We have all heard the phrases “dress for success” or “look the part” have we not? Most times it is not a matter of going to great lengths to follow this wisdom. But it does take some thought and deliberate action.

Naturally those phrases apply to the way we dress and groom ourselves. For example even professional sports franchises have dress codes for their players and staff. In the NBA for instance players and coaches are required to wear a business suit when they travel between cities to play opponents in their cities. Why does it matter? These are adults playing basketball.

Frankly, it has a clear connection to professionalism. Think about it. The NBA like all sports makes most of their money through broadcasting and advertising. Yes they make some revenue by people paying a lot of money for a ticket to attend the games. But believe it or not, that pales in comparison to the tv/radio and advertising contracts.

Also the reality is that the broadcasting end of it is about advertising also. The networks pay the league for the rights to air the games but they in turn make their money by advertising dollars during that broadcast. But wait there is more.

Each arena or stadium that hosts an event is loaded with advertising! You can’t even go to the bathroom without seeing an ad in front of you. Guess what all of this is called?

We just described an affiliate marketing relationship between the sports franchises and the business world. Yes indeed, the Internet did not create affiliate marketing. But here is another guess what? The Internet is widely successful do to affiliate marketing!

The fact is that the sports industry would be a fraction of what it is if it solely relied on ticket sales to make money. And realistically many businesses feel that advertising or being an affiliate of professional sports makes their business more successful. It’s a 2 way street. That is what makes it a partnership.

So here we are now looking at our Internet business. Or course we want people to visit our web page and use it for the intended purpose we set it up for. If we have a blog than we want readers, and if we are an e-tailor, than we want potential buyers. And so on. But the fact is it doesn’t have to end there.

For one all of the other web pages in existence want the same thing as we do. They also want traffic and potential customers. This is why affiliate marketing is valuable and irreplaceable. It is also why you can earn money using affiliation.

But like any other business you need to be professional. You can have a professional advertising banner on your page but if your page is not fresh and disorganized it won’t be effective for you or your affiliates. Or if your site is full of ads and little other content it won’t come across professionally either.

Now there are web pages that are exclusively set up to advertise an affiliate but that is effective only because it is set up like a professional Internet billboard. It’s a commercial page basically.

However you have to be careful if your site is supposed to be there for another reason. I mean if you maintain a blog for instance and you rarely add content then you appear as if you are just providing ads for affiliates. You also put out the vibe that you really don’t care that much about your blog. That would be unprofessional and you would not be dressed for success.

“But I am just a regular Joe or Suzie. I am not a professional” many will say. Then why are you trying to confuse us? If you are going to attempt to make some money through affiliate marketing than you are insinuating that are now taking a professional approach.

Being a professional often does not mean you have to be a corporation or that you have a staff. I mean if you tailor dresses and suits on the side for money you are now offering a professional service in essence. You do not have to be a college graduate to be professional.

It’s the presentation and the care you put into your work that makes the difference. Dressing up in a suit for instance doesn’t make you a better basketball player, but it shows the world that you are serious and put a value on what you do. That is why the NBA insists the players dress up. It also reflects on the sponsors and advertisers.

And it really is not something to stress over. The overall point is to put your best foot forward even if your web page is just for fun or a side project. Go that extra mile and consider the details. It doesn’t have to be complicated.

Simple things like being relevant, up to date, accurate, and user friendly will show the world you take your web page seriously. And this will reflect a positive image on your affiliates. And that will only help you and them.

So remember as your managing your site to “look the part”.

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Sometimes our job description is not always much of a description of what we do. It may tell part of the story or give a general concept but there is often more to the story.

One job description that can be a little vague is the title consultant. The reality is there are many applications of being a consultant. Although it will obviously involve consulting it may very as to what is all involved. For our topic we are going to take a look at some applications of Internet consulting.

By way of illustration we are looking at a symbolic “consultant” tree and the branches of that tree is a more specific focus on services that can be offered under the consultant premise. The first branch we are going to look at is Internet marketing consultants.

