Five Big Ones

Hub - What I Would Do If I have Only 24 Hours Left To Live

2009-09-21T21:03:00.003+08:00

Just on a whim, I decided to answer a question on Hubpages titled "What will you do if you are going to die today...??" My intention was not to be morbid, nor have I received any bad news from doctors lately. I just thought that it is a nice exercise to step back for a bit, and look at the bigger picture.

Read more...What I Would Do If I have Only 24 Hours Left To Live

Article - How To Get Ideas For Articles

2009-09-18T14:13:00.002+08:00

The article marketing gurus tell us that getting 5 or 10 articles out there is just not going to cut it. The most prolific article writers in the article directories has written thousands of articles. When you first start to think of it, that's a lot of articles! But with a little diligence, a little creativity, and some helpful tips, it might just be manageable.

Write On Similar and Related Topics

A little imagination goes a long way. If you are selling clocks, you don't just have to talk about clocks. Talk about things that people interested in clocks would be interested in, or you can talk about the history of clocks, or what life would be like without clocks. There is really a thousand and one things that you can write articles on, just let your imagination run free.

Lists

Lists are a great way to start writing articles. The first step is to make a list of a particular aspect of your product. For examples, you can make a list of all the advantages of your product. Make the list as long as you can. When you are done, split your list into smaller article sized lists, and write an article for each of the smaller lists. Once you have gone through your whole list, make another list of another aspect of your product.

Target Different Audiences

A whole spectrum of people will read your article. From a single article, you can write more articles based on the same points, but targeted at a specific demographic. Let's say you are selling sports equipment and you are writing about why one needs to keep fit. If you are writing for young single women, you might say that a well toned body is a big plus when attracting the opposite sex. If you are writing for married women, you might say that a well toned body is great for keeping their husbands interested.

If You Think There Are Just No More Unique Articles You Can Write...

If you run out of article ideas, simply search the web for your relevant topic. Read through a couple of articles and websites and I'm sure you will get enough new ideas to keep you busy for a while. Just remember not to copy and come up with completely original material.

Conclusion

Writing many articles on the same topic is really not as challenging as it would appear at first glance. There are always many angles to any topic and you can write one article for each angle. You have the option of expanding on each individual point made in an article and you can explore related topics in the same way. In fact, when you think about it, you probably won't have time to write all the potential articles.

Article - How To Write Articles Really Fast

2009-09-08T04:13:00.001+08:00

We want to finish writing our articles as fast as possible. Because there are so many other other things waiting for us to do like watching television, playing computer games, and just lazing around doing nothing. And our significant other will remind us that there are other things to be done like taking out the trash, mowing the lawn and painting the garage. So, to give you poor guys a helping hand, I have prepared a list of hints on how you can shorten your article writing time.

Think About It First

You don't want to just decide to write an article and then immediately start writing. Spend a few minutes to think and note down the gist of what you want to say. And you might want to take a little time to mull over what you want to write and how you want to write it. I usually take a few days. That way, when you really do sit down and start writing, it's already half done.

Set A Deadline

It is best that there is a deadline for finishing every project. Otherwise, you might find yourself continually fine tuning an already near perfect work. A deadline is a good way to tell you when to stop.

Practice Makes Perfect

You didn't know how to walk when you were very young. It took many hours of practice, practice and more practice. And when you have finished practicing, you practiced some more. And now not only can you walk, you can hop, skip, jump and even run. Writing articles is no different. Just keep practicing and you will get real good and will be able to write real fast.

Don't Be A Perfectionist

Your article can aspire to be perfect but does not have to be. And not being perfect is also not an excuse for shoddy work. You just have to be mindful that there has to be a balance between a well written article that is finished comparatively fast, and a perfect article that takes forever to write.

Look For Similar Examples

Why reinvent the wheel? I'm definitely not advising you to copy from other similar articles but it doesn't hurt to read them so that you can have more ideas on how you want to present your article. But do remember that when it is time to put pen to paper, do write a totally original article.

Conclusion

If you find that you are taking forever just to finish one article, the tips above will certainly help. I can recall a time when I would take days to complete just one article, and nowadays, I can finish one within one or two hours. And the tips above have certainly helped me to achieve this.

Article - How To Write Good Articles

2009-08-28T04:03:00.001+08:00

You are here because you want to know how to write a good online article. Unfortunately, I can't teach you how to write well, not in one article. And anyway, I'm not a good enough writer to be qualified to teach. But I do know a thing or two about writing for the online community, and this article is about how to gear your writing for the online world.

Know Your Subject

The key to writing good articles is knowing your subject matter. Granted that you can't be an expert in everything, and that most writers are asked to write on a wide range of subjects, that little extra time taken to do a bit more research or homework before starting to write will pay off handsomely.

