Have you ever been in a touristy region or a shopping district? Inevitably there are the main stores and the stands selling their products but you will have the occasional “walking salesman” with merchandise “up his sleeve”. You know that guy; he is very persuasive and very willing to negotiate. Anyhow, “that guy” may slyly pull some watches and necklaces out of his pockets. That’s because we are a visual species and we like to see what we are talking about.

Most times it simply gives us clarity and the ability to make an educated decision. And of course it is a very effective way to illustrate something we are teaching or explaining. Yes we have been discussing a variety of online businesses and their applications. We also have been able to analyze the ways we can use this information. So why stop now?

For this article we are going to take a look at an E-commerce site for some tips. Without further ado then, pull up another tab or another window and take a look at http://shoeguru.ca/. This is the part where we remind you that we are not endorsing or criticize this company and their site. We are giving you a visual of the many options that you have in setting up and designing your site. This site is reportedly very successful at selling, guess what? Your right! Shoes. When you first see the site is dominated by a nice black background. Admittedly, I prefer black. Now they also decided to take a very simple look with bold graphics and images, which is a nice touch.
They have their logo prominent on the left and standard guide to the right at the top of the page. Worthy to note is that I think the color selection is weak. Remember even if you are keeping things neutral and fashionably simple you still need to be sure it is easily read.

The soft color may be hard for many to easily pick up. I like how they have a slide show type graphic and image presentation. It’s very well done. When you click on the options like “men” or “women” you are brought to a cool graphic that gives you style choices. When you choose a style you are brought right to pictures of product and prices.
Their concept is to be trendy and different. The home page is not splattered with product and brands, etc. Not this is an interesting trade – off. On one hand it is not cluttered with options. On the other hand it appears to take a while before you get to products and prices. Although they do feature a nice sneaker and show “hip” young people wearing some shoes they sell.
I don’t know that there is a right or wrong, per say, but you do have to consider every detail and the perception or message that may be sent to the viewer. And this can be a minor or a major effect. The FAQ is always a good page to provide.
They start out by explaining the shipping information. They also address some other common questions. Another must to provide on an e-commerce site is the shopping cart. Their shopping cart I do not think is the greatest example of a shopping cart. But it wasn’t cluttered with a ton of stuff either. It is an example nonetheless.

To make an interesting contrast in the e-commerce world take a trip over to http://www.walmart.com/ to see a typical example of a department store installment of an e-commerce site. The shoe guru site is a handy example of a specialty item store, which is very prevalent in the Internet and e-commerce world. Anyhow we are now looking at the Wal-mart Home page. Very standard as far as major stores and their on line presence goes. Note however that Wal-Mart features a banner ad at the top of its page. The ad is ingenious because it advertises a product for another company but it is also an item they sell at Wal-Mart. In that sense it is not the classic affiliate ad. The purpose of this ad is not to send you to another web page but it is to get you to purchase that product.

Now if you think about to a few minutes ago when you were looking at the shoe guru site, you will recall that they did not have any affiliate ads or sponsorship ads. I thought that was interesting. That is also a reason I used them as an example. My point was to show you that there are different methods that people choose to use or not to use.

Back to the Wal-Mart Home page. Below the ad and next to the Wal-Mart log is a handy tool bar. It features a Store LocaterLocal Ad(s)Gift Cards & RegistryTrack Orders (Obviously on line orders)Sign inDon’t forget for a commerce giant like Wal-Mart they are cross promoting. They want people to go their stores just as much as they want people to shop on line. The left column is basically laid out like aisles of a store and departments. And they even have an option where you can go to sub divided groups (departments) of the groups.

Below the tool bar we discussed above is a search bar. That is always good regardless of what kind of web page you have. You can also go right to the cart. Below there are prominent ads for on line and store specials.
They also have some affiliate ads mixed in. For example at the time I wrote this they were advertising a new movie. Below the department section is a New Rollback section, Save Big Now Section (featuring some clearance items), and a What’s New section.
Below the ads and the directory is a customer forum entitled “Connect With Other Wal-Mart Customers Like You”. Under the forum section box is an opportunity to be on their email list. There is also an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed. It will alert you of new posts.

Finally at the bottom of the page is another directory of options. Among the choices are credit card applications and a help center. Wal-Mart also has an affiliate program. Yeah you can put a Wal-Mart banner on your site! So there you have it. 2 different examples of e-commerce sites. Of course there are plenty of others to check out and use as a reference.

The important elements are that you feature your product or products. It may be in a trendy way like shoeguru.com or it may be more standard like Wal-Mart.com. Of course Wal-Mart offers a host of products so naturally it will have a different presentation.

