Archive for the “Internet” Category


by Hugh Duddy

Don’t be fooled by ads for free antivirus software. There are several of these programs that offer free online virus scans. The trick is this: They “scan” your computer and tell you that you have viruses that must be removed before it is too late. Then they require you to buy the software to remove them. Often, the viruses don’t exist in your computer at all. Some viruses and spyware come piggy-backed in a download for “antivirus software”. Be careful. Check online review sites for every program you consider downloading. Regardless of the scams out there, there are excellent free antivirus software programs that work with XP. Here are the best free virus protection downloads available:

Number One: AntiVir Personal Edition Version 8

This is touted across the internet as the best free antivirus software on the internet. It scans exceptionally well and will run even while you are working with other applications. Download.Com gives this free program a 5 star rating.

The positives of AntiVir 8 are its manual scanning features that let you scan individual files and folders by right clicking on them or dragging and dropping them into the application window. It is configured to run in safe mode - a very convenient feature! You can choose to have full reports on every problem issue or receive just the basic information concerning viruses. It updates automatically, runs on a schedule and has various options for scanning tasks.

The drawbacks of this software are slow downloading of virus definitions and the poor ability to detect adware and spyware, thought it does detect much of it and offers a removal tool in its paid version.

Version 4.8 of Avast! Antivirus

This free antivirus software has good ratings on CNET and Download.Com. It offers great protection against viruses and can detect one-third of the spyware programs that are downloaded on your pc. While the numbers involved with spyware detection are small, it does also include free removal of the horrible little pests in addition to its much better virus removal.

Avast! Is not feature-restrictive and is not a “free trial” program. It is growing in popularity as a decent antivirus program. It downloads detections and definitions without faltering and installs them quickly.

The worst things said about Avast concern the need to register if you wish to use it beyond 60 days and keep registering every year after that. When you realize that paid programs are virtually the same only you have to pay for your subscription, this negative doesn’t seem too inconvenient.

You simply can’t have an internet connection without installing antivirus software. It will only be a matter of time before you are infected. If your are unable or unwilling to pay for virus protection, AntiVir Personal Edition V8 and Avast Antivirus v4.8 are intelligent alternatives you can download and use for free. Defend your computer against viruses by using one of these free programs. Visit the official site of each of these antivirus programs to download each. There are warnings about false sites that sell the free versions or infect your computer with a bad download. Don’t let it happen to you!

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by J.D Theis

You might have heard various email marketing gurus saying that one of the best ways to build your own opt-in list of qualified prospects is to create an autoresponder with a free-email-course-jam-packed-with-helpful-tips-about-the-subject-you-know-about (yes, they actually say it on one breath, don’t try it at home). This is definitely true; writing about things you know establishes you as an expert in the field, and your readers are more likely to buy from you because they already know and trust you.

Let’s start with a short overview of what an email course is for anyone that isn’t familiar with this marketing technique yet.

For example, imagine you’re a real-estate agent, and want to publish “7 Tips for Selling Your House”. The obvious way is to send the whole article to your mailing list. The drawbacks? Well, here are three:

1. The main enemy is your average reader’s attention span. It’s rather short, you know. Most of the recipients of your article are very unlikely to read text that is more than 2-4 paragraphs long unless it’s very, very, VERY interesting [1]. As a result, they are very, very, VERY likely to immediately unsubscribe (out of jealousy how your attention span is so much longer than theirs).

2. The second thing also has to do with memory. Your readers will forget you (yes, they will, don’t be a sissy! don’t cry!) unless you contact them from time to time. If you send them just one article, you have exactly one opportunity to remind them of you and your product. If you send 7 articles, the chances of closing a sale are much bigger. [2]

3. Given the above you may rightly think that this is lots of work because while writing a long article does take time, writing 7 large articles takes … even more time. And you’re absolutely right.

Instead of sending an email newsletter with your article as a large monolythic piece of text, email courses let you split up the information into small, easily readable chunks. Each message needs to be no more than a couple of paragraphs long. This makes the information more easily digestable and lets you sustain the interest of your readers. If you decide to send the “7 Tips for Selling Your House” as an email course, you can deliver a series consisting of 7 parts, with each part containing a different tip. Autoresponder software could send it to your subscribers every other day so they receive it over a period of 2 weeks.

Of course, the reason you have the course in the first place is to sell your product. A course in which you share your knowledge in the field that has close relation to your product is the perfect medium; apart from inserting simple ads (a tad too obvious!), you can write the tips so that they suggest that the easiest solution is the very product you sell. Of course, being pushy and turning the course into a sales pitch is a bad idea — you’ll just have every subscriber remove themselves from your list after the first message they read! You need to keep it subtle. And the tips have to be useful.