While many companies and individuals may have a solid Internet presence and perhaps have a respectable knowledge of Internet marketing the fact is there may room for improvement. That is where an Internet marketing consultant comes in. They can advise, instruct, develop or recommend a sales model for you. They may even offer services to carry that model out. Among the areas they will analyze for you are:

• Review of your SEO plan (Search Engine Optimization)
• Review of your email marketing
• Review of your use of affiliate marketing
• Review of your overall advertising/marketing strategy
• Review your web site (features, links and appearance)
• Apply tracking studies
• Study conversion rates ( example: for every 100 visits you get 1 sale)

As a result of their research and analysis they will build a strategy for you to improve in any and every way they pin point. They will also offer programs to instruct you how to maintain this strategy. All in all this is a comprehensive business.

For those of us who would like to pursue an Internet consultation business, these are the types of services expected from an Internet Marketing consultant. It is a rewarding and lucrative business and the demand and need is on the rise.

Very similar and overlapping is an Internet Sales Consultant. Most people may see it as being semantical, and in essence it is. However a sales consultant may also delve into more sales related specifics like products, sales pitch, delivery, and customer service concepts.

You may find it helpful to combine the two in your Internet Consultant business. You can offer marketing and sales advice instruction and strategy.

You also have the option of specializing in Internet media consultation. Also semantical to a large extent to the sales and marketing services. It however leans more toward the web development and design aspect.

The moral of the story is that you have choices and opportunity. In the perfect scenario you would offer the full range of services. But again there are many branches to the consultant tree. We will discuss more options in upcoming articles.

As far as what we have discussed here, no matter how far you plan to take your consultant business it is important to be prepared. And if you are in another form of Internet business do not be afraid to consider the value of using a consultant service.

Don’t just take my advice, ask the pros.

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The tomatoes are righteously sweet and delicious, and there you are staring at them on your BLT sandwich. As you take that first wonderfully anticipated bite you think to yourself “I should have planted some more tomatoes!”

And thus we have been drawing on the concept of growing a garden and correlating it to managing our very own Internet business. And how along the way you can be enjoying and reaping the rewards of your “gardening” just like you would from the hard work of your own back yard garden. So back we go to our Internet garden.

In previous articles we have discussed our Internet garden with the idea of a back yard garden concept of planting items in rows. With that mindset we have reviewed some of the tasks involved in having a e-commerce and/or an affiliate On-line business. We have our rows of e-commerce and a row of affiliates. In this article we are going to cultivate our blogging business. We are going to see what to do with the row of blogs we have planted.

Just like in the previous articles, you have already planted the blogging seeds and you are writing like you’re a novelist locked in a room cranking out masterpieces. Your web site is up and going, with the seed in the ground, now what?

Honestly one concept that you need to grasp is not taking anything for granted. One of your duties should include reviewing and analyzing what you got going. The look of your site is naturally one item that cannot be overlooked.

This is especially a factor with a blog page. Reading your posts needs to be an experience from the moment the visitor clicks on to your page. The reader may not know it but the visual will enhance or take away from your words of wisdom. Of course that does not mean that you need to have everything under the sun on your page. But you do need enough to keep your page eye pleasing. The word attractive is not just a clever ploy. It means exactly what it is saying. Something attractive attracts.

As always we also will put out the warning of being careful of not overloading your page with too much flash or modern web design technology. Why? Remember not everyone has the computer capabilities you do. In fact most computer users are a couple operating systems behind the hardcore users.

Okay back to our blog. Since blogging is so diverse we are going to break it down into a few parts. Part 1 is going to delve into a fun or fan blog.

The most common examples of this type of blog are those devoted to your favorite band, team, celebrity, hero, author, artist and the like. For example let’s say your site is called www dot popbanb dot com. Yes your site is about your favorite musical artist.

Your page discusses the music and the people behind the music of your favorite band. You have some other options also that you need to consider if you have not already done so. Like what?

For one your hard work will be appreciated by the band and its management. Therefore you need to contact their people. I would say have your people get into touch with their people but chances are you don’t have people. Yeah me neither.