For an e-commerce site to be successful you also need to have simple and reliable delivery and clear and reasonable delivery charges. If your shopping cart is perceived as complicated you will lose sales! It is also good to be accessible to your potential customers.

So there you go you e-commerce entrepreneurs. Take the articles and information that is provided here and use some of the real life tangible examples that are all over the web including the 2 we considered above.
Good luck and keep plugging away!

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Have you ever seen the scene in a movie or a television program where the character sneaks out his window and uses a convenient tree branch to help them get down to ground level? We had one of those trees when I was a young teenybopper.

Our point? Branches can be used for many purposes. Our opening example is a prime for instance. For our discussion though we are not going to be sneaking out of our house. We are going to look at the blog world and another way to cash in.

We have discussed a few other branches of blogging in previous articles. Most of which focused on text driven content. Of course it is wise to add images, audio, or video to a text driven blog to enhance it and to offer additional features for your visitors. What about a video blog, art blog or image/photo blog?

Say you are a photographer or an artist. Why not have a blog that features mainly your work, lots of images, not so much text. Hey a picture is worth a thousand words right?

I have to tell you I have seen many outstanding web sites that were geared toward photographers and their craft. Naturally there is text written information about the photographer and the items he offers. However most of the site is should be a showcase of your work.

Perhaps you use your web page to promote your services. Perhaps you are a freelance photographer or you do weddings, or both. Maybe you do layouts for professional publishing. In addition to still pictures you may offer professional video services. There is a higher demand for this more than ever. You have weddings, proms, special events, video for high school and college athletes to showcase their skills, and so on.

Maybe you offer additional services like making albums for customers. Nowadays the “photo album” has taken on many new faces. With the digital invasion you have people putting their photo collection on a DVD to be viewed on you TV or computer. There are even digital frames that can show a slide show. Yes instead of putting a solo pic into a standard frame on your shelf or wall, you can have a digital picture viewed in a frame made to feature digital pics and can be arranged to show multiple pics in rotation in a slide show style. Just imagine a mini computer style screen inside a frame. Sweet! The beauty of all of this is many of these services can be arranged and provided via the Internet.

In addition to the photo blogs you have art work on display. Ideally many artists like to display their art in a local gallery or suitable venue to offer their masterpieces for sale. The Internet provides an nice extension of that concept and makes your art available worldwide. And when we say art we are including paintings, hand drawn, sculptures, and so on.

When it comes to drawings there is the potential for illustrators to cash in on line. When it comes to web design, logo creations, book illustrations, and the like, you have a broad market to offer your talents and skills to. Think about it there is a whole world of publishers on and off line as well as companies with illustrative needs who can see your web page and take advantage of the services you provide.

Aside from the promotion of your work and services there are other potential ways to earn an income. With the use of your web site you should have some advertising on your site that can generate some supplemental income. This is also a way to build a network and affiliates.

Attention all artists and creative people! Photographers and designers are you listening? The blog world is for waiting for you!

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In fact sometimes you plant certain veggies with a certain dish in mind. One unique combo is mixing corn and lima beans to make succotash. Actually some people even add tomatoes and peppers to their succotash. But the corn and lima bean is the primary ingredients. I have read that succotash was a huge hit during the American Great Depression. However we are not here to discuss recipes.

In a practical application you can make some Internet succotash from your Internet Garden. One primary ingredient will be you affiliation marketing business. We discussed earlier in Part 1 of the Internet Garden series how you can create and affiliation or partnership between you and another web site and earn an income by sending traffic their way. We reviewed how you could have a web site devoted to inviting people by direct methods to visit your affiliate’s sites. Mainly the direct method would include the use of written text, audio, and even video content to highlight the reasons why people should go to your affiliate’s site.

For this article we are going to consider another way to benefit from affiliation while operating your own web page featuring your own purposeful content. If you are not doing this already you should start. The precedent for how this works has been around for a long, long time. One example is often found at your doorstep in your local newspaper.

Whether it is a free publication or a typical newspaper it is chock full of reporting and editorial mixed with an ample supply of advertising. Realistically this is a key component to a news paper making money. Oh they will gladly take your 50 cents or 75 cents, but the advertising is there bread and butter. This concept is the model of the affiliation we were going to mull over.

To set this up we are going to say you have a web page to promote your Financial Planning business. Your page is well designed and very easy to navigate. On your site you offer some good advice and give visitors well developed reasons to solicit your business and how they can benefit from your advice. You even offer some DVD’s and workbooks available for purchase that will help people to take control of their finances and hopefully for their financial future.

