are members.
33. Post a comment on their blog.
34. Invite them to visit your updated website.
35. Make them a free offer that will subscribe them to an autoresponder series.
36. Give a free teleclass or webinar and invite all your prospects.
37. Invite them to an open house, reception, demonstration, or free workshop.
38. Host a networking breakfast or brown bag lunch and invite several prospects.
39. Offer to give a talk or brown bag lunch for their organization at no charge.
40. Write a white paper or case study and send it to all your prospects.
41. Ask the person who introduced you to contact them and mention you again.
42. Introduce them to a colleague of yours they might like to know.
43. Volunteer for an organization where they also serve.
44. And of course, you can always ask if they are ready to start working with you.
Following up consistently is one of the most productive marketing activities there is, but it won't work if you don't do it. The next time you realize you are avoiding follow-up, pull out your prospect list and choose an approach at random from the suggestions above. It matters much less how you follow up than it does that you follow up.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Using Online Pharmacies: Recommended Practices And How To Spot Fakes
Using online pharmacies may help you save money -- and can certainly save time by delivering your medicine straight to your home.
But the fact is that many online pharmacies, especially those overseas, do not meet the USA's strict quality control regulations, and some of them are downright crooked - either selling phony or unapproved drugs or sometimes selling nothing at all.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
But the fact is that many online pharmacies, especially those overseas, do not meet the USA's strict quality control regulations, and some of them are downright crooked - either selling phony or unapproved drugs or sometimes selling nothing at all.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Wall Street Mega-Banks Employ 'Undercover Brothers' to Rip Off Minorities with Payday Loan Scams
Alternet/ Blog For Our Future/ by RJ Eskow
The big banks are using middlemen to exploit lower-income people without tarnishing their own brands.
All the major banking institutions say the right things about race and equality. They all have diversity programs. A few financial industry leaders, like Robert Rubin and Jamie Dimon, even support socially liberal causes. Yet the banking industry covertly uses payday lenders as a "front," a way to prey on minority neighborhoods without getting their hands dirty.
It's a classic Rigged Game: The banks deny normal credit to lower-income people, then profit from usurious forms of alternative credit (or as it's known in economic circles, "fringe banking"). Fortunately, efforts to draw attention to these practices are beginning to have having some effect.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Blog For Our Future/ by RJ Eskow
The big banks are using middlemen to exploit lower-income people without tarnishing their own brands.
All the major banking institutions say the right things about race and equality. They all have diversity programs. A few financial industry leaders, like Robert Rubin and Jamie Dimon, even support socially liberal causes. Yet the banking industry covertly uses payday lenders as a "front," a way to prey on minority neighborhoods without getting their hands dirty.
It's a classic Rigged Game: The banks deny normal credit to lower-income people, then profit from usurious forms of alternative credit (or as it's known in economic circles, "fringe banking"). Fortunately, efforts to draw attention to these practices are beginning to have having some effect.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Blog For Our Future/ by RJ Eskow
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
How Distress Scam Storylines Aim To Win Your Sympathy
You know the sort of thing: someone tells you a story of despair and asks for your money
to help put things right.
All too often these are con artist tricks -- and they succeed because they sound like they're real.
Or, because you're not sure, the crook knows that you'll hand over the money because you have a conscience.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
to help put things right.
All too often these are con artist tricks -- and they succeed because they sound like they're real.
Or, because you're not sure, the crook knows that you'll hand over the money because you have a conscience.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Friday, September 24, 2010
Fake Interest Group, Tied to Rove, Has Hands in Alaska Politics
Alternet by Adele Stan
The New York Times‘ Mike McIntire has a great piece of enterprise journalism on the paper’s front page today, outlining how interest groups with generic-sounding names can wield undue influence in a state’s electoral politics, even if the “group” is just one political operative halfway across the globe. Of course, that influence is greatly helped if you’re in a partnership with former Bush adviser Karl Rove:
“Americans for Job Security has no purpose other than to cover various money trails all over the country,” the staff of the Alaska Public Offices Commission said in a report last year.
Click here to read the full article.
Alternet by Adele Stan
The New York Times‘ Mike McIntire has a great piece of enterprise journalism on the paper’s front page today, outlining how interest groups with generic-sounding names can wield undue influence in a state’s electoral politics, even if the “group” is just one political operative halfway across the globe. Of course, that influence is greatly helped if you’re in a partnership with former Bush adviser Karl Rove:
“Americans for Job Security has no purpose other than to cover various money trails all over the country,” the staff of the Alaska Public Offices Commission said in a report last year.
Click here to read the full article.
Alternet by Adele Stan
10 Warning Signs And 10 Questions To Ask When Seeking A Financial Advisor
A study by securities officials of "free meal" financial investment seminars, found that half of them exaggerated or made misleading claims about their services. More than 10% were actually fraudulent, selling non-existent products or promising unrealistic returns.
Anyone can set up shop and call themselves a financial advisor or planner, without either experience or qualification. You don't even need a high school diploma!
In some cases, a financial advisor may actually claim to have professional qualifications, when in reality these are invented or based on a home study course that took as little as two hours to complete.
Click here to read more.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Anyone can set up shop and call themselves a financial advisor or planner, without either experience or qualification. You don't even need a high school diploma!
In some cases, a financial advisor may actually claim to have professional qualifications, when in reality these are invented or based on a home study course that took as little as two hours to complete.
Click here to read more.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Thursday, September 16, 2010
New Scams Uncovered as ID Theft Toll Soars to 10m
Real estate and identity theft cons snare more victims, state falls for $2.5m trick
Real estate and identify theft scams provide the main focus for our new round-up of the scam headlines.
We have the latest figures on the scale of ID theft in the US and news of a sneaky trick using parking tickets to try to steal people's personal details. Phony jobs are also back on the scene, again as a route to getting hold of private information.
Click Here to read the entire article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Real estate and identify theft scams provide the main focus for our new round-up of the scam headlines.
We have the latest figures on the scale of ID theft in the US and news of a sneaky trick using parking tickets to try to steal people's personal details. Phony jobs are also back on the scene, again as a route to getting hold of private information.
Click Here to read the entire article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
How Ruthless Banks Gutted the Black Middle Class and Got Away With It
Alternet/ Devona Walker
The real estate and foreclosure crisis has stripped African-American families of more wealth than any single event in history.
The American middle class has been hammered over the last several decades. The black middle class has suffered to an even greater degree. But the single most crippling blow has been the real estate and foreclosure crisis. It has stripped black families of more wealth than any single event in U.S. history. Due entirely to subprime loans, black borrowers are expected to lose between $71 billion and $92 billion.
To fully understand why the foreclosure crisis has so disproportionately affected working- and middle-class blacks, it is important to provide a little background. Many of these American families watched on the sidelines as everyone and their dog seemed to jump into the real estate game.
Click here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Devona Walker
The real estate and foreclosure crisis has stripped African-American families of more wealth than any single event in history.
The American middle class has been hammered over the last several decades. The black middle class has suffered to an even greater degree. But the single most crippling blow has been the real estate and foreclosure crisis. It has stripped black families of more wealth than any single event in U.S. history. Due entirely to subprime loans, black borrowers are expected to lose between $71 billion and $92 billion.
To fully understand why the foreclosure crisis has so disproportionately affected working- and middle-class blacks, it is important to provide a little background. Many of these American families watched on the sidelines as everyone and their dog seemed to jump into the real estate game.
Click here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Devona Walker
Scammers Try Every Which Way To Exploit BP Oil Leak
Whatever the final outcome of the BP oil leak, there's no doubt that disaster scam tricks related to the incident will, like the clean-up, run for many years.
In fact the cleanup, rather than the oil leak, is the main source of scams that add to the woes surrounding this catastrophe.
This criminal activity spreads the impact of the BP oil leak well beyond the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, tricking investors and would-be workers and helpers out of their money.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
In fact the cleanup, rather than the oil leak, is the main source of scams that add to the woes surrounding this catastrophe.