Use Subheadings And Bullet Points

It is an excellent idea to break up your article into a few sections. Start each section with a subheading and if you are presenting a list of items, you would do well to put them in bullet form. When you write your article in this way, you make it easier for the reader to have an idea of what your article encompasses, so that he can decide if he wants to read further.

Write In The First Person

I would recommend to always write in the first person. The reader gets the feeling that you are personally talking to her, and will be much more open to listening to what you have to say. And as a writer, I find that it is easier and more enjoyable to write in that way.

Be Short And To The Point

The articles you write for online consumption are generally not meant to be literary pieces but are vehicles through which you impart your expertise. Nevertheless, you can incorporate your own style but do be mindful that your readers are looking are a quick and fast read to get the information they want.

Check For Errors In Grammar And Spelling

Make sure you run your article through a spell checker. And before submitting your article, spend a few minutes and give it a onceover to eliminate any grammatical errors. Remember that it doesn't have to be perfect, but you also do not want any obvious errors in your article.

Conclusion

If you take the time and trouble to write a good article, it can boost your popularity and reputation much more than any promotion could. And it isn't really that difficult to write a good article. So do take the time and effort to craft an article that will keep your readers well informed, and one that they will enjoy reading as well.

Hub - The Faith Of A Muslim Woman

2009-08-29T09:50:00.004+08:00

Sometimes, the simplest words and the simplest actions, things that we do and say without even thinking, betray who we really are. It is then that we are at our worst, or our best.

Read more....The Faith Of A Muslim Woman

Article - Basic HTML For Online Articles

2009-08-27T19:10:00.000+08:00

When submitting articles online, you would usually not need to know HTML. But there are still a few article directories that only allows text submissions, and any formatting you need to do must be done also in text.

The following HTML tags are introduced in this article: unordered html list < ul >, list item < li >, anchor < a >, italics , underline , bold and line break . Although the tags accepted by different directories are not the same, for the most part, the tags here are all you need to be able to properly format your article.

HTML tags are enclosed within angle brackets, and the HTML tags in this article are shown with a space before and after the opening and closing angle bracket. This is done so that they will not be mistaken for actual formatting tags. When you are submitting your own articles, the spaces must be removed.

It might look a little daunting but I promise that you will end up with better looking articles, and it really is easy once you get the hang of it. Okay? Let's continue...

The Open And Close Tags Of HTML

Most HTML tags comes with an opening and a closing tag, while a few tags are used by themselves.

As an example, the italics tag needs to be closed and is used as follows:

This sentence is in italics.

Notice the opening tag, , and the closing tag, .

However, the line break tag does not need a closing tag and is used by itself:

There will be a line break after this sentence.

Nesting

Nesting basically means that the tags can be used inside of each other. But do be careful not to made the common error of interlinking instead of nesting the tags.

This is correct:

This text in bold and italics.

This is another correct example:

The word italics is in italics.

This is not right:

This text will not be bolded and be in italics.

Bold, Italic And Underline Tag

The bold, underline and italic HTML tags are , and respectively. Their closing tags are , and respectively. And they are used to bold, underline and italicize your text.

The following will bold, italicize and underline the text enclosed:

This line is in italics, underlined and bold.

The Line Break Tag

This HTML tag is used to start a new line. This tag is used by itself and does not need a closing tag.

The following is an example of how it can be used:

There is a line break after this line.

2 or more line break tags can also be used together:

You have inserted 2 line breaks after this sentence.

The Anchor HTML Tag

This tag is used to provide a link to another web page or web site. It is used with another HTML element called an attribute, and the attribute that you need to be concerned with is the href attribute.

To link to your website or blog, you will use the anchor tag in the following way:

Please visit my site < a href="MySiteDotCom" >here< /a >.

Note that in the previous example, the only word that will be underlined and clickable is the word "here". In addition, MySiteDotCom must be an actual url.

Unordered HTML List And List Item Tag

These 2 tags are used together to create an unordered list. The unordered HTML list tag < ul > is used to indicate the start and end of the list while the list item tag < li > indicates each individual item on the list.

For example, if you wanted an unordered list of 3 items, you would write something like the following:

This is a list of 3 items:

< ul >< li >First Item< /li >

< li >Second Item< /li >

< li >Third Item< /li >< /ul >

Observe the nesting of the list item tags within the unordered HTML list tag.

Conclusion

The article directories are many and varied and they also differ in which HTML tags they will accept. Do read their submission guidelines and remember to always use the preview button before submitting your article.