Surely it is not difficult to conclude that you are hoping to make some money from your services for hire and your related products. That alone makes your web page advantageous, valuable and potentially profitable. However the Internet garden can make Internet succotash remember. So you have the “corn” part of your succotash from the main purpose of your web page. Where are the lima beans?

That will grow out of your affiliate marketing. Being that your site is a Financial Planning business you will arrange affiliates with web pages that are related to your services or sites that can be reasonably matched with your site. For instance on our site you may feature banner ads featuring Investment companies, banks, stock brokerage firms, and so on. You may also include ad sense ads also featuring similar type ad lines.

Banner ads and ad sense can work in a parallel and complimentary fashion. If you do not know what a banner ad or an ad sense ad is by all means find out. We have articles here that you can consult as a matter of fact.

Basically speaking though go back in your mind to our news paper comparison: The ads you find in image form is comparable to a banner ad. A banner ad customarily features a company logo or some other kind of catchy image. Unlike a news paper ad, however, a curious reader can simply click on the banner/image and be taken on the cyber highway directly to the affiliate sight. An ad sense is similar in many ways. However it is not an image, it is an ad line. Something you would see in a news paper classified ad style.

Both ads can be set up in such a way that you receive income on a pay per click basis, which means exactly what it sounds like. A monetary value is assigned to each click that sends someone to your affiliate. You also have the option of selling banner space or an ad line link for an agreed upon fee. This is what many know as a sponsorship style ad, also very common in the secular world. You usually charge on a month or yearly basis based on the popularity and traffic on your site.

There is no question that this is successful. To start out it will at least offset the cost of running your own site. So while some people falsely assume that it is not worth it you won’t make that mistake.

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Remember climbing trees as a youngster? For those of you like me who are have a fear of heights, the trees we climbed were not very high were they?

As you got up the trunk and up into a nice sturdy branch you took a seat in your perch and smiled over your accomplishment. Not to mention that trees were pretty cool to us when we were kids. Heck they still are really cool; we just don’t climb them anymore.

As you sat there you and your friends would start daring each other to go out on the limb a little further. And if the limb was firm, thick, and solid you probably did. But if you weren’t too sure you decided that where you were was just fine.

Decisions in life are like that also aren’t they? And being prudent is usually a wise course. But sometimes maybe the limb is stronger than we realized. And so it is with business decisions maybe we just haven’t done our homework and we are hesitate based on lack of information.

Let’s take the Internet affiliate marketing business. Many of us might shy away thinking, I don’t really have anything to sell or I am not really an advertiser. But there is more to affiliate marketing than that.

For example let’s take the ads used for affiliate marketing. One type of ad that is used is an image box called a web banner. It is an image representing another company and clicking on that ad image will take the web viewer to that company’s site.

The simple reality is that these ads have to be put together. Now in many cases it is very easy once an image is available, usually the company logo. However there is a need for logo’s and other designs to be created. Maybe that is your gig. Are you a graphic designer or an illustrator? Then you are needed in the ad banner making for affiliate advertising.

Yes many marketing people may have the sales pitches and the word skills but there is nothing like a great image to support it. That’s where you graphic and illustrators become an important element. Reversing that we realize that there is also a need for the word wizards. Yes the words in these ads also need to be clever and persuasive.

Speaking of words if you have had a chance to keep up with our discussions, you may have read earlier articles on affiliate marketing. One popular affiliate marketing method is the direct writing of content featuring the web pages you are inviting people to go visit. This type of marketing will make positions possible in writing, proofing, editing, and other tasks related to putting articles together.

Somewhere in the middle of all this you may have the talent or may need to implore the talents of someone who can sell the ad space or sell your service to create these ads. Or to sell the service of creating appealing content that will endorse and recommend an affiliate site.

Are getting the pattern here? Maybe you’re just climbing the tree and you want to go out a little further or climb a little higher but you are afraid. Once you realize it is safe then you are good to go.

So here you are climbing the affiliate marketing tree. Regardless of how far you have gotten so far, keep looking ahead and being convinced of how it is safe to proceed. Yes do your homework. You may fit in somewhere that you were not aware existed or in a way you previously thought you did not fit in.

Don’t be bashful and of course don’t be reckless. By all means though understand that there is a vast wide world open to you. It’s possible that it is in the affiliate marketing business.

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“Did you hear the latest song by BooDiddy Boo Boo? It’s off the chart.”

Ah good old gossip and chit chat. We are all guilty of it and part of us likes it. We love to talk about our favorite celebs and sports teams, and movies and book themes, and so on. That is why fan blogging has been a booming Internet success.

In fact we have discussed in a Part 1 article how we can continue and build success with this type of blog. But there are other ways to have a budding blog business also.