Sending the course by hand is impossible, you need a tool to do that. It’s most commonly called a sequential autoresponder. There are various good autoresponders on the Internet. I’ll point you to the autoresponder application I designed and have been selling for the past 6 years — FollowUpExpert. Ok, so I’m biased, so what. Everybody is. :) Anyway, as opposed to subscription-based autoresponders, my software installs on your Windows PC (nobody has access to your precious mailing list!), you pay for it only once (no monthly payments at all!).

How do you create the “7 Tips for Selling Your House” course with FollowUpExpert? It’s pretty simple:

1. Download the free trial: www.xtreeme.com/followupxpert/download.php?a=ArticleEC 2. Install it (it takes … I don’t know … half a minute?). 3. Create a new mailing list. 4. Add 7 follow-up messages two days apart. 5. And keep adding email addresses to the mailing list (you can import your existing list, no verification is necessary!).

A couple of short video tutorials that should get you started: www.xtreeme.com/followupxpert/walkthrough.php?a=ArticleEC

Of course, the autoresponder tool is pretty advanced. For example, you can set it up to work with a sign-up form on your website, it can send out email newsletters to your subscribers, it can personalize messages to yield a better response, and much more. And it’s very fast. And quity easy to use — or so my customers keep telling me.

Here’s a link to FollowUpExpert’s home page: www.xtreeme.com/followupxpert/?a=ArticleEC

(You may have noticed the ?a=ArticleEC part in the links above; this is a special markup that will let me see if this article is bringing me any sales — a useful technique you might want to adopt; hint: I’m using free Google Analytics for my website statistics.).

If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them. My name is Martin Bilski and you can get in touch with me via helpdesk.xtreeme.com

– [1] A good counter-example is the very article you have just finished reading (even though it’s much more than ‘2-4′ paragraphs I keep babbling about). You have finished reading, haven’t you? … Hellooo! Anybody here?!

[2] But not 7 times as big a chance. If one tip gets you 1% chance of someone placing an order, 7 tips give you a 6.8% chance, provided that nobody unsubscribes over the whole course (very unlikely). Did I get the math right?

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by Kim and Charles Petty

People will contact your customer service to ask questions about your business or products. Did you know you can increase your orders by training your customer service to actually sell products?

You should include your signature file with all the questions you answer by e-mail. Your signature file should be no longer than 5 lines, 65 characters per line. Include your contact information, business name and an attention getting headline.

Tell people about the new products and services that you offer after you’re done answering their question(s) by phone. If they have already bought products from you in the past, offer them add-on or backend products.

If you’re using FAQ “Frequently Asked Questions”, include your banner ad on top of your FAQ site. You could also include a subscription form for your free e-zine on the site as well.

When you answer peoples questions by snail mail, include an insert advertisement for the products or services your business offers. Include your web site address, e-mail address, logo, slogan and other information on all marketing material you send.

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by Joe Davis

If you are looking for a cheap web host for your website or blog then it is essential that you have a list of minimum requirements that all your potential web hosting companies must provide. If they do not meet these important criteria then you should ignore them and find a better hosting company.

Finding The Best Customer Service and Technical Support Is Important

Communicating easily with a web host company is usually one of the factors that makes a good web host stand out from the crowd. If you cannot talk to the technical support guys and get the answers you want and when you want you will become frustrated and your website will suffer. Getting a direct relevant response in a relatively short period of time is what you really need for effective technical support.

What you really need from a web host technical support team is the ability to talk to them 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Submitting a support ticket and waiting for a reply is going to drive you nuts especially if you have an urgent issue that needs resolving. So what you require is a constant phone or internet chat facility that you can call on at any time.

It also makes great sense to put in a question to the technical team before you sign up as you will then get some idea of how good they are at servicing your needs. Just ask something about the type of hosting you are looking for and check what they say and how helpful it is. If you do not like what you do then find a different web host.

You Need Reliable, Secure Web Hosing and the most Powerful you can Afford

Always check what you will get in terms of power and capacity from your web host. Note exactly what disk space and bandwidth limitations are imposed and check that availability of the servers is very close to 100%. Compare web hosts on these criteria and always go for the best if you can afford it.

Most web hosts will have several different plans and different servers for Unix or Windows. You need to decide exactly what you want from your web hosting before you go to buy. Today you can get unlimited or multi-site hosting for many domains and different databases, so check out what is on offer. Also find out what support if any is given for any more unusual software that you might need, such as Wordpress or other blogging platforms.

You must also check out how powerful and reliable the servers at your web host will be. Also consider all the relevant security aspects of what is provided as you do not want hackers getting in and messing up your site. Consider what each web hosts provides before choosing.