Anyhow most artists, if not all of them, are looking for people to promote them. They in fact create what is called “street teams” and enlist “fan clubs” to promote their merchandise, concerts and recordings. They are usually rewarded with something of value. While it may not be cash it will be some cool stuff you as a fan would love. Think about it, you’re going to do your blog anyway, why not get something for your passionate efforts. What fan would not enjoy some cool perks like tickets or special merchandise for promoting sales for their fave band?

Regardless of how professional or gossipy you make your site you want to attract people to check out your site. So you need to put some effort into your blog. Nobody, not even a bunch of 13 year old fans want to read “oh they’re so great”, or “oh their so cute” every other sentence or every other post. Sure you can be giddy and simple but you also need to give some fresh and substantive information and content. That is if you want to have a successful blog.

Just like your back yard garden, you can plant seeds and then forget about it, but you probably won’t get satisfactory results. If you want a productive garden, then there is work to do. And so it goes with your Internet garden and the success of your blog.

So whether it is an artist, celeb, or any of the other examples we mentioned you need to put some thought and effort into your content and lay out. You should be somewhat aggressive and passive.

What is the latest news surrounding the people your site is about? Are you up to date with their schedule or upcoming events?

Where are they from? What are their interests? How did they get into their field? Why are you such a big fan other than because they’re awesome and/or hot? Why should I, the reader, be interested in them or what might I find interesting about “them”?

Give us some history, some did you know, and some unique aspects. Write with passion and creativity. Write with your heart and your brain. Maybe you can get some thoughts, interviews and contributions from others who share your passion or have knowledge of them.

Logically at this point you must continue to apply the marketing tools you have gained and learned. You need to learn about keywords for your blog for instance. You need to consider directories and other ways to promote your site. Use email, advertisement options, forums, social networks and do the web related work in addition to your blogging.

As you can see there is so much that can be done and needs to be done in regard to your fan blog. So make it happen and make your blog stand out from the other blogs about the same personalities. Remember you had the inspiration and desire to start the blog and you want your voice to be heard, so why not go the distance and get your site seen and enjoyed? Well, why not?

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Can too much of a good thing turn out to be a bad thing? It sure can. One or two aspirins may help your headache but what if you take 8? You may enjoy a beverage of choice now and again but what happens when you overdo it? Pizza is an eaters delight but too much leads to some serious cellulite!

Keeping with this line of thought, we need to consider a few thoughts concerning promoting by email invitation. It should also be noted that spreading the word by using email is very productive. However we should use caution and be respectful of those who do not enjoy the irritating emails that are often sent and filed as spam. You and I don’t like them either, truth be told.

This is where you need to be careful. In the worst case scenario an Internet Service Provider can shut you down if you are black listed as a spammer. First of all let’s review what is considered spam. In general spam is:

• It can be email sent by a company or individual to persons you have no prior contact with
• Sending an email to persons who have requested to be removed from your list

What does all this mean? First of all there are a few do not’s or should we say never do’s to follow;

• DO NOT misrepresent yourself in any way! For starters if you would like to send newsletters and other news related to your sight and you are planning on approaching new people you have never had prior contact with; by all means introduce yourself in a professional and non-abrasive manner. Give them a quick purpose for your email and ask politely if they would like to receive future promotions.
• Above all do not address your email with a phony or misleading subject title of your email.
• Do not offer something fraudulent or imply any falsehoods.
• Do not use a bogus address as if it came from someone else.
• Make it clear that you are inviting them to your site but you will gladly remove them from your list if they are not interested in your web page. Or provide an easy way to remove themselves in your email invitation.

Any emailing list that you receive from someone else or a list providing service should be handled with care. Do you know where this list was compiled from? Nevertheless if you are clear and up front with your approach and your honest intentions you will be fine. Of course you should always be absolutely forthright and providing the opportunity for those recipients an easy way to be removed from your emailing list as noted above.

As a safeguard and courtesy, ask if those receiving your invitation would like to get your newsletter or update messages instead of just sending one their way. So what do we have here so far?

Let’s say you have a web page selling a weight loss supplement. I use that as an example because that is always a lightning rod topic for the good and sad to say, the bad. People have abused this vital and beneficial topic, so as a result people are on the spam alert when it comes down to it.