Article - Get Rich Quick Schemes That Work

2009-08-19T01:14:00.000+08:00

Get rich quick schemes are very popular on the Internet. Everywhere you turn, you come across an advertisement for a business that claims to be able to make you rich beyond your wildest dreams. But even the most gullible will admit that probably most of such businesses or opportunities will fail to deliver on their promise.

So I have put together below a short list of rather unorthodox get rich quick schemes. But they have been proven to work for many people in the past, which is more than what you can say for the get rich schemes that you find on the Internet.

Marry Into Money

This is the oldest get rich quick scheme in the book but it still works very well. Who needs love when they have money right? But the modern age has introduced a new complication - the prenuptial agreement. Unless you have every intention of remaining married, you must find a way to skillfully navigate this thorny issue.

Start A Ponzi Scheme

If you are the owner of a ponzi, you can make a lot of money. It's really not that difficult to start one. All you need is a good business plan and gullible investors loaded with money. Promise them a great monthly return on their investment and they will be throwing money at you.

The money collected goes to fund your holiday in South America, your kid's college tuition and to pay off the car loan. But do remember that the first priority must go to the people who put in the money. Pay the investors their monthly return and don't forget to tell them that more money is needed to expand the business. Giving your investors a referral fee to bring in new suckers .... err .... investors is a good idea. The more fresh money comes in, the longer your scheme will run and the more money you can make.

Try Your Luck At The Lottery

The lottery is probably the only way you can be dirt poor one day, and be rolling in dough the next. But make sure you have enough money to buy the lottery ticket.

But don't celebrate yet. Your chances of winning are rather poor. You have to be prepared to buy one ticket every week for the the next couple of thousand years to stand a decent chance of winning.

Try Your Hand At Begging

You pick a street corner and put up a sign that says something like, "I haven't eaten in 3 days." Make sure you go on a diet first. You put a hat in front of you, look hungry and you are in business. Good-hearted passersby will simply drop money into the hat. Note that dirty and tattered clothes works wonders on your takings.

Conclusion

The purpose of this article is a little fun and to highlight that there are no such thing as a get rich quick scheme. If a scheme actually works, more and more people will get to know of it, implement its methods, and eventually, it will lose its effectively and become a get rich slow scheme.

Follow These People On Twitter

2009-03-07T22:22:00.077+08:00

These are twitters that I am promoting from time to time in my timeline. Follow them! ;)

If you would like to join this list, click here.

Do visit my other blog if you want to promote your Twitter url even more.

Websure url: http://www.detector-pro.com/
Twitter url: http://twitter.com/ukion
Twitter Message: Follow @ukion to get ultimate guide for Comp Software, Operating Systems, Internet, Tech News, How-to-s and the best Tips and tricks in IT.
Last promoted: 13 Aug 2009
No of times: 5

Twitter url: http://twitter.com/clatko
Twitter Message: If you are interested in anything tech, follow @clatko. He follows back too. :)
Last promoted: 01 Aug 2009
No of times: 3

Website url: http://www.shubee.com/
Twitter url: http://twitter.com/shubee
Twitter Message: For plumbing/HVAC news, tips, insights and more, follow @shubee
Last promoted: 27 Jul 2009
No of times: 4

Twitter url: http://twitter.com/michaelbehlen
Twitter Message: His name is Michael and he takes photos with a rented camera. @michaelbehlen
Last promoted: 24 Jul 2009
No of times: 3

Twitter url: http://twitter.com/abonadim
Twitter Message: Follow @abonadim if you want free leads.
Last promoted: 19 Jul 2009
No of times: 4

Website url: http://www.blogger.com/profile/16037474518517806258
Twitter url: http://twitter.com/GraceBarkwell
Twitter Message: Entrepreneur, poet, writer, editor, health nut (Longevity Advisor). Follow @GraceBarkwell
Last promoted: 18 Jul 2009
No of times: 3

Website url: http://www.blogger.com/profile/14061993351298263164
Twitter url: http://twitter.com/nicolaquinn
Twitter Message: Want to follow a genius at @nicolaquinn? It just might make you smarter. :)
Last promoted: 16 Jul 2009
No of times: 3

Website url: http://www.shrimp-magic.com/
Twitter url: http://twitter.com/shrimp_wizard
Twitter Message: Especially for lover of shrimps & prawns ... recipes & tips. Follow @shrimp_wizard
Last promoted: 14 Jul 2009
No of times: 4

Twitter url: http://twitter.com/ukion
Twitter Message: Follow @jocheema, he throws out interesting but random stuff at you.
Last promoted: 07 Jul 2009
No of times: 4

Twitter url: http://twitter.com/louislandon
Twitter Message: Please follow @louislandon for love and peace always.
Last promoted: 4 Jul 2009
No of times: 3