This criminal activity spreads the impact of the BP oil leak well beyond the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, tricking investors and would-be workers and helpers out of their money.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
New Scams Uncovered as ID Theft Toll Soars to 10m
Real estate and identity theft cons snare more victims, state falls for $2.5m trick
Real estate and identify theft scams provide the main focus for our new round-up of the scam headlines.
We have the latest figures on the scale of ID theft in the US and news of a sneaky trick using parking tickets to try to steal people's personal details. Phony jobs are also back on the scene, again as a route to getting hold of private information.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Real estate and identify theft scams provide the main focus for our new round-up of the scam headlines.
We have the latest figures on the scale of ID theft in the US and news of a sneaky trick using parking tickets to try to steal people's personal details. Phony jobs are also back on the scene, again as a route to getting hold of private information.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Jobless Organize to Remove Republican Royalists From Their Jobs
Alternet/ leogerard
Glenn Beck made it official on Fox News last week: He’s seeking the office of 21st Century Marie Antoinette.
The queen of France, beheaded during the revolution, attained infamy for insensitivity toward hungry peasants. Glenn Beck, the Fox talk show host, achieved celebrity for his callousness toward unemployed Americans.
Beck leads a pack of royalist Republicans who have spent the summer mocking, vilifying and denigrating the nation’s 14.5 million unemployed workers. It is the moneyed class smacking down the working class in an attempt to disempower and disenfranchise them. Dispirited workers are less likely to vote – which could give Beck and his gang of royalist Republicans control of Congress.
The unemployed, like France’s 18th Century peasants, are fighting back, however. The Union of the Unemployed and Working America are organizing the jobless to vote this fall and to demand help from lawmakers. They’re not out to behead Beck and the royalist Republicans, just dethrone them.
Click here to read the full article.
Alternet/ leogerard
Glenn Beck made it official on Fox News last week: He’s seeking the office of 21st Century Marie Antoinette.
The queen of France, beheaded during the revolution, attained infamy for insensitivity toward hungry peasants. Glenn Beck, the Fox talk show host, achieved celebrity for his callousness toward unemployed Americans.
Beck leads a pack of royalist Republicans who have spent the summer mocking, vilifying and denigrating the nation’s 14.5 million unemployed workers. It is the moneyed class smacking down the working class in an attempt to disempower and disenfranchise them. Dispirited workers are less likely to vote – which could give Beck and his gang of royalist Republicans control of Congress.
The unemployed, like France’s 18th Century peasants, are fighting back, however. The Union of the Unemployed and Working America are organizing the jobless to vote this fall and to demand help from lawmakers. They’re not out to behead Beck and the royalist Republicans, just dethrone them.
Click here to read the full article.
Alternet/ leogerard
We are Experiencing a 1930s Style Depression
Alternet/ by grantlawrence
I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. I will keep telling you so in hopes it sinks in with somebody. Over the last couple of years we have been through ‘green shoots’ and a supposedly slow recovery. Well as I said often, there wasn’t any green shoots and their was never a recovery. Unless you want to call bail outs for bankers and corporations a recovery.
So the news out now is the housing market just dropped 27% in July. It probably dropped more. We know, or should know, we can’t trust government numbers.
Now many economists are beginning to rethink their double dip recessions and call the economic disaster what it is–a Depression.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ by grantlawrence
I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. I will keep telling you so in hopes it sinks in with somebody. Over the last couple of years we have been through ‘green shoots’ and a supposedly slow recovery. Well as I said often, there wasn’t any green shoots and their was never a recovery. Unless you want to call bail outs for bankers and corporations a recovery.
So the news out now is the housing market just dropped 27% in July. It probably dropped more. We know, or should know, we can’t trust government numbers.
Now many economists are beginning to rethink their double dip recessions and call the economic disaster what it is–a Depression.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ by grantlawrence
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
15 Steps You Can Take To Prevent Home Burglary
Every 15 seconds in the US, a home burglary takes place, but there are so many things we can do to dramatically reduce the chances of falling victim.
Criminologist Elicka S.L. Peterson-Sparks explains what she did when she encountered a burglar at a neighbor's home.
Based on her research and experience, she also provides her best tips to prevent home burglary.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Criminologist Elicka S.L. Peterson-Sparks explains what she did when she encountered a burglar at a neighbor's home.
Based on her research and experience, she also provides her best tips to prevent home burglary.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Friday, August 6, 2010
Have You Become an Unwitting Email Spam Accomplice?
There's no end to scammers' ingenuity when it comes to harvesting addresses for their email spaham (misspelled intentionally). Like: roping you in to help them.
You may not realize that when you forward messages, use someone else's PC or click on a malware link, you could be handing over valuable email addresses to spammers.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
You may not realize that when you forward messages, use someone else's PC or click on a malware link, you could be handing over valuable email addresses to spammers.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Scamming of Vet Families
Investigate Insurance Companies Scamming Vet Families
It has come to light that private insurers (notably Prudential and Metlife) have been holding on to payments earmarked for the families of deceased service members and collecting interest on their money. In turn they have paid the families a fraction of that interest. We are asking Congress to hold hearings to examine why this is happening and how we can stop it from happening in the future.
Click Here to read the full article.
VoteVets.org
The Voice of America's 21st Century Patriots
It has come to light that private insurers (notably Prudential and Metlife) have been holding on to payments earmarked for the families of deceased service members and collecting interest on their money. In turn they have paid the families a fraction of that interest. We are asking Congress to hold hearings to examine why this is happening and how we can stop it from happening in the future.
Click Here to read the full article.
VoteVets.org
The Voice of America's 21st Century Patriots
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Food Industry Scams -- Acne-Curing Chocolate?
Alternet/ Anneli Rufus
The food industry sees huge dollar signs in erasing the border between medicine and meals. Cinnamon is no longer just the spunky spice on cinnamon toast. Turmeric is no longer just the bitter yellow dust that colors curry.
These days, both are hailed as superpowered disease-fighting "nutraceuticals" — part nutrient, part pharmaceutical. Along with many other once-humble substances (think pomegranates, fish oil and flax seeds), they're key ingredients in "functional foods," which comprise a booming $30-billion-a-year industry bent on erasing the border between medicine and meals.
When is candy not candy? When are potato chips not potato chips? When are crisp salty discs and dark-chocolate balls not mere hedonistic treats? When they're functional foods, in this case Corazonas chips and foil-wrapped Frutels — bought in hopes of lowering cholesterol and curing acne.
Click here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Anneli Rufus
The food industry sees huge dollar signs in erasing the border between medicine and meals. Cinnamon is no longer just the spunky spice on cinnamon toast. Turmeric is no longer just the bitter yellow dust that colors curry.
These days, both are hailed as superpowered disease-fighting "nutraceuticals" — part nutrient, part pharmaceutical. Along with many other once-humble substances (think pomegranates, fish oil and flax seeds), they're key ingredients in "functional foods," which comprise a booming $30-billion-a-year industry bent on erasing the border between medicine and meals.
When is candy not candy? When are potato chips not potato chips? When are crisp salty discs and dark-chocolate balls not mere hedonistic treats? When they're functional foods, in this case Corazonas chips and foil-wrapped Frutels — bought in hopes of lowering cholesterol and curing acne.
Click here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Anneli Rufus
Friday, July 30, 2010
Fake Coupons and Coupon Certificate Book Scams Surge Through US
Fake coupons crime is rocketing in the US, with more types of fraudulent coupons churned out in the first few months of this year than in the whole of the previous decade.
One coupon scam in particular recently turned into a major headache for a leading food manufacturer and hundreds of retailers.
Dubious work-at-home programs that involve clipping coupons or selling books of coupon certificates also earn a fortune for con artists.
Read the full article here.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
One coupon scam in particular recently turned into a major headache for a leading food manufacturer and hundreds of retailers.
Dubious work-at-home programs that involve clipping coupons or selling books of coupon certificates also earn a fortune for con artists.