Keeping with our back yard garden theme we once again would like to drive home the point that it is most likely that our garden is full of variety and choices. Even among the same plants we sometimes have more than one plant. Maybe we like beans. So we plant lima beans, green beans, black beans, and garbanzo beans.

The same can be said of the blogging business. In our Internet garden we can plant or develop different styles or types of blogs. Like we mentioned above and discussed in Part 1, you have the fan blog.

But you can also have a business where you feature product reviews or product endorsements. These are often found in an e-zine. (rhymes with magazine) Yes e-zines are on line magazines that are often grouped by theme or category and bloggers submit or are hired to write content for them. In many cases there is compensation for the authors work. Some bloggers even start their own e-zine page.

Another similar form of blogging that is also successful is a tutorial blog. These blogs offer instruction on any number of topics: how to exercise, how to cook, how to eat, how to garden, how to fix things, how to write how to articles, and on and on and on. Some of these sites are offered on a subscription bases. Many are presented like any other blog would be.

And then there are the review blogs or “the best place to ……………..” whatever blogs that are often entertaining and offer some useful tips and some heads up on place to see, eat at, tour, or sleep in, etc.

Any of these blogs can be successful to manage and produce content for. All of these types of blogs naturally lend themselves to web site sponsors and/or advertisers. Now at this point we are merging the concept of blogging with affiliate marketing, which is normal by the way.

Yes you can earn a reasonable fee for placing an ad for another web page or simply receive a fee for each customer you send their way. Of course the more traffic and interest you draw to your site will increase the value of your site and the number of people that will patronize the ads of your affiliates.

Not coincidently you will place relevant ads on your page. For example if you are writing reviews on tools you may be able to arrange for companies like Lowe’s or Home Depot to place an ad on your page. Or Snap-On or Craftsman. These are big companies in the US of course but you can certainly go international depending on how big of a target market you are aiming for. However, with product reviews, there is no reason not to go global.

The advertising angle is a big revenue stream for a blogger but it is not the only one. As we briefly commented above some bloggers are able to pull off a member or subscription site. A monster example I have discussed before is on ESPN.com where they offer certain articles on what they call the Insider. They charge people a few bills a month to access those articles. People have done this with e-zines, tutorials, and review type blogs. Granted it does not appear to be a high percentage but I have seen it done.

As always is the case with most web pages and web businesses, you may offer merchandise. Maybe you have a guide book or a top 10 list. Perhaps you have a DVD, or a transcript you offer. There are any number of items that one may be able to offer for sale to on line visitors.

You’re not a story writer or fan club kind of chap or gal? You’re more of a tech head or a teacher? Maybe you love to give travel advice or critique places and things? Hey, maybe this type of blogging is your kind of gig.

It’s true that not all gardeners plant the exact same plants in their back yard so of course it is only expected that not all people pursuing a web business will be drawn to the same application and concept.

It’s all about choices my friends. The best part is you have those choices and the demand for these Internet ventures continues to remain strong. So do your homework and give it a whirl.

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It’s late at night and you’re heading home and you want to pull into a drive-thru and pound a burger and fries but you think “wow, that’s a bit harsh on my intestines. Especially at 2am”. And then “Ding” a light bulb and bell goes off in your head. I made that garden salad from my garden veggies and I still have plenty left in the bowl.

Suddenly your mouth is watering and your car is moving a little faster. As you pull into your driveway you can’t wait to bust through the door and attack your garden salad bubbling over with freshness and zesty taste. Then why you are enjoying the fruits or should we say the vegetables of your labor you think about how happy that you put the time, thought, and effort into planting and cultivating your garden.

You can feel that way about your Internet business also. Yes, you can. Just like your garden, you can plant the seeds and then cultivate them. This is your Internet garden. In this row you have planted an auction site business.

Now that you have your auction site planted, what should you be doing? Work it baby, work it! You have to weed it, care for it, protect it, and all the things that go into caring for your plants. You want to “encourage” them if you will to prosper and grow to be big and healthy, tasty and enjoyable.

Most likely you have set up an on-line auction account with auction host sites like ebay, Amazon, ebid, or CQ Out, and the like. What are you doing with it? Are you just sitting back and checking in to see if anything is happening or are you helping things to happen?

For one thing are you marketing your auction store? Do you know how to do that successfully?

Like with all web sites there are a number of ways to promote your site. From email announcements, your own web store page, social networking, forums, and so on you need to politely remind the public of who and where you are.

Another interesting aspect of the auction world is consideration of what to offer. Think about it, even when you are planting a back yard garden you need to factor in more than just what you like. There are certain plants that are more difficult to grow than others. Or some plants do not do as well in a certain geographical area than others. And there are certain growing seasons where certain plants will prosper but you won’t get anything from planting that plant during its non-growing season.