Website url: http://wallblank.com/
Twitter url: http://twitter.com/wallblank
Twitter Message: Follow @wallblank for great new limited edition art for your walls. A new print every weekday!
Last promoted: 30 Jun 2009
No of times: 3

Website url: http://www.howtomakemoneyonlinetheezway.com/twittermoney.htm
Twitter url: http://twitter.com/Godzilla
Twitter Message: The Twitter little secrets: No-one will tell you how to make money but it's damn easy! Follow @Godzilla to find out.
Last promoted: 24 Jun 2009
No of times: 3

Twitter url: http://twitter.com/qutequte
Twitter Message: Follow @qutequte. #food #music #health #toxic #food #vegetarian #recipes #againstcorruption
Last promoted: 17 Jun 2009
No of times: 3

Article - A Simple Guide To Anchored Backlinks

2009-08-12T00:49:00.002+08:00

If you don't have anchored backlinks pointing back to your site, even the very best content in the world will not get the search engines to take notice of you. To the search engines, a backlink is similar to a vote on the quality of your website and the more votes you have, the higher the quality of the content on your site.

I would categorize the multiple techniques you can get anchored backlinks into 3 main areas:

Anchored Backlinks From Your Own Sites

To accomplish this, you can have one main site about your product, say clocks. You can have a blog that talks about anything and everything related to clocks, a hub at HubPages that describes all the different types of clocks, a Squidoo lens that goes into detail about clock manufacturing, and .... you get the picture. You can then have anchored backlinks from all those sites linking to your main website about clocks.

Submit To Various Directories

You can look for places which allow you to post your own backlink. Usual places would include forums, blogs, article directories and web directories. Do be respectful of a particular site's rules on how and in what manner a link can be posted, and don't contribute to the spam that is so prevalent these days.

Getting Other Webmasters To Post Your Backlink

This is the most time consuming way to get backlinks. But the general consensus is that these types of backlinks are worth their weight in gold. So, in any campaign to build backlinks to your website, make sure third party backlinks are a priority.

I have made a list of the more standard ways of getting anchored backlinks from webmasters and third party websites below. These are by no means the only ways and you are encouraged to come up with better and more innovative ways and ways that are more suitable for your talents and resources.

Exchange Links. Webmasters have been exchanging links since the early days of the Internet. Links are exchanged between the link directories or the home pages of the sites doing the exchange.
Link Bait. For this technique, you come up with content, or link bait, that is so humorous, or so good, or so controversial that the webmaster just have to link to it. If you do it right, you might just be able to get hundreds of free links from just one piece of content.
Give Away Free Stuff. First, make sure you get the rights to the product so that you can legally include some links in the product to your website or blog. And then, you give away the product to anybody and everybody that wants it. If you can't get the rights to the product, you can always request for a backlink in return for a free download of the product.

Conclusion

The Internet is changing, and if anything, the pace of change has actually increased. Along with this change, there has been an influx of websites and blog by webmasters hoping to make a living from the net. Anchored backlinks is key to standing out from among all this competition. With the present day social networking site like Twitter and Facebook, getting in touch with other webmasters is actually much easier. It is just a matter of doing the work need, and you will get the backlinks needed to rank well in the search engines.

Article - Why You Should Not Start An Online Business

2009-08-05T23:27:00.000+08:00

The Internet is full of offers to start home based businesses. If you were to buy into the hype, you would get the impression that a home business is something that is easy to start, doesn't need any skills or a lot of time and makes a lot of money.

You definitely do hear of success stories. But those are few and far between. The reality for most people will be very different. For most people, they will fail miserably to achieve the advertised results.

While a home based business is a dream come true in some respects, in that you can work on your own time, set your own targets and basically, run a business, it is not without its pitfalls. And you can't just pick up somebody off the streets and expect them to have the skillsets and temperament to cope with its demands.

Although the ads tell you that anybody can start a home based business and make it into a flourishing business, the reality is very different. Not all can make an online business a success and I have listed some traits and reasons which you should NOT have to start a home based business.

If You Are Looking At A Home Business To Replace Your Present Job

You hate your job, your boss and your working colleagues. In fact, there is not one thing about your job that you like, except the pay. You are looking to start a home based business to replace the pay that your job provides, so that you can quit your job.

If You Are Not Up To Learning New Things

You think that you already know all that you need to know about how to start and run an online business. You believe that your school days are over and that you have no need to learn anything new.

If You Don't Have The Drive To Push The Boundaries

You search the Internet for step by step instructions to starting a home based business. You have no intention of changing the formula but simply want to follow all the instructions carefully. You do not expect any problems to crop up and are not prepared for any problems.

If You Need Money Fast

You are starting a home based business expecting that it will yield a good return within a short period of time. Your savings can only last you one more month and the car payments are already late by one month.