Read the full article here.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Monday, July 26, 2010
GET "EXPERT" ATTENTION BY WRITING WHAT YOU KNOW C.J. Hayden, MCC
Writing articles as an expert in your niche or specialty can help you become more credible as well as more visible. A well-written article on a subject of interest to your target market will get their attention, demonstrate your expertise, and increase your name recognition.
The first step in getting an expert article published is to identify some appropriate writing venues. What do the people in your target market read? Consider newsletters, ezines, web sites, magazines, trade journals, and newspapers. Ask your clients and prospects what online and print publications they subscribe to or regularly buy. Notice which periodicals are lying on their desks or coffee tables and poking out of their briefcases. Find out what web sites they frequently surf.
You can also look up publications by subject in directories of writing markets, such as those published in print, online, and CD versions by http://www.writersmarket.com or http://www.writersmarkets.com . To find online venues, just type your specialty and the word "articles" into your favorite search engine.
If you are new to getting your writing published, start with small publications that don't require writing experience. Association newsletters are an excellent first target. Other possibilities are the many web sites that publish educational articles to attract traffic; employee newsletters for companies you would like as clients; newsletters, ezines, or web sites produced by your referral partners; neighborhood newspapers; and advertising periodicals that list items for sale, job openings, or workshops and events.
When you have a venue in mind, don't just write an article and submit it. Most print publications and many online ones want you to query them first. Look for the submission guidelines posted on the publication's web site, or listed in a box near the table of contents, inside the front cover, or for newspapers, in the editorial section. If you're not sure, call the appropriate editor (usually listed in one of the same places) and ask.
Some publications accept queries by phone and others want them in writing. If you contact the editor by phone, be prepared to pitch your article idea on the spot. Tell them your proposed topic, why it is of interest to their readers, and why you should be the one who writes it. If you're convincing enough, a small publication might give you the assignment right there. A larger one will probably ask you to send a query letter and include some clips of your writing.
When a publication requests queries, don't try to skip the query step by sending a completed article in the hope that it will get printed. Most editors won't even look at it, and you will have wasted a great deal of time. Only if the publication clearly states they accept completed or previously published articles should you send the article instead of a query.
A query letter should begin with a strong lead paragraph, written just as if it were the opening paragraph of the actual article. You want it to capture the editor's interest, introduce your topic, and show that you can write. Continue the letter by describing two or three key points you intend for your article to make.
Then propose the article itself: "I would like to write a 1500-word article on the benefits to employers of integrated disability management programs. I plan to interview three employers who have experienced significant cost reductions..."
Conclude your letter with a brief description of your background that indicates why you are qualified to write the article. If you have previously been published, include two sample articles with your letter, or links to them when e-mailing. Be sure to send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you are querying by mail. E-mail submissions have become much more common, but don't use this method unless you know it is acceptable.
The elapsed time it takes editors to respond to a query varies widely. Unless you have been told otherwise, follow up after 30 days if you haven't heard anything. This is particularly important with a publication that only accepts newly-written articles, because you shouldn't send the same query to another editor until you are sure the first one doesn't want it.
Once you successfully place a number of articles, consider finding a venue for an ongoing column. Landing a regular column in a publication respected by your target market is a major milestone in establishing your expertise, and can significantly boost your name recognition.
Copyright © 2010, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
The first step in getting an expert article published is to identify some appropriate writing venues. What do the people in your target market read? Consider newsletters, ezines, web sites, magazines, trade journals, and newspapers. Ask your clients and prospects what online and print publications they subscribe to or regularly buy. Notice which periodicals are lying on their desks or coffee tables and poking out of their briefcases. Find out what web sites they frequently surf.
You can also look up publications by subject in directories of writing markets, such as those published in print, online, and CD versions by http://www.writersmarket.com or http://www.writersmarkets.com . To find online venues, just type your specialty and the word "articles" into your favorite search engine.
If you are new to getting your writing published, start with small publications that don't require writing experience. Association newsletters are an excellent first target. Other possibilities are the many web sites that publish educational articles to attract traffic; employee newsletters for companies you would like as clients; newsletters, ezines, or web sites produced by your referral partners; neighborhood newspapers; and advertising periodicals that list items for sale, job openings, or workshops and events.
When you have a venue in mind, don't just write an article and submit it. Most print publications and many online ones want you to query them first. Look for the submission guidelines posted on the publication's web site, or listed in a box near the table of contents, inside the front cover, or for newspapers, in the editorial section. If you're not sure, call the appropriate editor (usually listed in one of the same places) and ask.
Some publications accept queries by phone and others want them in writing. If you contact the editor by phone, be prepared to pitch your article idea on the spot. Tell them your proposed topic, why it is of interest to their readers, and why you should be the one who writes it. If you're convincing enough, a small publication might give you the assignment right there. A larger one will probably ask you to send a query letter and include some clips of your writing.
When a publication requests queries, don't try to skip the query step by sending a completed article in the hope that it will get printed. Most editors won't even look at it, and you will have wasted a great deal of time. Only if the publication clearly states they accept completed or previously published articles should you send the article instead of a query.
A query letter should begin with a strong lead paragraph, written just as if it were the opening paragraph of the actual article. You want it to capture the editor's interest, introduce your topic, and show that you can write. Continue the letter by describing two or three key points you intend for your article to make.
Then propose the article itself: "I would like to write a 1500-word article on the benefits to employers of integrated disability management programs. I plan to interview three employers who have experienced significant cost reductions..."
Conclude your letter with a brief description of your background that indicates why you are qualified to write the article. If you have previously been published, include two sample articles with your letter, or links to them when e-mailing. Be sure to send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you are querying by mail. E-mail submissions have become much more common, but don't use this method unless you know it is acceptable.
The elapsed time it takes editors to respond to a query varies widely. Unless you have been told otherwise, follow up after 30 days if you haven't heard anything. This is particularly important with a publication that only accepts newly-written articles, because you shouldn't send the same query to another editor until you are sure the first one doesn't want it.
Once you successfully place a number of articles, consider finding a venue for an ongoing column. Landing a regular column in a publication respected by your target market is a major milestone in establishing your expertise, and can significantly boost your name recognition.
Copyright © 2010, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Urban Legends and Hoaxes Straight from the News Headlines
As we warned in Scambusters Issue #342 last month, the deaths of top celebrities like Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett always prompts a surge of hoax and urban legends emails, often with links or attachments that you should never click because they'll download malware onto your PC.
But that's only the tip of the iceberg, as you will know if you've ever visited our Urban Legends and Hoaxes Resource Center.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
But that's only the tip of the iceberg, as you will know if you've ever visited our Urban Legends and Hoaxes Resource Center.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
10 of the Con Artists' Favorite Ways to Scam the Elderly
Alternet/ By Anneli Rufus
The older we get, the more attractive we become, to fraudsters. Preying on those breakdowns that come with age, from hearing loss to loneliness, criminals tailor special scams with Seniors in mind.
Financial crimes against the elderly are rampant. Bank accounts are being quietly wiped out. Afraid, betrayed, blaming themselves for being fooled -- believe me, I've seen it -- victims hesitate to call the cops. For most of us, these crimes are scroll-over territory because seniors and what happens to them aren't sexy. Members of the elderly crowd having their purses snatched by phony plumbers or being convinced to buy shares in companies that don't exist? We don't want to go there. Fraudsters do. Maybe one of them is ringing your mother's doorbell right now.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ By Anneli Rufus
The older we get, the more attractive we become, to fraudsters. Preying on those breakdowns that come with age, from hearing loss to loneliness, criminals tailor special scams with Seniors in mind.
Financial crimes against the elderly are rampant. Bank accounts are being quietly wiped out. Afraid, betrayed, blaming themselves for being fooled -- believe me, I've seen it -- victims hesitate to call the cops. For most of us, these crimes are scroll-over territory because seniors and what happens to them aren't sexy. Members of the elderly crowd having their purses snatched by phony plumbers or being convinced to buy shares in companies that don't exist? We don't want to go there. Fraudsters do. Maybe one of them is ringing your mother's doorbell right now.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ By Anneli Rufus
Can You Trust That Label -- Or Does It Hide a Food Scam?