So you need to know your market. Maybe your lack of sales is more what you are trying to sell or what and to whom. The ‘you can’t sell an Eskimo a refrigerator’ theory. You can imagine the challenge in that scenario. SO while you may lean to certain types of items or a general theme, you need to be practical and realistic. Now that does not mean you can’t try and sell hard to sell items. Just don’t have high expectations. I mean I know people who every year plants something that is hard to grow in their back yard garden simply for the challenge of it. However they still maintain the nucleus of proven items.

Make sure you have accurate and compelling descriptions of your items. Pictures always enhance the probability of a sale. Your price may be the lowest by far, but most people need a little more incentive than just saving money. That is actually true. Saving money is more often a big factor but it is rarely the only factor. So present a professional package.

Try and tell us a little something about yourself. Put some personality into your auction store. Do we believe that you know anything what you are selling? For some reason, even though at times it doesn’t matter, people prefer that the person selling the item should have a solid understanding of what the product is.

Make certain that the people “shopping’ and bidding on your products can reach you via some form of correspondence for questions and comments. Many shoppers also like to have some sort of “bond” with the seller, even if it is on-line.

Give careful thought to how many items you offer. Some people will be turned off by too much. However some do not care nor are they influenced by that. You may want to fool around with the amount of variety. Or you may present a volume of products in such a simplistic way that it will not overwhelm those who are easily overwhelmed.

Delivery is always important in the auction site business. Be very clear and brutally honest about your delivery methods and policies. How much, how long, and thoroughness are things people need and want to know. Don’t back door people with hidden costs or misleading information For example if they want it tomorrow and that is not possible for some reason, do not imply or promise things that won’t happen. After a while the word of your incompetence or lack of trustworthiness will get out.

Most important is having fun! Yes, most people who have great back yard gardens love the routine and the steps involved. They do not procrastinate or try and avoid the work connected to gardening. They also keep the future rewards in front of them.

And don’t let setbacks get you down to the point of bailing on your site. Maybe you will eventually decide that it is not for you but give it some time. Most businesses take a fair amount of time to build up. Hey you don’t plant peppers on Tuesday and expect to eat them by Saturday, do you?

Alright-y then you auctioneers. You got your auction store or stores and you have some products up there. Keep the ads inviting, maintain a positive attitude, and do all the little things. Manage, promote, update, keep fresh, and monitor what’s going and what’s not.

Hey, you’ll thank us later!

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The sun is pouring down it’s ray of warmth as you walk casually through a botanical wonderland. You enjoy the scents of sweetness and fresh aroma of blooming flowers. Later that day you take your family to picnic in a beautiful park with plush trees and glorious green grass with vibrant vegetation meticulously manicured surrounding the scene.

As you take out your bountiful packed lunch you are reminded of the tasty deep red tomatoes, crispy green peppers, onions bursting with flavor, succulent cucumbers, scrumptious lettuce, juicy strawberries, delightful cantaloupe and even some savory cilantro that all came from your very own garden.

Isn’t life grand when we seize the moments to enjoy beauty and variety? Smell the roses as they say. In fact isn’t part of what makes a garden or garden like setting so sensuous is the variety of things to view and soak in?

Absolutely. Isn’t it true that part of the excitement of planting our own garden is mapping out the rows and the produce we are going to grow? “I’m going to have my veggies over here, and my fruits over there” and so on.

Guess what? Starting into, growing, and maintaining your Internet business can be like your garden. How’s that you wonder? That’s because like a garden your web business can have the variety of your back yard garden. And the reality is the web offers a number of opportunities.

Think about your garden again. Let’s say you plant cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes. Practically speaking there are many steps that will be the same, since they are all vegetables that are grown with the same basic elements added to the seed for that item. But there are differences also. So after you decide what it is you are planting you will need to learn what it is you need to do for that particular plant.

For example when do I plant this? How far apart should each seed be? When do I water? And on and on it goes. So what in the world am I talking about? Funny you should ask?

Let’s go back to our Internet garden. We have decided to plant or start an affiliate marketing business. We are off to a good start in that we have reviewed our options and have done our research in the area of marketing our web page. We now need to get more specific with what we are going to do from there.

The fact is just like some plants have a variety within themselves, affiliate marketing also takes on various applications. And of course like a garden you can plant different ones in the same garden. Nevertheless we need to understand the nuances or specifics of each.

In the affiliate row of our garden let’s start with the direct affiliate marketing strategy and business. This simply means that we are going to set up our site or sites with the sole purpose of directing people to our affiliates.