If You Are Lazy

You are always browsing the advertisements on the Internet about opportunities that make you a lot of money but requires very little work and skill, hoping to find the one opportunity that delivers on their promise. You have absolutely no intention of working hard to build your business and are actually looking for a way to get rich quick.

Conclusion

Even if you have been mentioned in just one of the categories above, do take it seriously. A home based business might not be rocket science, but it certainly isn't as easy as it is usually made out to be and you definitely do not want to start one if you are handicapped in any way.

Article - Get Paid To Write Articles And Posts

2009-08-01T15:09:00.002+08:00

Getting paid to write is a whole new industry that sprang up just a few years ago. In this industry, you have many websites and webmasters offering to pay you for your writing. Payment terms are varied and each site will have their own unique structure.

While it might seem the same, getting paid to write online is very different from what you might be used to in the offline world. The following is a short introduction of what to expect if you want to get paid to write in the online world.

Who Is Qualified To Write For Money?

You don't have to be an established writer to have somebody pay you to write online. What you do need is the ability to convey your ideas in a clear and concise fashion, and you should have good grammar and spelling as well.

What Topics Can I write About?

If you are writing for somebody, then obviously you write what they tell you to write. But if you are writing your own articles or posts, it is pretty much anything under the sun. But you will be constrained by your payment model. For example, if you are writing for AdSense revenue, then you will write about topics that have a high value per click.

Do I Get Paid Based On How Many Articles I Write?

Writers are usually paid by the article, or by the column. When you write online, other than simply being paid based on your output, there are other ways through which you can be compensated:

By The Article Or Post. Some sites may pay you per blog post, perhaps a dollar or two per post. Some sites may pay you per article, or allow you to list your article for sale.

By The Number Of Words. There are occasions in which you are asked to write an article and offered a fixed amount per word. As expected, the rate varies widely, but one or two cents per word would be typical for a start.

By Impressions Or CPM. You publish your article on the website. You will get paid based on the number of times the articles is viewed by the site's visitors, and by visitors from the search engines. At the moment, the rate is about $1.50 per 1000 views.

By AdSense And Other Ads. You publish your article to the site. On the same page as your article, the site will add Adsense and other ads. A certain percentage of the ads will be displayed with your affiliate or tracking code.

Conclusion

Getting paid to write on the Internet is a relatively new industry. It differs from offline writing in that the payment structure or model is varied and each site would have it own unique structure. In addition, for online writing, it would be an added bonus if you have some copywriting skills and are familiar with basic SEO techniques. While writing online might seem challenging at first, it can be quite rewarding as you generally get to write about what you like and make some money at the same time.

For a list of sites that will pay you to write, you can visit the following:
List Of Writing Sites

Article - The Best Advice For Starting Successful Internet Businesses

2009-07-25T11:17:00.004+08:00

I'm sure you have seen the online ads about automated marketing systems. You know, the kind of systems in which you just register with them and they will automatically make money for you? Just sign on with a couple of them and you will be laughing all the way to the bank.

In case you are interested in doing what I just said, don't! I just put that in for fun and to illustrate that advice is cheap, and that anybody can give advice.

So seriously, what is the advice I'm talking about? What is this one piece of advice, above all others, that will equip you for a great start in starting and running a successful online home based business?

Get A Good Teacher

You can't go wrong there. No point reinventing the wheel, right? Just find somebody who's been there and done that and you're good. My advice would be to take your time and find somebody who is friendly and patient enough to answer your stupid questions without rolling her eyes. :)

Never Have Less Than Great Content

Nobody can argue with that. Web surfers might not be the most intelligent bunch of people you can find, but I'm going to bet my bottom dollar that they can smell crap a mile away. They have the luxury of millions of other sites, so really, anything other than great content is just not going to do.

The Money Is In The List

A mailing list of responsive and targeted prospects is a great asset to any home based business. Every time you create or find a new product, just send out an email and you have people queuing up to buy your product.

Conclusion

So, after all is said and done, talk is cheap. The advice that you get out on the Internet is probably worth even less. It is like reading a book on kung fu and expecting to be a master after you finish reading the book.

There is a world of difference between knowing that the best way to lose weight is to exercise and eat right, and actually carrying it out successfully. The advice you get about making money on the web is no different. Knowing it, and doing it successfully are two completely different things.

As an example, take article marketing. You have to write at least a few articles a day (the advice usually given is to write a few articles an hour!), and submit them to article directories. After a few hundred articles, or literally months of work, you will be getting traffic and making good money.

A few articles a day is not easy. And I will say that it's mind numbing work. I think it is doubtful that an average person can carry on at this pace for months, and still produce good quality articles. But I'm sure that some have done it successfully.