How wine and food scam artists fool consumers and investors with phony labels and misleading information.
A wine or food scam works by providing false or misleading information, usually on the label of a product. Sometimes it's perfectly legal and preys on our lack of understanding...
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
A wine or food scam works by providing false or misleading information, usually on the label of a product. Sometimes it's perfectly legal and preys on our lack of understanding...
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
How the Sneaky Hands of the Big Banks Are Working Overtime to Rip You off
Alternet/ by Zach Carter
The economy is crumbling and consumers are in trouble. So banks are hitting them with $38 billion a year in deceptive fees.
After living through the Great Financial Crash of 2008, just about everybody recognizes that megabanks screwed the economy hard and were rewarded with big bailouts, which further screwed over, well, everybody, in the name of banker bonuses. But Big Finance has been waging its war on the middle class for decades, and many of its most destructive practices don't actually put the financial system in jeopardy. These tactics work because they are so effectively predatory. Banks gouge consumers and get rich—they don't create risks for the financial system, because they result in pure, risk-free profit, converting hard-earned middle-class wages into quick and easy bonuses.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ by Zach Carter
The economy is crumbling and consumers are in trouble. So banks are hitting them with $38 billion a year in deceptive fees.
After living through the Great Financial Crash of 2008, just about everybody recognizes that megabanks screwed the economy hard and were rewarded with big bailouts, which further screwed over, well, everybody, in the name of banker bonuses. But Big Finance has been waging its war on the middle class for decades, and many of its most destructive practices don't actually put the financial system in jeopardy. These tactics work because they are so effectively predatory. Banks gouge consumers and get rich—they don't create risks for the financial system, because they result in pure, risk-free profit, converting hard-earned middle-class wages into quick and easy bonuses.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ by Zach Carter
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
REJECTION: IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU C.J. Hayden, MCC
One of the most persistent barriers to success for independent professionals is fear of rejection. Sometimes this fear is quite conscious. You know that you are avoiding marketing and sales because you're afraid your prospects will say no.
Other times the fear is lurking in the background, making an impact you're not always aware of. You may find yourself procrastinating about making a phone call or setting up a sales appointment, and blame it on laziness or poor time management. Or you may avoid following up because you "don't want to bug people." Or perhaps it feels pushy to ask directly for a sale.
Or maybe it just seems easier to spend time exchanging posts on Facebook or Twitter, or spend money buying pay-per-click ads, than it does to have a one-to-one conversation with a prospect who has expressed interest in your services.
But what much of this subtle resistance to direct contact with your prospects indicates is that you are -- consciously or unconsciously -- avoiding situations where you might be told no.
There is no question that it can be confronting to ask someone to hire you. The possibility of being rejected may bring up every ounce of psychological baggage you are hauling around with you from the past. You may remember being chosen last for volleyball games, or told not to tag along with your older siblings, or excluded from a clique at school.
You may not even be aware these old memories of rejection are being triggered. You just notice how hard it is to make calls or go to networking events or follow up on leads, and you do something else instead.
But the reality is that if you don't turn around and face your fear of rejection, it's eventually going to bite you in the butt. It's going to keep you from making contacts you need to make, cause you to walk away from sales you could have closed, and force you into choosing easier -- but much less effective -- ways to get clients.
Here is where to begin. You must recognize that rejection is not about you. When a prospect decides not to do business with you, it's a commercial transaction. Your prospect is deciding whether or not to spend his own or his employer's money on purchasing a certain service. His choice has nothing whatsoever to do with your worth as a person, or even your abilities as a professional.
The number of factors that go into your prospect's decision are innumerable. And frequently, what you are told about why he doesn't want to hire you isn't the full story. Even when it sounds like it's about you, it really isn't.
When a prospect says she thinks you are too expensive, what she actually means is that she's choosing to spend that money on something else, or that she values low price over high quality, or that she never meant to act in the first place because she doesn't have an appropriate budget. None of this is about you.
A prospect who tells you that he found someone else more qualified simply means that there's another person in your market who happens to have experience more relevant than your own, or that the other person hired a better resume writer, or that your prospect thinks qualifications on paper mean more than real-world experience. Also not about you.
If you're told that the competition has better references, it means that they were referred by someone the prospect knows personally, or they worked for a big name the prospect recognizes, or the prospect got lazy after checking their references and never called yours. Not about you.
And most of the time what prospects tell you doesn't even sound like it's about you. They say, "not now," "let me think about it," or "I'm not ready." Certainly none of that is about you.
Of course it's disappointing to lose a sale, but the real problem is when you allow the possibility of a disappointment to stop you from seeking sales at all.
If you miss the bus occasionally, do you stop taking the bus to work? If you sometimes lose at cards, do you refuse to play any more? If you have a less-than-enjoyable first date with someone, do you give up dating forever?
No. You recognize that it would be unreasonable to expect the bus to always arrive on your schedule, or to win at cards every time you play, or for every first date to turn into marriage.
Then why should you allow the possibility of hearing someone say no stop you from making phone calls, or following up on leads, or setting up meetings to discuss working together?
The next time a prospect tells you she doesn't want to hire you right now or he prefers to work with someone else, don't allow yourself to translate that refusal to do business into a personal rejection. Prospects who say no are not suggesting there is something wrong with you. They aren't even talking about you; they are talking about themselves.
Instead, hear a no as what it truly is: a business decision based on a current set of circumstances that exist in the life, career, or workplace of your prospects. It's about their time, their money, their needs, their preferences, their priorities. It's not about you at all.
Copyright © 2010, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Other times the fear is lurking in the background, making an impact you're not always aware of. You may find yourself procrastinating about making a phone call or setting up a sales appointment, and blame it on laziness or poor time management. Or you may avoid following up because you "don't want to bug people." Or perhaps it feels pushy to ask directly for a sale.
Or maybe it just seems easier to spend time exchanging posts on Facebook or Twitter, or spend money buying pay-per-click ads, than it does to have a one-to-one conversation with a prospect who has expressed interest in your services.
But what much of this subtle resistance to direct contact with your prospects indicates is that you are -- consciously or unconsciously -- avoiding situations where you might be told no.
There is no question that it can be confronting to ask someone to hire you. The possibility of being rejected may bring up every ounce of psychological baggage you are hauling around with you from the past. You may remember being chosen last for volleyball games, or told not to tag along with your older siblings, or excluded from a clique at school.
You may not even be aware these old memories of rejection are being triggered. You just notice how hard it is to make calls or go to networking events or follow up on leads, and you do something else instead.
But the reality is that if you don't turn around and face your fear of rejection, it's eventually going to bite you in the butt. It's going to keep you from making contacts you need to make, cause you to walk away from sales you could have closed, and force you into choosing easier -- but much less effective -- ways to get clients.
Here is where to begin. You must recognize that rejection is not about you. When a prospect decides not to do business with you, it's a commercial transaction. Your prospect is deciding whether or not to spend his own or his employer's money on purchasing a certain service. His choice has nothing whatsoever to do with your worth as a person, or even your abilities as a professional.
The number of factors that go into your prospect's decision are innumerable. And frequently, what you are told about why he doesn't want to hire you isn't the full story. Even when it sounds like it's about you, it really isn't.
When a prospect says she thinks you are too expensive, what she actually means is that she's choosing to spend that money on something else, or that she values low price over high quality, or that she never meant to act in the first place because she doesn't have an appropriate budget. None of this is about you.
A prospect who tells you that he found someone else more qualified simply means that there's another person in your market who happens to have experience more relevant than your own, or that the other person hired a better resume writer, or that your prospect thinks qualifications on paper mean more than real-world experience. Also not about you.
If you're told that the competition has better references, it means that they were referred by someone the prospect knows personally, or they worked for a big name the prospect recognizes, or the prospect got lazy after checking their references and never called yours. Not about you.
And most of the time what prospects tell you doesn't even sound like it's about you. They say, "not now," "let me think about it," or "I'm not ready." Certainly none of that is about you.