To do this we have first lined up our affiliates and have negotiated and/or agreed upon a compensation formula that will pay us for sending people to the affiliate. This varies and is contingent on many things. But that is something we have to work out between us and our affiliate.

Once that is established then you go to work on directing traffic. And again it does not have to be limited to one affiliate. You may however want to stick to somewhat of a theme on each site.

You may use your own interests and abilities to pinpoint what affiliates to choose. Let’s say you are a computer wiz for instance. As a result you have linked up with 5 computer related businesses as your affiliates. For example you have chosen to try and persuade web surfers to visit software.com, netsecurity.com, widgetheaven.net, sexylaptops.com, and webdesignorama.org as your affiliate sites. (all fo which I made up for this article) You have already agreed upon a fair and reasonable fee with each one of them.

Aside from the design and eye appeal of your site you need to mix in compelling content about your affiliates. Yes people need to enjoy your site and have no problem finding their way around. They will also find your articles informative and of great value. In the end they will have been given a tremendous incentive to want to go to your affiliates sites.

Quite simply, the better you do, the more people will respond. The more people that respond the more that will likely use the services of or purchase product from your affiliates. That ultimately equals cash for you.

Your content will be engaging, coherent, reflect knowledge, be convincing, professional, clever, and just the right mix of details mixed with a hint of entertainment. Meaning the reader will savor your words and feel as if it was well worth their time and effort. Honestly, it should be.

To do this you can make wise use of wit, questions, illustrations, and the like to offer a good read. Really, what would be the point of going to the trouble of setting up your page, getting your affiliates lined up, and putting up posts if you are not going to put your best foot forward. Candidly speaking you won’t make any money if you just mail it in, struggle or go through the motions.

Okay now for the re-cap. You got all the starting and prep work done. The soil is dug and tilled and it’s time to plant and cultivate. Your affiliates are lined up and you know the target numbers you need to make some money from your affiliate marketing.

Your site is simple and yet “poppin’” as the hip generation say. Nice to look at and easy to navigate. Your posts/articles are current, steady, fresh, delectable, relevant and a conduit to your affiliates. Oh and consistent is also vital.

We should add that this type of affiliate marketing is better suited for a good writer with sales and writing savvy. However this is not an exclusively for those type of people. Hey maybe it is for you?

And why not? It is relatively easy to do and reasonably inexpensive to start and maintain. Oh and in time you will reap the spoils of your work. Yeah don’t forget that part.

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“Can I have who is Jeffrey Brewer for $500 Alex?”

Ever heard of Jeffrey Brewer? Well in 1998 he presented a concept that became an Internet marketing innovation.

At that time Jeff, he lets me call him that (lol), was an employee of a 25 man team of a company called Goto.com. It was working with that team that Jeff presented the new concept. The original idea however, is credited to the founder of Goto.com founder, Bill Gross.

However the pay per click or per click method was not totally new. Internet advertisers had already been paying or being compensated on the cost per thousand impressions formula, which is totally logical and a natural progression. Why? The cost per thousand impressions was the norm until 2002. So for every one thousand hits, clicks, or impressions, a fee would be charged or received.

This was a popular formula. For in the terrestrial world of newspaper ads and radio/TV ads the cost of advertising was basically based on the size of the audience and the potential number of people that could view your ad.
The larger the audience or distribution, the more potential viewers.
The more viewers the more potential response.
The cost of these ads then are based on a number system. Now in TV and radio the time of broadcast and the ratings of a particular program will affect the size of the audience at any given time. Just as having a newspaper ad on page 12 is not the same as page 10, or the size of the ads. But the principle is basically the same with all of these scenarios.

Now in those mediums there is the formula to determine the size of the audience. On the Internet that formula does not work. For example if 50,000 people read your newspaper than that is the reference number you start with. But just because 50,000 people have a computer or have on line access does not mean 50,000 people have a realistic chance of seeing a particular ad.

So the pay per click formula was introduced. By tracking the number of impressions and clicks you could then have a general idea of how many people were checking out your ads. However as we began to lay out at the outset this was still a broad concept and an improvement was being sought.

In comes Bill, Jeff and Goto.com. As we stated what began in 1998 came into fruition in 2002. The new concept would be multi faceted and more reliable, accurate, relevant, and lucrative then the cost per thousand impressions method.

Here are the basic components of how it works:

• Advertiser Content – links by way of banners, text lines, or highlighted keywords in the content
• Advertiser Bids – The ads/links are placed based on relevance. It is determined by keywords and phrases relevant to their business. For example a sneaker company would rather have an ad placed on an athletic themed site as compared to a library site.
• A Review Process – manually and electronically the ads are compared to the content to ensure relevance and keyword target matches
• Matching Ad Content and Search Engines – The ads are geared to parallel search engine queries or made search engine friendly
• Display of Ad Content – a order is sometimes determined by an algorithmic formula based on search engine content
• Electronic Process to Track/Calculate Data – Metered clicks and counted impressions based on consumer clicks is tabulate to charge advertisers and pay the one displaying the ads.