Other advice that you get will concentrate on building relationships with other webmasters, or doing some technical stuff, or generating as much content as possible, or...the list goes on.

Actually, nobody will be able to tell you how you can run your Internet business successfully. Even if they have done it before, there is no guarantee that you can duplicate their success by simply replicating their methods as there are a lot of other variables involved.

Your online home based business is about you, your website, your talents and your resources. By all means listen and learn from all the advice that you get out there. But when all is said and done, it is just advice. You and you alone will have to decide how to put it all together for a successful business.

Article - Changing Your Perspective Can Make You A Lot Of Money

2009-07-16T12:43:00.002+08:00

If I were to ask you whether you want to make a lot of money, what would your answer be? We are strangers but I am quite sure I know what your answer will be. You will say yes, right?

So, how are you doing so far?

You have probably asked for a raise, and maybe taken on a second job, and possibly even looking to do some freelancing in your free time - not that you have any. :)

I'm sure that you are starting to come up against a ceiling you might not have realized existed - that there are only 24 hours in a single day.

I'm guessing that you are real busy, but the money is good. You go on holiday at least once a year, dine at nice restaurants, and splurge a little when you are in the mood.

But in exchange, you give your time, your passion, and basically your life. You are always short of time, you keep missing your kid's baseball game, and you are stressed out most of the time - all for the pursuit of more money.

But among your circle of friends, there are some who "buck the trend". In some ways they are like you in that they are well-educated, intelligent and well-to-do.

But, unlike you, they seem to have a very good balance between their work and leisure time. In fact, they spend a good proportion of their work life indulging in leisure activities.

In other words, your friends seem to be able to make the same amount of money as you but they do it with much lesser time commitment, effort and stress than you.

Do you know why that is so?

There might be a myriad of different reasons why such a difference exists but I think it boils down to one statement:

"You get paid for the amount of work that you do."

You believe in it, they don't.

You look at making money as a barter trade, your time for your boss's money.

What do you think your friends will do when they are looking to make more money?

I am quite sure that working harder would not be the way that they are going to do it. Most likely they will be looking to see how they can make the money while still spending the same amount of time and effort.

Your friends know that while they have superior talent and are willing to work hard, it will only take them that far. To go the next step, that is, to make a lot of money, they need to leverage or "expand" their time, resources and talent.

So, start leveraging your time and talent instead of simply exchanging them for cash.

Article - Simple Advice About Making Money On The Web

2009-07-10T16:10:00.003+08:00

I'm not an Internet marketer and I'm not trying to sell you something. Instead, if you are trying to make money on the Internet or starting an online home based business, I have a simple piece of advice for you. The advice I am talking about is:

"You can't get something for nothing"

I could almost hear what you are thinking. "Who is this guy trying to fool? Does he think I am a 9 year old? I know that already!"

True. When that boyfriend of yours gives you chocolate and treats you like a queen, you know something's up. Either he wants you know what from you, or he's done something real bad and he's trying to soften you up first before telling you. Either way, the chocolate's NOT free. ;)

But do you apply the same skepticism to the online world?

There are tons of websites that promise that you will make thousands of dollars a month for work that a 9 year old can do. What's more, they tell you that you probably need to work just for an hour or two per day to make that amount.

And they are thriving because despite their ridiculous claims, many people still get duped. It seems that when we come online, we leave behind our healthy skepticism.

Admit it. You have been tempted, right? Probably gave in to the temptation and lost a couple of dollars, right?

And I won't think too much about the money lost when you decide to take a chance with these type of sites. But I would be very mindful of the time wasted on such sites. Money lost can be earned again, but time lost is gone forever.

These sites are on every single corner of the web.

Engage your healthy skepticism the next time you encounter such a site, and click the back button. A full time income on the web can be accomplished, but only if you spend your time productively.

Site Review - Free Graphic Background

2009-07-06T00:30:00.004+08:00

This blog has a rather interesting collection of free background graphics. They quite unlike any that I have seen on the web in that they are quite stunning, with "bold patterns and weird shapes". They are definitely not suitable for use as a background for your website but you can download the graphics and use them on your computer desktop. Or if you are a graphic designer, I'm quite sure you can find some uses for them.

A new graphic is released about once a week. The graphics are all 256 pixels X 256 pixels in size and can be tiled seamlessly. They are free and there are very little restrictions on their use.

In addition, the blog also has free website templates and WordPress themes for download. Restrictions on how they can be used are also very minimal.

Visit the site here: Free Graphic Background

Blogger Categories

2009-05-03T22:04:00.004+08:00

Perhaps this post should be titled "Blogger Categories - Not!". I have started with blogger a few months ago. Since then I have also tried Wordpress. Overall, I am quite happy with blogger, finding their interface much more user-friendly than Wordpress. I can't comment more than that as I have only used them at a very basic level and is only now looking into a little bit more detail.