Of course it's disappointing to lose a sale, but the real problem is when you allow the possibility of a disappointment to stop you from seeking sales at all.
If you miss the bus occasionally, do you stop taking the bus to work? If you sometimes lose at cards, do you refuse to play any more? If you have a less-than-enjoyable first date with someone, do you give up dating forever?
No. You recognize that it would be unreasonable to expect the bus to always arrive on your schedule, or to win at cards every time you play, or for every first date to turn into marriage.
Then why should you allow the possibility of hearing someone say no stop you from making phone calls, or following up on leads, or setting up meetings to discuss working together?
The next time a prospect tells you she doesn't want to hire you right now or he prefers to work with someone else, don't allow yourself to translate that refusal to do business into a personal rejection. Prospects who say no are not suggesting there is something wrong with you. They aren't even talking about you; they are talking about themselves.
Instead, hear a no as what it truly is: a business decision based on a current set of circumstances that exist in the life, career, or workplace of your prospects. It's about their time, their money, their needs, their preferences, their priorities. It's not about you at all.
Copyright © 2010, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
GOP Economic Plan: Punish the Jobless to Screw Over Obama
The New York Times / By Paul Krugman
Alternet
There are five unemployed workers for every job opening. That does not seem to concern the GOP lawmakers opposed to extending unemployment benefits.
There was a time when everyone took it for granted that unemployment insurance, which normally terminates after 26 weeks, would be extended in times of persistent joblessness. It was, most people agreed, the decent thing to do.
But that was then. Today, American workers face the worst job market since the Great Depression, with five job seekers for every job opening, with the average spell of unemployment now at 35 weeks. Yet the Senate went home for the holiday weekend without extending benefits. How was that possible?
The answer is that we’re facing a coalition of the heartless, the clueless and the confused. Nothing can be done about the first group, and probably not much about the second. But maybe it’s possible to clear up some of the confusion.
Click Here to read the full article.
The New York Times / By Paul Krugman
Alternet
Alternet
There are five unemployed workers for every job opening. That does not seem to concern the GOP lawmakers opposed to extending unemployment benefits.
There was a time when everyone took it for granted that unemployment insurance, which normally terminates after 26 weeks, would be extended in times of persistent joblessness. It was, most people agreed, the decent thing to do.
But that was then. Today, American workers face the worst job market since the Great Depression, with five job seekers for every job opening, with the average spell of unemployment now at 35 weeks. Yet the Senate went home for the holiday weekend without extending benefits. How was that possible?
The answer is that we’re facing a coalition of the heartless, the clueless and the confused. Nothing can be done about the first group, and probably not much about the second. But maybe it’s possible to clear up some of the confusion.
Click Here to read the full article.
The New York Times / By Paul Krugman
Alternet
McDonald’s Facing Potential Lawsuit for Luring Kids With Happy Meal Toys
Alternet/
Posted by michelesimon
It was only a matter of time. Last month, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) served McDonald’s with a notice of its intent to sue if the fast food giant continues to use toys to promote Happy Meals. (An “intent to sue” letter is a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit in some states.) The basis for the potential case is that using toys to market to small children is unfair and deceptive under the consumer protection laws in a number of states. According to CSPI’s letter, McDonald’s toy promotions violate the laws of California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, and the District of Columbia.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/
Posted by michelesimon
Posted by michelesimon
It was only a matter of time. Last month, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) served McDonald’s with a notice of its intent to sue if the fast food giant continues to use toys to promote Happy Meals. (An “intent to sue” letter is a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit in some states.) The basis for the potential case is that using toys to market to small children is unfair and deceptive under the consumer protection laws in a number of states. According to CSPI’s letter, McDonald’s toy promotions violate the laws of California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, and the District of Columbia.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/
Posted by michelesimon
Monday, July 5, 2010
Improve Search Engine Rankings With Proper Keyword Research
By Michael Fleischner
The best way to achieve search engine dominance is by focusing on keyword research. As a search engine optimization consultant, I’ve worked with hundreds of companies that miss this very important step. Achieving top search engine rankings is largely based on the competitiveness of the keyword phrase you are trying to optimize for. If your competitor is in the top spot with a well entrenched web site, then your chances of out ranking him may be limited.
In addition to focusing on a keyword phrase that doesn’t have strong competition, you need to find terms that are frequently searched on. I recently finished a consulting assignment for a foundation trying to optimize their website. They had top rankings for a keyword term that seemed to be somewhat desirable. However, keyword research proved that the term received less than 100 searches per month. As a result, top rankings for this keyword phrase were nearly meaningless.
Once you have found a keyword phrase that isn’t too competitive and receives an adequate number of monthly searches, the next step is to thoroughly check out your competition. Google the keyword phrases you want to optimize for a run a back link check on the top three ranked web sites. This indicates the strength of those web sites relative to their search engine ranking. The more links, the more difficult it will be to rank higher than they do without some type of sustained link building campaign.
After doing your keyword research and confirming your choice of keywords and keyword phrases, it’s time to focus on improving your web pages around the keywords you’ve selected. Enhance your meta tags, titles, and web copy to include your keyword phrases. This helps to tell the search engines what your web site is about so it can rank your site appropriately. In addition to the on page factors, Google weighs off page factors to determine web site ranking.
Off page optimization requires a sustained effort that uses new content and additional links from third party websites. The most effective strategies are the most basic. Begin with a link building plan. Focus on article directories, web site directories, blogs, social bookmarking sites, and other resources where you can establish in bound links.
Your plan should include daily, weekly and monthly tasks that can attract links from authority websites consistently over time. Your goal should not be to generate thousands of inbound links quickly because Google will penalize your website. Rather, focus on steady link building.
If you want to improve your organic search engine ranking, begin with keyword research. By selecting the right keywords, you’ll be able to optimize your website more quickly than your competitors. After choosing the right keywords, focus on integrating your chosen keywords into your web site. Then you’re ready for link building and other off page optimization tactics that significantly improve rankings.
Michael Fleischner is an SEO consultant and author of SEO Made Simple, revealing strategies guaranteed to improve search engine rankings. Learn more about Michael's hands-on SEO training program, Internet Marketing Forum, and SEO consulting at MarketingScoop.com or contact him via the Marketing Blog at http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
The best way to achieve search engine dominance is by focusing on keyword research. As a search engine optimization consultant, I’ve worked with hundreds of companies that miss this very important step. Achieving top search engine rankings is largely based on the competitiveness of the keyword phrase you are trying to optimize for. If your competitor is in the top spot with a well entrenched web site, then your chances of out ranking him may be limited.
In addition to focusing on a keyword phrase that doesn’t have strong competition, you need to find terms that are frequently searched on. I recently finished a consulting assignment for a foundation trying to optimize their website. They had top rankings for a keyword term that seemed to be somewhat desirable. However, keyword research proved that the term received less than 100 searches per month. As a result, top rankings for this keyword phrase were nearly meaningless.
Once you have found a keyword phrase that isn’t too competitive and receives an adequate number of monthly searches, the next step is to thoroughly check out your competition. Google the keyword phrases you want to optimize for a run a back link check on the top three ranked web sites. This indicates the strength of those web sites relative to their search engine ranking. The more links, the more difficult it will be to rank higher than they do without some type of sustained link building campaign.
After doing your keyword research and confirming your choice of keywords and keyword phrases, it’s time to focus on improving your web pages around the keywords you’ve selected. Enhance your meta tags, titles, and web copy to include your keyword phrases. This helps to tell the search engines what your web site is about so it can rank your site appropriately. In addition to the on page factors, Google weighs off page factors to determine web site ranking.
Off page optimization requires a sustained effort that uses new content and additional links from third party websites. The most effective strategies are the most basic. Begin with a link building plan. Focus on article directories, web site directories, blogs, social bookmarking sites, and other resources where you can establish in bound links.
Your plan should include daily, weekly and monthly tasks that can attract links from authority websites consistently over time. Your goal should not be to generate thousands of inbound links quickly because Google will penalize your website. Rather, focus on steady link building.