Perhaps the subject of your email could be a generic you don’t know me type title. “May I introduce myself?” for example. Then be sure your email is direct from there. “Hello, my name is so and so and I have a web site that I thought you may enjoy. My link is “xxxx”. On my site you will find helpful information along with a wonderful product….. blah blah blah.” At the end be sure you include “If you are not interested I understand, simply click here and I will be sure not to contact you again” or something to that effect.

It may also be helpful if you ask your friends to supply you with contacts of their friends that they know may like to hear about you. And at least in your introduction you can point out you have a mutual friend.

Also, when talking to strangers it is wise to be very brief and to the point. If they are interested you will have plenty of opportunity to add more information later.

Face it my friends, we live in a world of over the top telemarketing and spammers as it is. So people are already irritated by obnoxious and deceptive sales methods. And at the same time most of us have received cordial and genuine emails or other types of sales calls and curiously heard them out. Heck I have even bought things from telemarketers or people coming to my door. There is a variety of useful items out there.

So it’s all about balance, presentation and motive. If you are sincere and not perceived as sly or tricky, people will give you a minute and give it a thought. If you disregard people’s privacy and are illusory or disingenuous then you are going to be marked as a spammer and an irritant. Don’t be the latter, please.

There you have it, just a few words of caution and a little pep talk for you. In the end I bid adieu and say good luck with your web page. Keep at it, believe in what you are doing and above all have some fun while you’re earning some money!

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Enthusiasm is contagious and motivating. In past generations in England mustard was a favorite condiment of roast beef eaters. As keen as mustard was an expression coined to mean that you were very enthusiastic about enjoying your roast beef. And then used in everyday life to express the excitement and enthusiasm for things in life.

And apparently in those days mustard was considered essential. It was regarded as adding a vigor and zest as well as flavor to your dining experience and was believed to overlap into your life. So what does mustard have to do with Pay Per Click advertising?

Funny you should ask that question. Well if you want your web page to cut the mustard, than you need to follow my metaphor of the whole mustard and roast beef enthusiasm reference.

Earning some greenbacks can be fun and rewarding, not to mention beneficial, by having and/or maintaining your own web site. Yes the fast growing arena of Internet business is a viable reality. However it is both simple and difficult to be successful with it at the same time. “Come again?” you ask.

Let’s answer this question in regard to the PPC (Pay Per Click) business model. Basically a PPC program is set up between your site and companies with products relevant to the theme of your site. For example let’s imagine you have a blog about poetry. You call it IGotPeoms.com. Subsequently your site offers poetry and art related material presented in an alluring and eye pleasing package. Ideally you may even offer an e book or a tangible touchable product of your written work to sell. Perhaps you even have some paintings or other creative works you may present for sale.

As a result you have reasonable aspirations of “hustling a buck or two” from your products. But as a shrewd and adroit web master, you should also envisage or make it your aim to create a cash flow from the fruits of your labor running your web page. This is where the mustard goes on the roast beef. See how it all makes one big happy circle?

Yes your web page and your own original products are your roast beef. The ancillary income or the residual gain from managing and marketing your web page with an ad program is the mustard. Yes that essential flavored elixir that will add zest to your primary business of selling products.

Therefore picture your site again. While people visit your site and enjoy your works and peruse your items for sale, they will also be invited to patronize other related businesses and their web sites by way of professionally placed ads. Perhaps you have a Barnes and Nobles ad, or a poetry supply store ad. Maybe you have an ad for chic clothing. Or an ad for any other applicable or corresponding business web site.

Thus as people see the ads they simply click on the ones that appeal to their curiosity or their needs. Under the direction of a Pay Per Click program the number of times that an ad is clicked on and then visited is tabulated and you are financially compensated for the possible business lead. Thus aptly called the Pay Per Click formula.

Now what makes this copasetic is that there are some wonderful and well established PPC programs. In fact there are many. The 3 most common and probably the most used are Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and Microsoft AdCenter.

Leaving aside the program you subscribe too, it is crucial nonetheless to become proficient and accomplished in this form of Internet money making. This is where we come back to the “it’s simple and difficult” conundrum. It is easy to make money only if you know how to “work the system” as the saying goes. But if you think that you can just throw some ads up there and the rest takes care of itself, you are deceiving yourself and in for some frustration.