Now some of this sounds way more complicated than it is. Of course the creation of and the inner workings of the programming is over most of our heads. But that is not our concern since it is already developed right? The vast majority of us are going to use the concept not build it. Thanks to our old buddy Jeffrey and Billy.

And hey, if you want to understand more of the intricate details knock yourself out. The history and data is out there for you to review and absorb at your convenience. By all means do the research. If you’re like me you may have to read it a few times to grasp it but I never claimed to be the sharpest tool in the shed. But that is another wonderful thing about all of this. You can make your own time frame and establish realistic goals for yourself. Whatever Internet pursuit you have you can tackle at your pace.

In the meantime you can still put the pay per click innovation into motion whether you totally understand it or not. Think about it most people don’t know the inner workings of their car but they still can drive it and use it. Right?!

So get your Pay Per Click program going and start making some cash.

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Why not start your own blog? Do you have a passion, a love, a hobby, or do you just love to share your opinion and have your voice heard? Then you are a blogging fool at heart.

Okay quick review here, we are talking about setting up your own site devoted to your voice on a topic or a series of topics. It can be about your fandom of an entertainer, an athlete, or a politician. Maybe it will be your favorite sport or sports team? Maybe you have informative material to share? Recipe’s, locations of wonderful places to go, how to fix things, build things, or how to whatever.

Maybe you want to discuss more serious matters like politics, religion, relationships, or whatever. And we all know there is plenty of whatever in this world.

But where do you start? Before we get into that let me remind you that for more blogging related discussions feel free to browse our archives and of course continue to check back and review the upcoming articles on blogging and other Internet ventures that may catch your fancy.

Let’s get to-bloggin’!

Where and how to start blogging? The first agenda is by default a systematic decision you need to make. What is my theme or topic? And no it does not have to be limited to one topic. Although a blog page is usually dedicated to one central theme. But there are ways around that.

You have some options. Are you writing about your favorite music artist? Is it me? (I had to ask) Anyway let’s assume you are blogging about Elvis. Although your central theme is Elvis you could easily expand your blog to discuss music industry topics. Another example may be you are blogging about your favorite MLB team. Maybe it is the Philadelphia Phillies or the world renowned New York Yankees. Here again even with your main focus centering on that team you can easily incorporate related baseball topics, perhaps about the league or the game of baseball itself and the rich history. I think you get the basic point.

Now in the case you may want to voice your thoughts about baseball, music, and life as shepherd all at the same time, you may consider managing multiple blog pages. For now let’s stick with one.

Okay, you decided to blog about blogging. You clever sun of a gun you. Now what? Web page time. You have options here and I know you love options.

In a nutshell though you have 2 main options:
You can design your own page and pay for host space or for the services of a host provider.
This option gives you more control and a higher ceiling of advertising revenue potential.
Second option is using a free guest host service; there are plenty of them. You can even set up a social profile on a social web site, ala Facebook or Myspace and blog there, which would also allow the option of blogging about whatever pops into your noggin’. I call that bloggin’ from your noggin’. Of course there is a 2nd option part B of sorts. You can combine the more independent route and still use a guest host. I see a need for another discussion on hosting in our future.

Anyhow, you chose your primary theme of blogging and you decided to manage your own web page. You go! Now you need a domain name. This can be done through various domain name providers at a nominal cost. You call your web site HowToFlippin’Blog.com. Hey that’s the name you wanted! Actually we will discuss the value of domain names in a future discussion also.

Okay review time again.Topic of blog? = Blogging.
Type of web page? = Professional host service.
Domain name? = HowToFlippin’Blog.com.

At this point we are going to assume that you have taken care of the design elements of your web page. Whether you did it yourself or you paid for a web design service, your site is up and you’re ready to go.

That’s it? NO that is most definitely not it! But it is a start, which is where it all begins. Just like sledding as a youngster, you have to get on the sled first. “Yeah but” you’re thinking “isn’t it all downhill from there?” you ask. Yes it is, only in this case that’s a good thing. That is the objective of sledding isn’t it?

Now that you’re in business with your blog, it’s time to blog. In order to be successful with your blog page there is a number of things you will need to learn and/or do. These are things we will also discuss over time.

But for now get your thinking cap on and get the ball rolling, get on the sled and get ready to start to-bloggin’!