If you want to improve your organic search engine ranking, begin with keyword research. By selecting the right keywords, you’ll be able to optimize your website more quickly than your competitors. After choosing the right keywords, focus on integrating your chosen keywords into your web site. Then you’re ready for link building and other off page optimization tactics that significantly improve rankings.
Michael Fleischner is an SEO consultant and author of SEO Made Simple, revealing strategies guaranteed to improve search engine rankings. Learn more about Michael's hands-on SEO training program, Internet Marketing Forum, and SEO consulting at MarketingScoop.com or contact him via the Marketing Blog at http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
Read More Travel Scam Tricks Such As The Mayan Dollar Scam
Here are some more interesting travel scams such as the Mayan Dollar scam for you travelers of abroad.
In Mexico's Riviera Maya earlier this year, Scambuster Keith was mightily impressed by the low prices offered by traders for souvenirs at the famous Chichen Itza heritage site.
"Only five dollars," the trader would shout, thrusting a handmade bag or an ornate stone carving in front of him.
But once hooked, he discovered this price turns out to be "Mayan dollars," a non-existent currency that someone apparently dreamt up and many traders now use.
Click Here to read about more travel scams.
In Mexico's Riviera Maya earlier this year, Scambuster Keith was mightily impressed by the low prices offered by traders for souvenirs at the famous Chichen Itza heritage site.
"Only five dollars," the trader would shout, thrusting a handmade bag or an ornate stone carving in front of him.
But once hooked, he discovered this price turns out to be "Mayan dollars," a non-existent currency that someone apparently dreamt up and many traders now use.
Click Here to read about more travel scams.
The Beijing Tea Scam
China is an increasingly popular tourist destination, and the nation's capital, Beijing, lures the vast majority of the country's visitors to its fabulous culture and architecture. So it's a well-tried travel scam hangout too.
For instance: In the most popular haunts, a couple of young women approach you, claiming to be English students and saying they want to chat to improve their language skills.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
For instance: In the most popular haunts, a couple of young women approach you, claiming to be English students and saying they want to chat to improve their language skills.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Empty Homes Open the Door to a Rental Scam
Rental scam artists are taking advantage of the flood of neglected, empty houses on the real estate market caused by the huge increase in recession-driven foreclosures.
Homes owned by banks and other financial institutions may take months or even years to sell, leaving them unchecked for the duration and sitting targets for the scammers.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Homes owned by banks and other financial institutions may take months or even years to sell, leaving them unchecked for the duration and sitting targets for the scammers.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Red Bull Scam -- Why Are So Many People Buying Into Its Deceptive 'Energy-Giving' Marketing?
Alternet/ by Scott Thill
Red Bull's claims that it improves performance, concentration, reaction time and emotional status are all BS.
"Red Bull gives you wings," Earth's most popular energy drink by market share promises in its commercials. Well, Icarus had kickass wings. Remember what happened to him? Crash and burn, baby.
What Red Bull does give you is crazy amounts of caffeine compressed into a tiny can of hope. Conjoined with its various sponsorships of similarly extreme events like Formula One racing, air shows, outdoor action sports and much more, Red Bull's overheating marketing arms have major global reach. It has deeply penetrated popular culture, down to its soccer stadiums and sex-fueled clubs, where the drink is popularly mixed with vodka and other alcohol standbys. In the process, Red Bull has helped create a race of hyperspeeding robots annually swallowing over a billion cans of Red Bull, only to crash and burn shortly afterward. At which point, they drink it again to wake up, and restart their seriously stressed engines.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ by Scott Thill
Red Bull's claims that it improves performance, concentration, reaction time and emotional status are all BS.
"Red Bull gives you wings," Earth's most popular energy drink by market share promises in its commercials. Well, Icarus had kickass wings. Remember what happened to him? Crash and burn, baby.
What Red Bull does give you is crazy amounts of caffeine compressed into a tiny can of hope. Conjoined with its various sponsorships of similarly extreme events like Formula One racing, air shows, outdoor action sports and much more, Red Bull's overheating marketing arms have major global reach. It has deeply penetrated popular culture, down to its soccer stadiums and sex-fueled clubs, where the drink is popularly mixed with vodka and other alcohol standbys. In the process, Red Bull has helped create a race of hyperspeeding robots annually swallowing over a billion cans of Red Bull, only to crash and burn shortly afterward. At which point, they drink it again to wake up, and restart their seriously stressed engines.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ by Scott Thill
Why You Need to Erase Personal Info From a Satellite Navigation System Before You Sell
A reader's letter to syndicated newspaper column "Dear Abby" highlights a little-known issue and sounds an alert about personal information stored on a vehicle satellite navigation system.
The reader explained that she'd bought a used auto already fitted with a navigation system, or GPS as they're sometimes called, and discovered personal information about the previous owner on the device.
The satellite navigation system provided not only the prior owner's name and address but also details about friends and the location of his bank.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
The reader explained that she'd bought a used auto already fitted with a navigation system, or GPS as they're sometimes called, and discovered personal information about the previous owner on the device.
The satellite navigation system provided not only the prior owner's name and address but also details about friends and the location of his bank.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Friday, June 11, 2010
Making Money Online with Google AdSense
By Michael Fleischner | Marketing Expert, Internet Marketing Secrets*
Many marketing professionals are using Google to place targeted ads in front of prospective customers. This is increasingly effective due to the highly targeted nature of Google AdWords. Google AdSense, the other side of the online advertising equation, allows website owners to make money by provided contextually targeted ads to their website traffic.
Providing targeted ads to your online visitors creates a better user experience and communicates your knowledge of the audience you serve. Google AdSense automatically delivers text and image ads that are precisely targeted to your site and your site content through the Google AdSense advertising system.
If you're involved with an affiliate program such as commission junction, you know that signing up with, and maintaining relationships with advertisers is a full-time job. With Google AdSense, Google manages the relationships with advertisers for you, making the process simple and easy to manage. Once you place the appropriate code on your website, the AdSense program requires basically no maintenance.
How You Make Money
When you display Google ads on your website, you create the potential to generate revenue. Google places relevant cost-per-click and cost per thousand impressions ads into a real-time auction and lets multiple advertisers compete against one another for displaying their ad. The auction takes place instantaneously and when it's over AdSense automatically displays the text or image ads that will generate the maximum revenue for a given page, resulting in the maximum revenue for a web site owner.
Ads Are Updated When Your Content Changes
Google AdSense technology analyses the content of your web pages and delivers ads that are relevant automatically, no matter how many pages of content your site may have. As your content changes, Google's ads change to match.
Google Ads Can be Customized in Look and Feel
AdSense allows you to customize the appearance of your ads to fully match the look and feel of your site. As of the writing of this article, Google AdSense provides more than 200 colors and 24 pre-set color palettes to choose from. Additionally, you can create and save your own custom palettes using a point-and-click color selection tool which is relatively simple to use. This ensures a consistent user experience for those browsing your web site.
Track Your Earnings Online
The key to making money with Google AdSense is to monitor your ad performance with customizable online reports. These reports are available online and offer details regarding the number of page impressions delivered, clicks, and click-through rate. You can also track the performance of specific ad formats, colors and pages, allowing you to spot trends quickly and easily. The reporting tool lets you group your web pages however you want, so you can gain insight into your earnings by viewing results by URL, domain, ad type, and category. When you spot revenue trends, develop more content for your site in the areas that produce the highest Google AdSense revenue.
If you are interested in getting started as a Google AdSense publisher, just go to your web browser and type in Google AdSense. You'll find information about the program and a link to the program registration form. Signing up is pretty easy. It only takes a few minutes to apply online for both content and search ads. Once you're approved, you simply need to log in to your account, copy and paste a block of HTML code into your existing ad server or directly into any of your web pages. Relevant ads start to appear on your web pages right away, and you start making money from the first impression or click.