A good idea would be to use the tools and support provided by any of the programs you opt to go with. At times these programs offer sponsors or mentors to advise you. Or you may acquire your own marketing coach to assist you in learning and in making wise decisions. In the long haul you will be glad you did all you can do to educate yourself about the PPC process. This applies to any other Internet marketing application for that matter. But PPC programs are as good a place to start as any.

So do you have your roast beef(your web page) ready? Good deal, now go get yourself some mustard(a solid ad program) and lather a generous splash of flavor bursting goodness to your roast beef. (Mmmmm, I love mustard on my roast beef)

If you follow through your love and enthusiasm for “roast beef” will never be higher.

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Every year it is reported that advertisers spend over $20 billion on Internet advertising in the USA alone. And the numbers have been rising. In 2006 it was reported that just under $17 billion was spent on line for advertising.

How significant are these numbers? Let’s put it this way:
US advertisers spent $23.4 Billion on Internet ads compared to the $21.4 billion spent on Cable TV advertisers. Advertisers spent $34.4 billion on Newspaper ads and $29.8 billion on national and local TV ads.
It should be noted this includes all types of advertising, like classified ads for example. In fact according to sources, Newspaper ads are heavy weights in the classified ads, whereas the Internet has a broad spectrum of advertising. You would be hard pressed to find a major company not using the Internet for advertising. Thus the pie is ready and opportunities are there for those among us looking to break into or expand our Internet income potential.

On top of the advertising dollars streaming to the Internet, the number of Internet readers is on the ascent. For instance, polls taken over the last few years indicate that up to 40% of Internet users insist they enjoy reading and reviewing blogs. What does this mean?

Take for example, a gentleman from New York claims he has made up to a $1,000 a month by producing a blog that details the places in NYC where one can purchase a nice meal for under $10. (He calls it midtownlunch.com) He recently pointed out this was a result of some 2,000 visitors a day to his site.

This is a great example because it demonstrates that you don’t need to dominate the Net with your presence, you just need to generate a respectable and modest amount of interest to make some money. But it also reveals the fact that you do have to present a web page compelling enough to attract visitors. Therefore, you can’t simply conclude, well he is doing it so naturally I will also.

No, he is one of many examples that it can be done but you need to put effort, diligence and preparation into your project. There are in fact many bloggers getting their piece of those advertising dollars we mentioned above, many reporting to be earning from $200 to $2,000 a month from their blog. I have seen some profess to earn as high as $8,000 – $10,000 a month. And most definitely there are plenty of those who have failed to produce any results.

What makes the difference between a successful blog and a disappointing one? To be candid, there is no specific answer. However there are a few vital components.

• Your blog needs to be relevant to enough people
• As we have discussed your blog needs to be interesting and inviting. It should leave visitors wanting to come back to see more.
• Along with relevance, your blog should build a steady flow of visitors as a result of your marketing and network tactics.
• Make use of the variety of forms that advertising takes. Sponsorship, adsense, banners, or other image or audio type ads. Seriously though, if you are getting the traffic the advertisers will find you also.
• You must be consistent, which is not the same as predictable. You should present lively entertaining content and a subliminal vibe that you love what you do.

So do you want your piece of the pie? Then it’s high time you consider the blogging world.
Are you presently maintaining a blog? Then review your strategy and make any improvements or additions that you can.
Are you not happy with the present results? Then it is time to remodel your page or produce better content. Or maybe you should toss around some new ideas or start over with a new subject theme. If need be, get some outside opinions from people you know will tell you the cold harsh truth.

The pie is there, the challenge is for you to find your piece.

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Does the surname Kroc ring a bell? Let me give you a hint: do you want fries with that?

Ray Kroc was a famous American business mogul. Ray was born in 1903 in Chicago, Illinois. He began selling milkshake machine mixers in the 1950’s. That is how he met the McDonald brothers, Dick and Mac. Yes, I chuckled at that also. Mac McDonald? Maybe it was a nickname.