I started on the web some years ago, and I remember my first website. It was called NewbieLand.com. I registered it with Network Solutions but it never went online. Never having a good eye for color and design, I got so bogged down by the site design that I eventually lost interest. I wish I have saved the design. It could probably go down in history as the world's ugliest website. :)

Anyway, things are different now with website templates and website builders being freely available. In fact, I am actually going to use blogs as a website. They have ready made templates, easy to use back end interface, and a content management system. Of course, there are issues regarding images, and programming, but as I don't do too much of those on my sites, that is something I can live with. And I'm sure I can figure out a workwround should the need arise.

Anyway, I can have the website, which can be accessed through the static posts. This can be done through categories, or through pages, in Wordpress. In addition, I can also have a blog on the same site, which can serve as a blog, or serve as an update of the main site's content, or a myraid of other uses.

Using blogs software to develop websites is such an improvement over the usual way. It saves a lot of time, and the blog software provides so much more functionality. Recently, I designed a site in days, and the only website design I had to do was to select the template and modify the template's setting's. I did not even have to write a line of html code!

Having said that, I would like to complain about the lack of categories in blogger. While I am working around it - see the "Categories" on the right - as this blog is meant to serve as a blog and a website, it would really make my day to have categories built into blogger. :)

Facebook - Join Me On Facebook

2009-05-11T13:49:00.003+08:00

I finally gave in to the Facebook craze and started a profile. I actually already a profile which I hardly use and I mainly use it for my offline friends. This new profile is for my online friends and anybody else that I might meet online.

I know you have heard it many times but I am still going to say it anyway.

Please join me on Facebook. This is the link to my Facebook profile. :)

Facebook - The First Month

2009-05-12T02:55:00.004+08:00

My new profile on Facebook has probably been started for about a month. In that month, I have been relatively active on Facebook, adding friends, playing games, starting a group and generally getting a feel of how things work. And I have to say that it is most probably the most prodigious time waster ever invented!

Having said that, it is also a very effective tool for networking, marketing or simply making friends. In fact, many of the features of the apps and games on Facebook are designed with the viral element in mind, and I can appreciate that under the right conditions, a Facebook app can really spread like wildfire.

It usefulness in Internet marketing is undisputed. On Facebook, it is much easier to reach people with your marketing message than with other mediums. And if you are looking to build a list, just start a group and get your Facebook friends to join.

One thing about Facebook is the diversity of the people you encounter. I could start a group related to Internet marketing and invite all my Facebook friends to join. While I might get a response rate of 10% - 20%, that is achieved with minimal resources and effort.

But if I can find an offer which is of interest to perhaps 50% of the people there, and incorporate a viral element, things could get interesting.

Anyway, just thinking out loud. I'm going to continue to explore this new medium and its possibilities.

Hub - Anchored Backlinks - A Simple Guide

2009-05-21T23:47:00.004+08:00

I wrote a simple guide to anchored backlinks on Hubpages about 1 week ago. It was in response to a request on the best ways you can get anchored backlinks to your hubs. In the guide, I categorized the different ways you can get anchored backlinks into 3 categories:

Links from your own sites
Links you can post on other sites
Links you can get other people to post on your sites

I go into some detail as to how the links in the various categories can be implemented. The information I presented is rather basic, so I was rather taken aback by the response. To date, there have been 23 responses.

Judging from the responses, I think it might be fair to say that while the information on SEO is there for everybody, what is lacking is a clear and simple way of explaining it so that those not in the field can easily understand it.

Could be a good market there, whether or not the subject is SEO.

Read the hub .... Anchored Backlinks - A Simple Guide

Hub - Anchored Backlinks - A Simple Guide (Part II)

2009-05-22T16:27:00.004+08:00

I found out that my hub about anchored backlinks is on the first page of Hubpages's best hubs category and that would probably account for the traffic and the high number of comments. And therefore, a good way to get exposure would be to write good comments at hubs that are on the front page of Hubpages.

Nevertheless I still believe that clear and simple information is very lacking on the web.

Read the hub ..... Anchored Backlinks - A Simple Guide

Internet Marketing - A Primer On Niche Marketing

2009-07-01T14:55:00.002+08:00

Niche marketing can be defined as marketing to a subset of a larger market segment. Although the market size will not be very big, the needs of such a market will have the advantage of being much more focused.

In the online world, niche marketing is primarily concerned with niches in which the search engine competition is low. Normally, you will carry out the following steps:

Research keywords that a surfer will use to find what they want. Look out for those particular keywords which has a good potential for profit and not a lot of competition in the search engine rankings.