Be sure to evaluate the effectiveness of your program at least once per week. Doing so allows you to determine what type of content is driving the largest percentage of your online advertising revenue. As mentioned previously, when developing new content for your site, be sure to focus on the areas that are driving the greatest ad revenue as indicated by your online Google AdSense reports.
* Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert and the president of MarketingScoop.com, the Internet’s biggest source of marketing information and free marketing resources. He has more than 12 years of marketing experience and has appeared on The TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media. Visit Marketingscoop.com for further details, marketing secrets, Marketing Blog Directory, and more FREE reprint articles.
Many marketing professionals are using Google to place targeted ads in front of prospective customers. This is increasingly effective due to the highly targeted nature of Google AdWords. Google AdSense, the other side of the online advertising equation, allows website owners to make money by provided contextually targeted ads to their website traffic.
Providing targeted ads to your online visitors creates a better user experience and communicates your knowledge of the audience you serve. Google AdSense automatically delivers text and image ads that are precisely targeted to your site and your site content through the Google AdSense advertising system.
If you're involved with an affiliate program such as commission junction, you know that signing up with, and maintaining relationships with advertisers is a full-time job. With Google AdSense, Google manages the relationships with advertisers for you, making the process simple and easy to manage. Once you place the appropriate code on your website, the AdSense program requires basically no maintenance.
How You Make Money
When you display Google ads on your website, you create the potential to generate revenue. Google places relevant cost-per-click and cost per thousand impressions ads into a real-time auction and lets multiple advertisers compete against one another for displaying their ad. The auction takes place instantaneously and when it's over AdSense automatically displays the text or image ads that will generate the maximum revenue for a given page, resulting in the maximum revenue for a web site owner.
Ads Are Updated When Your Content Changes
Google AdSense technology analyses the content of your web pages and delivers ads that are relevant automatically, no matter how many pages of content your site may have. As your content changes, Google's ads change to match.
Google Ads Can be Customized in Look and Feel
AdSense allows you to customize the appearance of your ads to fully match the look and feel of your site. As of the writing of this article, Google AdSense provides more than 200 colors and 24 pre-set color palettes to choose from. Additionally, you can create and save your own custom palettes using a point-and-click color selection tool which is relatively simple to use. This ensures a consistent user experience for those browsing your web site.
Track Your Earnings Online
The key to making money with Google AdSense is to monitor your ad performance with customizable online reports. These reports are available online and offer details regarding the number of page impressions delivered, clicks, and click-through rate. You can also track the performance of specific ad formats, colors and pages, allowing you to spot trends quickly and easily. The reporting tool lets you group your web pages however you want, so you can gain insight into your earnings by viewing results by URL, domain, ad type, and category. When you spot revenue trends, develop more content for your site in the areas that produce the highest Google AdSense revenue.
If you are interested in getting started as a Google AdSense publisher, just go to your web browser and type in Google AdSense. You'll find information about the program and a link to the program registration form. Signing up is pretty easy. It only takes a few minutes to apply online for both content and search ads. Once you're approved, you simply need to log in to your account, copy and paste a block of HTML code into your existing ad server or directly into any of your web pages. Relevant ads start to appear on your web pages right away, and you start making money from the first impression or click.
Be sure to evaluate the effectiveness of your program at least once per week. Doing so allows you to determine what type of content is driving the largest percentage of your online advertising revenue. As mentioned previously, when developing new content for your site, be sure to focus on the areas that are driving the greatest ad revenue as indicated by your online Google AdSense reports.
* Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert and the president of MarketingScoop.com, the Internet’s biggest source of marketing information and free marketing resources. He has more than 12 years of marketing experience and has appeared on The TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media. Visit Marketingscoop.com for further details, marketing secrets, Marketing Blog Directory, and more FREE reprint articles.
That Disaster Alert May Be Just Another Weather Or Earthquake Hoax
Is it time to hit the panic button -- or was that just another weather scam or earthquake hoax?
The trouble with natural disasters is that we're never quite sure when and where they'll strike.
The only thing we can be sure of is that, when they do, they'll provoke a rash of rumors and false stories about repeat disasters supposedly just about to happen.
Read the full article here.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
The trouble with natural disasters is that we're never quite sure when and where they'll strike.
The only thing we can be sure of is that, when they do, they'll provoke a rash of rumors and false stories about repeat disasters supposedly just about to happen.
Read the full article here.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Thursday, June 3, 2010
NEW: Oil Spill Scam Warning
Watch out for oil spill scam artists! Within days of the BP oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, crooks launched their own gusher - a flood of oil spill scams that includes bogus investments in companies claiming to have clean-up contracts ...
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
GETTING SMART ABOUT GETTING REFERRALS C.J. Hayden, MCC
Savvy independent professionals know that referrals are the best way to land new clients. But getting those referrals can sometimes be a challenge. When referrals don't come easily -- or the ones you get seem to be off track -- it's tempting to forget about building referrals and spend time on cold calling, boilerplate letters and emails, or advertising, even though you know those approaches aren't as effective in the long run.
Instead, try getting smarter about getting referrals. Here are the five most common sources of referrals for independent professionals, and keys to making them work for you.
1. Current or former clients.
Keys to more referrals: Clients must be satisfied with your value, find you easy to work with, and not mind "sharing" you.
Common mistakes: Focusing on clients as your main source of referrals.
Of course no one will refer you if you don't do quality work. But they also won't refer if they find you difficult to work with or think they could do better elsewhere. Clients often stay even when dissatisfied, just out of inertia. If you've ever been asked for a referral yourself and replied, "Well, I work with so-and-so, but I wouldn't really recommend him," you understand this phenomenon.
Before you start asking your clients for referrals, ask them instead, "What else can I do to improve my service to you?" Take action on their requests, and THEN ask if they might know someone to refer to you. Another good moment to ask for referrals is any time a client thanks you for a job well done.
Recognize that you probably have fewer people in your pool of current and former clients than in any of the other four groups listed below. So don't focus on getting referrals from clients while ignoring other possibilities. Keep in mind, too, that sometimes existing clients don't want to "share" you. They may be afraid you won't be as available for their projects. Or if your work is of a personal nature, they may not want people who they know to work with you also.
2. Fellow members of networking groups.
Keys to more referrals: They must get to know, like, and trust you.
Common mistakes: Expecting referrals just by joining a group.
A member of a networking group I was managing once complained to me, "I was told I would get referrals from this group. Well, where are they?" When I asked if she had been coming to our events to meet other members, she replied, "No, I only joined for the referrals." She truly believed that just by JOINING this group, somehow referrals would mysteriously appear.
Networking groups can be an extremely productive source of referrals, but you need to not only meet other members, you must get to know them. People rarely refer based on a business card or 30-second introduction. Instead, use groups as a springboard to initiate coffee, lunch, or phone conversations to get better acquainted with group members and begin building a relationship.
3. Colleagues in your field.
Keys to more referrals: Their clients or specialties must be different from yours or they must be overbooked.
Common mistakes: Spending all your networking time with people who do exactly what you do.
The most common type of networking is participating in your own professional association. This is valuable for building credibility and keeping up in your field, but isn't always the best avenue to increase referrals. Focus your referral-building activities within your profession on identifying colleagues whose target market or specialty is different than your own. Or, seek out those people who always seem to have more business than they can handle, and could send some your way.
4. Others who share your target market.
Keys to more referrals: They must know what you do, who you do it for, and when someone might need you.
Common mistakes: Networking just to meet people without telling them enough to refer to you.
Seeking out people in different professions than your own who happen to share your target market is an often neglected -- but very fruitful -- source of referrals. But because these folks aren't in your field, it's crucial to inform them about who would be a good client for you and the benefits of your work. Set up a meeting or call with folks like these to educate them about what you do, and be sure to also ask how you can assist with referrals or resources THEY need.
5. Friends, family, and personal acquaintances.
Keys to more referrals: They must know enough about your business.
Common mistakes: Not talking about your business to people in your personal life.
It's a frequent failing of new entrepreneurs to avoid telling those in their personal life about their business. It seems they are waiting to become successful before letting people know what they're doing now. But holding back in this way can actually prevent you from succeeding.