Any how you probably made a mental connection here. Yes, the McDonald brothers started the McDonald the famous fast food joint in 1940 in California. They were forward thinking enough to duplicate their restaurants in a way now commonly known as franchising. They started their franchising in 1953.

While they were very successful, they did not foresee what Ray Kroc had in mind. So in 1961, Kroc set out to purchase the McDonald’s restaurants. It didn’t end up being a simple matter because of some philosophical differences of what the agreement was. Nevertheless Kroc was able to proceed with his own McDonald’s restaurants.

Ultimately Ray Kroc took franchising to a whole new level. The emphasis was on sticking with proven products and make money through volume and true duplication. Yes he developed the method of every McDonald’s adhering to a strict menu and the specific preparation of each item. He also “stole” a page out of Henry Ford’s assembly line concept to maximize uniformity and timely efficiency.

So where are we going with this? The bottom line is Internet businesses and persons considering an on line business, should meditate on these principles. Sometimes it is good to refrain from putting all your eggs in one basket. Most often in business profit is accumulated by volume sales or repeating applications.

In the event that you are offering retail products, looking at marketing and advertisement dollars, offering services, or providing content related services (like a blog), you don’t have to be concerned with making all your money off of one web page.

Learn from Ray Kroc. Be consistent but all over the “map” at the same time. Regardless of whether you combine income making models or concentrate on an area of preference, get as money projects going as you can properly handle.

Remember Kroc didn’t just build McDonald’s willy nilly all over the place. It was a strategic and methodically carried out plan. This is what you are going to do also. Be a visionary. Look down the road. Maybe you start out making only a modest or even a meager income by the merit of your efforts connected to one web project. (Whether it is your project or someone else’s does not matter)

That’s great. You are successful. Once that becomes a familiar routine it’s time to branch out or open up another “franchise” so to speak. Eventually, if you are meticulous and adroit, the meager profits will start to add up. That is the Kroc concept. It’s been copied a million times over by large and small business owners and free lance individuals the world over.

Pick a place to start. What services or abilities can you offer a web master? Or do you wish to start out with your own web site from the jump? Either way, write out a business plan and begin with step 1. Once you complete that in a productive manner, then duplicate your success and watch the “little here” and the “little there”; begin to add up into a nice income. And hey, get yourself a Big Mac while you’re at it.

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Across the globe, the freedom to express yourself has long been cherished and a cause for many judicial battles. From country to country and Government to Government the issue has brought about a much heated debate and some productive dialog.

In the United States for example Freedom of speech and Freedom of the press are included in the notorious First Amendment of the US Constitution. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Throughout the history of the United States the application of this “freedom” has been called into question, has been upheld, and has been redefined in some ways. The classic example of yelling “fire!” in a movie theater is a perfect example of how the freedom of speech does come with reasonable boundaries.

It is also important to understand that numerous outlets of communication are also subject to company management. For instance the Freedom of the press is a Constitutional right but each journalist answers to their own editor and the editing department and the company authorities. So while it may be perfectly legal to put something in print, that particular newspaper may not want it in their paper.

What about the World Wide Web? When it comes to the Internet you have many of the same principles in play. However it gets more complicated because the Internet is international. So while it may be lawful to publish certain information in the United States it may not be in China.

For example in North Korea the Internet is totally under Government control. It should also be noted that very few North Koreans have Internet access anyhow so the fact that is heavily censored may be a moot point at present.

As a result of the booming growth and popularity of the Internet and its obvious business related considerations, companies like Google and Yahoo are desperately trying to placate or appease the various regulations placed on the Internet from country to country. There is even an organization that monitors the censorship or “regulations” that each country assigns the Internet. It is called the OpenNet Initiative.

The OpenNet Initiative simply categorizes how each country practices their censorship or what is perceived as censorship. There is not an absolute definition of what constitutes censorship and what doesn’t. So it is simply based on each countries application.

Another group that calls themselves Reporters Without Borders actually has what they call an “enemies of the Internet” list. Among those listed are Australia, China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. In these countries and across the globe the most cause of concern is negative political or anti Government speech. There is also significant objections to pornographic or suggestive sexual content in many lands.