Build a website to target those keywords.

Optimize your blog posts, or website pages, for your targeted keywords.

Get other websites and blogs to link to your website using the usual link building techniques like link exchanges, article submissions, directory submissions, etc.

Keep building those anchored backlinks until you get to the number one spot in Google, or at least to the top of the first page.

You can do it in many different combinations but the basic steps are listed above.

Cost

In my opinion, you must pay for your domain name and web hosting. They will cost you less than $11 per month. The advantages of paying for those far weighs the small cost incurred.

Other than the obligatory domain name and web hosting, there are some services that can increase your productivity:

Good content for your blogs, articles and websites is key to your success and, unfortunately, also takes the most time to generate. Paying for articles to be written might be a good investment.

Submitting your article to the various websites, blogs and article directories will take up a lot of your time as there are hundreds, if not thousands, of them out there. Article submission software, especially those that avoids sending out duplicate content, is well worth the investment.

Getting other webmasters to exchange links with you would also take up a large portion of your time. There are some services that brings together webmasters interested in link exchanges, and some would even monitor the backlinks resulting from link exchanges for you.

Recommended Skills

A relatively good command of English would definitely be recommended, especially if you intend to write the content and articles yourself. You don't have to be a writer, but you must at least be able to write grammatically correct sentences and be disciplined enough to spell check your work.

There is a lot of computer and web related work to do. On the computer, you might find yourself touching up some graphics, or installing a software application, or even doing some html. On the web, you would probably need to update your name servers and configure your hosting account. You don't need to be an expert to do all these, but some level of computer literacy would be needed.

I have broken down niche marketing into a series of simple steps. But those steps cannot be looked at in isolation. You must look at those steps as part of a business, a niche marketing business. As a niche marketer, you are the boss of your niche marketing business. And the decisions that you make for your business must be made not as the niche marketer but as the boss of the niche marketing business.

Hub

2009-04-22T16:55:00.003+08:00

Posts under this category are about the more interesting hubs that I have written over at HubPages. To date, I have about 30 hubs over there with plans for many more.

Just a short recap, HubPages is a website that allows you to publish your own articles on their site. These articles will be on a single webpage and are called hubs. You can generally publish anything you want there, with the usual limitations.

The difference between this site and other article directory is that it is setup so that you can easily interact with the other writers or hubbers. In my opinion, it is this interaction that distinguishes HubPages from Squidoo or the other article directories.

I wrote an earlier post about HubPages when I just started with it which goes into a little more detail.

Hub - How To Get Followers On Twitter

2009-06-13T04:54:00.003+08:00

It is really amazing how Twitter has taken off, and how you are starting to hear about celebrities using it. I think it probably started when Obama used it in his presidential campaign. It may also have something to do with today's short attention span so that 140 characters might probably be the longest you can hold a typical person's attention!

Anyway, I wrote a short guide on how to get followers on Twitter. Followers are people who have voluntarily subscribed to your tweets so that they get to see what you say in your timeline.

Read the hub....How To Get Followers On Twitter

Wordpress - Paragraph Spacing

2009-06-02T23:42:00.000+08:00

WordPress and blogger are 2 of the more common blogging platforms available. It is generally agreed that wordpress has more functions but blogger is easier for the new blogger. I have used both platforms and I would agree.

But wordpress has a very irritating habit of stripping out your [p] and [br] tags from your html and the result is that there won't be as much space between your paragraphs as you might want. For some themes, there seems to be practically no space between paragraphs at all.

I have managed to find a simple workaround. Just insert [code][/code] into the html where you want an extra line spacing.

Remember to replace the square brackets with angle brackets, and to place each tag on a separate line. The html will look like the following:

Remember to switch the editor to html display.

Home Based Business - "Sir, Tell Me How To Make Money On The Internet"

2009-05-18T03:30:00.008+08:00

"Sir, tell me how to make money on the Internet"

I have received quite a few such emails from my site about home based businesses. In the beginning, I took the trouble to reply properly, trying my best to outline the extremely complicated business that is making money on the world wide web.

Every single time, I did not receive a second email. Quite obviously, the sender was looking for a one paragraph answer that is probably the equivalent of: go to a certain site, sign on, and make money.

In fact, I actually have an email asking about how the sender can join my site! I had to explain to him that my site is an informational site and that I do not run nor promote a business opportunity.

I am an electronics engineer. I was in school for 3 years and it was only after 10 years of working experience that I consider myself worth a few thousands dollars a month to an employer. That's a total of 13 years before I consider myself having acquired some measure of proficiency.

Many online business opportunities advertise results of a few thousand a month after a few short months. No experience is required to pull it off and we may be talking of working only an hour or 2 per day.

All I can say is: "Wake up, people!"