Friends, family, neighbors, and acquaintances from school, church, sports, or hobbies can be excellent referral sources because they already know and trust you. Take the time to describe your business, and let them know what type of clients you're seeking. You may be pleasantly surprised by their willingness to help.
So if you're ready to get more referrals, get smart about it. Expand your thinking about who might refer to you, and put in place some of these essential keys to make referrals more likely. It's said that good things come to those who wait, but better things often come to those who go out looking for them.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Instead, try getting smarter about getting referrals. Here are the five most common sources of referrals for independent professionals, and keys to making them work for you.
1. Current or former clients.
Keys to more referrals: Clients must be satisfied with your value, find you easy to work with, and not mind "sharing" you.
Common mistakes: Focusing on clients as your main source of referrals.
Of course no one will refer you if you don't do quality work. But they also won't refer if they find you difficult to work with or think they could do better elsewhere. Clients often stay even when dissatisfied, just out of inertia. If you've ever been asked for a referral yourself and replied, "Well, I work with so-and-so, but I wouldn't really recommend him," you understand this phenomenon.
Before you start asking your clients for referrals, ask them instead, "What else can I do to improve my service to you?" Take action on their requests, and THEN ask if they might know someone to refer to you. Another good moment to ask for referrals is any time a client thanks you for a job well done.
Recognize that you probably have fewer people in your pool of current and former clients than in any of the other four groups listed below. So don't focus on getting referrals from clients while ignoring other possibilities. Keep in mind, too, that sometimes existing clients don't want to "share" you. They may be afraid you won't be as available for their projects. Or if your work is of a personal nature, they may not want people who they know to work with you also.
2. Fellow members of networking groups.
Keys to more referrals: They must get to know, like, and trust you.
Common mistakes: Expecting referrals just by joining a group.
A member of a networking group I was managing once complained to me, "I was told I would get referrals from this group. Well, where are they?" When I asked if she had been coming to our events to meet other members, she replied, "No, I only joined for the referrals." She truly believed that just by JOINING this group, somehow referrals would mysteriously appear.
Networking groups can be an extremely productive source of referrals, but you need to not only meet other members, you must get to know them. People rarely refer based on a business card or 30-second introduction. Instead, use groups as a springboard to initiate coffee, lunch, or phone conversations to get better acquainted with group members and begin building a relationship.
3. Colleagues in your field.
Keys to more referrals: Their clients or specialties must be different from yours or they must be overbooked.
Common mistakes: Spending all your networking time with people who do exactly what you do.
The most common type of networking is participating in your own professional association. This is valuable for building credibility and keeping up in your field, but isn't always the best avenue to increase referrals. Focus your referral-building activities within your profession on identifying colleagues whose target market or specialty is different than your own. Or, seek out those people who always seem to have more business than they can handle, and could send some your way.
4. Others who share your target market.
Keys to more referrals: They must know what you do, who you do it for, and when someone might need you.
Common mistakes: Networking just to meet people without telling them enough to refer to you.
Seeking out people in different professions than your own who happen to share your target market is an often neglected -- but very fruitful -- source of referrals. But because these folks aren't in your field, it's crucial to inform them about who would be a good client for you and the benefits of your work. Set up a meeting or call with folks like these to educate them about what you do, and be sure to also ask how you can assist with referrals or resources THEY need.
5. Friends, family, and personal acquaintances.
Keys to more referrals: They must know enough about your business.
Common mistakes: Not talking about your business to people in your personal life.
It's a frequent failing of new entrepreneurs to avoid telling those in their personal life about their business. It seems they are waiting to become successful before letting people know what they're doing now. But holding back in this way can actually prevent you from succeeding.
Friends, family, neighbors, and acquaintances from school, church, sports, or hobbies can be excellent referral sources because they already know and trust you. Take the time to describe your business, and let them know what type of clients you're seeking. You may be pleasantly surprised by their willingness to help.
So if you're ready to get more referrals, get smart about it. Expand your thinking about who might refer to you, and put in place some of these essential keys to make referrals more likely. It's said that good things come to those who wait, but better things often come to those who go out looking for them.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Monday, May 31, 2010
10 Things We Must Remember on Memorial Day
The war in Iraq is in its seventh year. The war in Afghanistan, in its ninth year, is the longest war in our history.
According to Yale historian David Blight, Memorial Day (first called Decoration Day), the U.S. holiday commemorating fallen soldiers, got its start at the end of the Civil War. In 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina former African-American slaves exhumed Union soldiers from a mass grave on the site of Charleston's exclusive racetrack and buried them in individual graves, a ten-day project that ended in a day of celebration of the nation, peace, and freedom in which thousands of Charleston's black families gathered to decorate graves, pray, play games, and picnic. 145 years after the end of our Civil War, our nation is engaged in near civil wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which we had a part in starting and no plans for ending.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet by Nora Eisenberg
According to Yale historian David Blight, Memorial Day (first called Decoration Day), the U.S. holiday commemorating fallen soldiers, got its start at the end of the Civil War. In 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina former African-American slaves exhumed Union soldiers from a mass grave on the site of Charleston's exclusive racetrack and buried them in individual graves, a ten-day project that ended in a day of celebration of the nation, peace, and freedom in which thousands of Charleston's black families gathered to decorate graves, pray, play games, and picnic. 145 years after the end of our Civil War, our nation is engaged in near civil wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which we had a part in starting and no plans for ending.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet by Nora Eisenberg
How Fake News Stories and Bogus News Websites Try to Deceive You
Fake news stories help crooks lure victims into all sorts of traps. We've reported previously on how scammers distribute emails with links to a sensational but fake news article or with an attachment that carries a deadly virus payload.
Either way, the aim is to install malware on your PC when you click the link or open the attachment.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Either way, the aim is to install malware on your PC when you click the link or open the attachment.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Thursday, May 20, 2010
HOW TO HELP ON 2010 GULF OIL SPILL
HOW TO HELP ON 2010 GULF OIL SPILL
While those responsible for this spill are covering the cost of the Gulf clean-up, you can support the work of the non-profit organizations currently on the ground responding to oiled wildlife.
You can support International Bird Rescue's ongoing rescue work by donating, becoming a member or adopting a bird.
Click Here for more info and to see oil being washed off an oiled bird.
IBRRC is a non-profit 501-c-3 organization. Your contribution is tax deductible to the full extent of IRS law.
© 2010 IBRRC – All Rights Reserved • Privacy policy • Website
While those responsible for this spill are covering the cost of the Gulf clean-up, you can support the work of the non-profit organizations currently on the ground responding to oiled wildlife.
You can support International Bird Rescue's ongoing rescue work by donating, becoming a member or adopting a bird.
Click Here for more info and to see oil being washed off an oiled bird.
IBRRC is a non-profit 501-c-3 organization. Your contribution is tax deductible to the full extent of IRS law.
© 2010 IBRRC – All Rights Reserved • Privacy policy • Website
Hightower's "Icky" Awards -- Who Are the Greediest, Grossest Corporate Hogs?
This coveted corporate prize goes to the group of CEOs whose performances in the past 12 months exhibit the best combination of greediness, goofiness and grossness.
May 19, 2010
Gas from the damaged Deepwater Horizon wellhead is burned by the drillship Discoverer Enterprise in the Gulf of Mexico on May 16, in a process known as flaring. The United States Tuesday closed off a large chunk of the Gulf of Mexico to fishing as fears a giant oil slick could be swept to Florida's beaches and coral reefs overshadowed progress in stemming the spill.
Read the full article here.
Alternet by Jim Hightower
May 19, 2010
Gas from the damaged Deepwater Horizon wellhead is burned by the drillship Discoverer Enterprise in the Gulf of Mexico on May 16, in a process known as flaring. The United States Tuesday closed off a large chunk of the Gulf of Mexico to fishing as fears a giant oil slick could be swept to Florida's beaches and coral reefs overshadowed progress in stemming the spill.
Read the full article here.
Alternet by Jim Hightower
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