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As the winners are announced they approach the podium with a big smile and a small acceptance speech. Ultimately it is the time to thank those who helped get them to this moment, and rightfully so. We all accept the reality that none of us gets anywhere or attain a level of success completely on our own.

In fact we all have heard or perhaps even said ourselves, “it’s not always what you do but it’s who you know”., which may be a bit over used and/or over simplified at times and yet basically true. Nevertheless we all need to be connected and interwoven in a network.

What is a network you may ask? For the purpose of this post we are talking about a circle of friends and associates that we share work related activity with, correspond with, and bond with. And it is not always as simple as that definition sounds. Why is that?

Quite frankly some of us are just not very good at it. Others do not give it enough thought or attention. Then there are those of among us who have no clue of how to build a network. Let’s address some of these obstacles.

However first we ask, why would you need a network or to engage in networking? Embellishing on our introduction let’s delve a little more into the why.

Connections are not always a “someone on the inside” doing you a favor. Connections often times are simply relationships that we have established that has established a trust and a familiarity with others in the field of interest that we are. So let’s continue in that theme in an Internet business endeavor. Your network is going to assist you and get you and your business “out there”. Yes a network gets people to know who you are and what you’re about.

Okay there you are in whatever aspect of the Internet business arena that you are in. Maybe you run a site, or write for websites, design, program, manage, promote, market, and so on. No matter where you are in the on line food chain you should be connected to those who are in the other areas that we just mentioned. And of course those who do the same things you do should be in your circle or your loop. This is your network. Not to be left out is trying to mingle with prospective customers or participants of your Internet enterprise. That would be your extended network.

The key is you need to build a network but you also must network (as in verb). Aside from the work that you do in line with your primary on line job, you should set aside a reasonable amount of time to connect with people and to instigate friendships, associations, and affiliations. You’re basic schmoozing and rubbing of elbows. Naturally this leads to obvious benefits.

Yes the net gain of networking is vast and important. With more friends and legitimate associates you can learn a lot and improve yourself at what you do, for beginners. You also will gain access to events and happenings that you would probably never find on your own.

Among the people you bond with, their newfound trust in you and your reliability will open opportunities. Perchance they need your help or know of others who need your help, which the probability of either and/or both is enormous. The more they know about you and the more confidence your network associates have in you will only improve the likelihood that you will be called upon. Frankly it will greatly increase that likelihood significantly.

The wider you extend and the more expansive you make your network, will only augment and broaden the potential for letting others know of your talents and your abilities. And it will also widened the net that will catch feelers of the needs of others who need your know how.

Assembling a network will be calculated but also a voluminous aim. That means you need quality “friends” but you also need quantity. Now that doesn’t mean that everyone and anyone will be included. In time you will learn the proper balance of where to draw the line of who to network with. The trick is to keep the pool of friendships related to the Internet goals you are striving for.

Another vital must is: do not be transparent. Be genuine and do not use people or give the impression that you are using them. Just like our entertainer in the beginning, the people in your network will become part of a support group and a team that will accomplish things together. So don’t burn bridges or try and guilt people or make them feel they owe you. This also means that you will have their best interests at heart. It should be a help each other operation.

Where to start? Any business network starts in the terrestrial world. Yes with your friends in your daily life. But it goes far beyond that. It goes to their friends for example. But with the Internet the world has gotten smaller. So reach out and touch the world through the Internet connections. Utilize social sites, forums, email, instant messaging and so on. And remember their friends can be your friends in no time.

Don’t forget now, this is a win/win situation. And what about those who are thinking right now “I do this and it isn’t helping?” Well for one thing chances are you are to heavy in quantity an lacking in quality. You may have made many good friends and you may have been helped some or have helped others. Only it hasn’t gotten you where you want to be. That is because your network is not complete or expansive enough. Many of your friends are basically in the same boat as you. Or you are on the same cruise ship but you are networking with people on the same floor as you. You need to fraternize with those who have had more success than you.

Now look I am not suggesting a social status inferior/superiority complex or that there is anything good or bad about being who you are. What we are talking about is learning and initiating a healthy friendship with people who are more experienced than you are in the field you want to be successful at. Simply put, 2 beginners can only help each other so much. And a beginner and a novice will only get so far. Neither of which is a bad thing. But the people who make progress are people who team up or network with others who are more accomplished and more plugged in then you are.

New to the network game? Or have you networked and yet feel as if it’s gotten you nowhere? Relax, this is not a reason to panic or give up. This is a time to go through your network and identify what is missing. It may even be a matter of reaching out to some of your friends who have a better knack for developing a network, which ironically is a part of the point of having a network.

So now that we have come full circle, that leaves the rest up to you.

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