Many web host companies provide user control panels for you to manage the websites in your hosting account. The best to get is cPanel with Fantastico as this provides for easy one-click installation of software like Wordpress and is extremely simple to use especially for the less technically oriented.

Now Get The Best Price With A Money Back Option

The price you pay for your web hosting is always going to be important, but it should be the last thing you look at after all the other criteria above. There is a lot of competition among web host to get your business so cheap deals will always be available and you should be looking at a price per month that is under ten dollars. You should ensure that you also get instant activation of your account so you can get on with building your new web site.

Finally get a full money back guarantee if you can so that if you find you are not happy with the web host service provided in the first thirty days then you will be able to cancel and get all of your money back. Many web hosts now offer this and it just makes common sense to use it.

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by Smitha

Now that same excitement and huge wealth is being generated in the virtual realm of the Internet. What better way can there be than to generate profit without having to invest a single penny from your end. Without the limits of space and employees, online sites have created a brand new and rejuvenated face for casinos everywhere.

If you are wondering how come this is possible then it’s the time for you to learn something on affiliate marketing. New games, new experiences and new opportunities have made the online casino industry one of the most profitable around.

The Internet has offered millions of people the opportunity to explore, learn and share information. Due to the huge boom in popularity, a similarly large number of companies and online giants have been quick to jump on the bandwagon. One of the industries that have allowed Internet users of all backgrounds and with all experience and qualifications to earn money and try advertising are that of affiliate marketing. Due to the number of online casinos competition between companies has become intense, with each one desperate to attract new members. Some are lured by off line advertisements and huge bonus offers, but most are found through affiliate programs.

Affiliate marketing programs are distributed throughout the Internet; Casinos offer their affiliates a cut of the player’s profits that they pass on to them. Affiliates may be offered anywhere between 20 and 30% of the money a player generates during their lifetime on the site.

The casino industry is a very competitive industry and more and more companies are trying to increase their sales through affiliate programs. In turn the affiliate then takes on the risks and potential gains that are associated with casinos. With a large number of sites and special portals offering Internet users the opportunity to host adverts on their site. Whilst most will not charge affiliates when a player gains money, some will so affiliates should make sure beforehand what their situation is.

If an affiliate can find a failsafe program, in which they will never lose money, there is the chance to earning some serious cash. One of the largest Industries is that of online gaming, or more particularly that of casino gambling. Casino gamblers win and lose huge sums each year at the virtual tables, by joining an affiliate program any website owner can get a percentage of the casinos fortunes. It is an industry that has generated much of its reputation and financial prowess by utilizing the availability of the affiliate programs. Unlike the gamblers that the affiliate coaxes in, they have none of the risk or financial dangers associated with casino gaming.

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by Victor Santerino

Buying a suit is not always the most economical process one can undertake. Many people do not have the budget to buy suits, ties, shirts, and dress shoes for a job that has not even paid them yet. This catch 22 rule of needing professional clothes to get a job but needing a job to buy professional clothes can be tough.

Read this article and you will gain my years of experience in buying and selling suits. You will learn what brands to buy and where to get them. I will also give you many options to choose from so that you can make your own decisions.

The most economical option is to buy used clothing from a local vendor. Places to search are thrift stores, consignment shops, and yard sales. This is the most frugal way to buy used clothing because you do not have to pay for shipping. If you cannot find anything local your next decision should be to check some of the online auction sites.

I highly recommend making your first purchase from a used vendor. However, this type of purchase does have some drawbacks. Firstly it is not always possible to find a used garment in your size and in good condition locally. Secondly many people do not like to buy clothing online because they want to try it on first.

Another option is to buy a few high quality under marketed suits and combine them with lesser known accessories. Some suits to consider are Pronto Uomo, Perry Ellis, Sean John, Steve Harvey, and Mantoni. These suits can all be found for less than $500 at many different online retailers.

The drawback to this option is that you will not have many suits in your wardrobe. Also, you may have to opt for shoes that are less comfortable than you are used to. This option is great for the man that does not have to wear suits everyday but less appealing to the professional.

The last option is to buy many lower quality suits in bulk. This option will allow you to diversify your suit lineup and still have money left over for a substantial amount of accessories. If you decide to buy new and must wear suits everyday, this option is best for you.

Major disadvantages to this option are low durability, lower image, and the need to see a tailor more often. Sometimes it can be cheaper to pay more money upfront so that you do not have to worry about more costs down the road.

These three options give you a wide range of choices to make. Decide which option suits your needs the best before venturing forth. Remember to take into account what you will be wearing your suits for and how much your willing to spend before making your final purchases.

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by Ray Edwards

Copywriters work in a lot of different markets such as television, radio, magazines, brochures, direct mail, and others. In fact, every brochure, advertisement, and website that is selling something was probably written by a copywriter. For a while copywriters were restricted to in-house work with either a company or an advertising agency, but the Internet has opened a lot of doors for copywriters.