The line invariably becomes blurry in these regards. On one hand you have the cry for freedom on behalf of individuals everywhere. In response you have the natural concern of the “yelling fire in a theater” dissuasion. How do you define “freedom” becomes an inherent question? Another intrinsic concern is does this “freedom” supersede or take precedent over national security or moral ethics?

For instance the media takes the firm stance that news should be reported even if it means exposing a scandalous or negligent Government. For instance that is a bone of contention with China, for example, and it’s control of the various forms of media. The global and local media wants to speak out against the reported lack of human rights in China to the Chinese population. They want unbridled access to the details of such maltreatment. The Chinese government deems that subversive and inaccurate so in their eyes it should be censored from the public media. It should be noted however that the media censors itself, only they call it editing. The fact is, not all news is reported. The news that is reported is selected dare I say calculated.

However non media persons who use the Internet also feel they should be allowed, or be free to express themselves in any manner they choose. Nevertheless some governments likewise see this as a danger to their society and thus filter public speech including the contents of the Internet. The challenge here is that someone outside the country can post content that is viewed as offensive or unacceptable in their land. In fact some governments also remind citizens that more rigid standards also keep spam, computer virus, or other computer attacks to a minimum so, therefore, is beneficial.

This is why those countries that adhere to a stricter form of regulation or what many call censorship are reluctant to allow companies like Google and Yahoo to operate unhindered in their nation. This is why companies like Google and Yahoo, in turn, have negotiated a set of guidelines that are to be stringently enforced. As a result there are many freedom purists who see Google and Yahoo as selling out or caving in to these barbaric conditions.

But what if you were an Internet provider? Is standing on a soap box and shouting out “this is unwarranted” your job? After all you, as a provider, are just a conduit to the World Wide Web so are you even concerned with the specific nature of the content of this information? Does it matter if the information you provide is censored or not to you? The name of your game is making abundant content available and making money through advertisement. And advertisement is valued based on the number of persons that are viewing the content you supply. So who is going to turn down an open door to China or any other country that has a population using the Internet? Why would you care if the door is only partially open?

Not to be brushed aside in all of this, are the Internet business owners. Don’t you want your products available to as many people as possible? Say you are a retailer selling items from your website. Do you realistically care about the freedom of the press if it means you can’t sell your product to the largest consumer base possible?

Realistically speaking, Internet providers are trying to appear accessible to anyone who wants to provide their content to the world. So it can be tricky to satisfy the varying stipulations from country to country and balance it with as much diversity as is possible. There is no proven formula at this point. Especially when you consider that the number of people contributing to the Internet continues to explode. It isn’t even practical to assume that a Google or Yahoo could monitor 100% of the items being posted. So how much information slipping through the cracks are some countries going to accept if they lighten up some of the restrictions? And what kind of promises is Google and Yahoo going to make knowing the slippery slope they will be walking on?

This isn’t going to get any less sensitive either.

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I know what you’re thinking “tell me something I don’t know. Of course I need to know what I’m doing”. And I believe, that you believe, that you truly feel that way. I also know that, like me, you can be impatient and forge ahead faster than you are prepared to. You know the quip if all else fails, read the directions? Haven’t we all jumped in over our head only to get frustrated and think this isn’t going to work for us? Guilty as charged your honor.

Sure we can apply this to any business venture, but today we are going to focus on this principle and its relation to on line wholesale retailing. Although this “way to make money” concept has been around for some time, the advent of eBay has reestablished its place in on line retail. Which in turn has led to Amazon, Etsy and others to power their way onto the scene. What is on line wholesale retailing anyway?

Exactly what you think it is. Getting product at wholesale prices and in turn selling these items to the on line public. Which in the application of this article we are mainly thinking in terms of the “auction house” sites like the ones previously mentioned. (They are not paying for an ad, so mentioning them once for a practical purpose was enough) The items can be virtually anything from toys, electronics, musical instruments, computer items, books, to clothing, accessories, and on and on.

It is that easy in theory and therefore very tempting to do what we discussed at the outset. Dive right in. Cart before the horse. Chicken before the egg. What? Okay, skip the chicken and egg; I was just seeing if you were still with me. Let’s consider a few areas that people commonly come out guns a blazin’ and get themselves in some hot water.

And as always don’t hesitate to seek help from forum friends or study others success. Find people in your local area who already do this if you can. No shame in asking for help. Remember “if all else fails”…………. ????? You remember. So avoid getting to the “when all else fails” part!

The products are out there from all over the world or maybe even from down the street. Some people are manufacturers and others are sellers. Are you a retailer? There is money to be made if you are.

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Remember the Pet Rock? Yes, it was exactly what it was called. For those who do not remember or who have never heard of it, it was a very successful gimmick or should I say novelty, retail product that made someone some serious cash. And this was long before the Internet.

There is a lesson in here for all of us looking to launch our product over the Internet. Actually a couple of lessons, but let’s not get distracted here.

Picture the “pitch” meeting to discuss the development and the marketing of the Pet Rock. Whether it was some imaginative, pie in the sky, enthusiastic man convincing his wife to let him spend some of their savings to go ahead with the project, or a business board meeting, I do not recall; but let’s face it; I doubt the idea or concept was received with reciprocal excitement. Nevertheless, lesson #1 comes to light.

The product is just a part of the campaign. Look, they got a number of people to buy something they could have found in their backyard, so the product had to be “sold” or presented in a way that made it desirable. But that is only a part of lesson #1.

The fact is you may have reinvented the wheel as they say, but if your product is not properly launched and marketed no one is going to buy it let alone know about it. It goes without saying, but I am going to say it anyway, you do need a viable product. How viable you make it is a part of the challenge of retail and product marketing. Exhibit A – see Pet Rock. Someone made a worthless product a valuable commodity. Once again for emphasis however, they did start with a product and then launched a successful campaign.

Self promotion is always one of the first things we consider whenever we develop a new product. And that is good. You should be foaming at the mouth to alert people of the item you are making available. But realistically unless you are working with an endless budget, you are probably relegated to sending emails out to anyone and everyone, which is also fine if done in a professional and appealing manner. But you need Lesson #2. HELP!

Like I said, I don’t remember the history of the Pet Rock but I do know that it was not a one man show. The most obvious help that you could enlist is a professional advertiser and/or marketing specialists. Although they are an obvious option, you may not be able to afford them. But get the details first before you assume that you cannot afford it. And what if you can’t hire ad experts and on line marketing gurus?

Then it is time to duplicate or clone yourself. Well in a manner of speaking that is. Find or create an army of fellow opportunity seekers like yourself to market your product for you. Yes we have discussed this many times here in our forum. It is part of what is called affiliate marketing. Offer people a piece of the pie if they direct customers your way. Don’t under estimate or poo poo this idea; it is done all the time.

Now there is one caveat here, most people who are willing to get on board and help the product launch are very busy and allocate their time judiciously. Why am I bringing this up?

Reality is people will step up to the plate for you but you need to supply the pitch for them. (I love sports metaphors) Yes, as part of your product launch you need to put together some professional promotional packages for your online business accomplices. It may be as simple as designing an enticing promotional email for them to send to their hordes of associates and contacts. Regardless, you need to deliver the goods and let them do the rest.

If you decide that you have some money to invest, by all means look into getting web banners or other eye catching material ready. This can be done by a reliable and credible graphics designer. And again before you utter the words “I can’t afford that” let me throw you a curve ball. (< see sports metaphor) Remember the World Wide Web is just that, World Wide. You may not be able to afford a graphics designer in the USA but maybe you can afford one from India. Believe it or not, graphics are not exclusive to your neck of the woods. You may be surprised what a foreign designer can do and for much less then you imagined. Either way the point is you need to put together your product launch and do as much of the leg work as possible before you unleash your product on your network to be offered to the web world. And you need to provide as much promotional fire power as you reasonably can.

By all means, take the time to research some proven product launch models that are practiced by those more experienced than you. In the end you have got to put your best foot forward and hit the ground running.

So do you have the next Pet Rock? Get ready to launch it then. Good Luck!

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