Freelance copywriting can be a stressful but rewarding job. Just like all freelancing occupations, freelance copywriting means that you will have to sell yourself, your ability at meeting a deadline, as well as your ability to write well-made copy.

Being a copywriter allows you to choose what area of the market in which you wish to work. You need to be able to sell a product, which requires that you do some research to better understand how to motivate your target audience into buying your product.

Besides knowing your audience, you must also need to write creative copy. This will help make your client happy and sell your product.

BEING A COPYWRITER

There are as many copywriters as there are markets. Some copywriters focus on a small area of the market, such as direct response ad campaigns, while others write for a wide variety of different clients.

Today, freelance copywriters are expected to write different kinds of copy and produce great work. Despite being demanding, freelance copywriting can be a lot of fun and a great way to make money if you have the skill, the connections, and the drive to succeed.

On top of earning a good income, you can also work from any place that has an Internet connection. Here are some helpful pointers when considering becoming a freelance copywriter:

1. Get educated. If you want to enter the world of freelance copywriting, look into some online copywriting tutorials. The Internet holds a lot of information that can help you learn more about copywriting. Just search for “copywriting tutorials” and look around, you are bound to find something that can help you improve your copy.

2. Do some free work. If you don’t have any experience writing copy then you should do some free projects in order to build up your skills. Once you’re ready to do some work for hire, these projects can work as samples that will show your capabilities to your potential clients.

3. Pursue some coaching courses. Many successful freelance copywriters lead coaching courses that teach you how to write better copy, market yourself, and a lot about the freelance copywriting world. This way a successful copywriter can guide you through some valuable knowledge and first hand experience as a freelance copywriter.

4. Always be looking for work. The copywriting industry is growing and there is a lot of competition within the field. This means you must always be looking for new work, even if you’re currently working on a project. Check your local newspapers to see if there are any new businesses or advertising agencies that could use your services.

5. Make sure to have a website. Oddly, many copywriters do not have a website. Therefore having one can give you an advantage over your competition. Your website needs to be neat, professional, and contain some of your best work. This way, clients can examine some of your past work, which will help them feel better about hiring you.

These are some ideas on how to become a freelance copywriter. Hopefully you found this article helpful. Freelance copywriting can be a very rewarding and flexible job because you can customize your work around your life and schedule.

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by Donna Gibson

Just because the snow begins to fall outside, doesn’t mean you should bundle up like a snowman. Feeling like a sexy woman in the winter is something you can do in sassy faux fur jackets and winter coats.

Feeling and looking sexy, particularly in the winter, is a fairly new concept for women. The previous generation wore heavy winter coats and long minks, heading to events such as the opera or an expensive restaurant. What a lady has in mind for the after-show can be revealed, even when she bundles up. Throw that fox fur to the hounds, because the modern woman has a different idea in mind for jacket material.

Women young and old can appreciate the style that faux fur jackets bring, and can feel both elegant and a little naughty in the dismal winter weather. You can be stylish and toasty all at once, and ready for a steamy night by the fire, as you peel off the coat for a night of fun later on.

With so many choices of styles and lengths, each lady can wrap herself up in a whole new attitude. You could build a whole sexy outfit, with a gorgeous faux fur coat or jacket as the centerpiece. With such style, you’ll have confidence, and possibly a little naughty behavior, if you choose to wear nothing underneath.

Having this fuzzy winter coat on your skin can be a very erotic experience, but what would your mama say? She could have one, too, in a completely different style. She can head to dinner, and you can head to the hottest club. The location does not matter, so much as the way in which you wear your favorite faux fur winter jacket style.

The greatest thing about a sexy faux fur coat is that it truly has evolved into a fun and flirty fashion statement over the past decade or so. Instead of wearing it as an afterthought, now you should own it, and make the look your own. A jacket worn in the winter should not cover up your assets, but flaunt the sexy, sassy lady who is full of passion, fun and has a great attitude. Now gals, which coat will you choose for your next roll in the snow?

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by Todd Schuyler Marketing

This Internet marketing system can Explode Any Downline in Hours Not Days! This New System Forces People to Join Your Business. It is the Prospect Blazer Marketing system. Click Here to visit the official Prospect Blazer site.

This Tool Makes People BEG You to Join YOUR Opportunity. Do you have a Internet Business Opportunity that Needs or Leads? This Gets You a Ton of Both. The Prospect Blazer Marketing System basically says Put Me To Work and I will Build Your MLM Downline. It’s that simple.

It is the newest #1 Marketing Secret That will Make You a Top Producer. Building a MLM business is Easy when you Use This. How does Prospect blazer do this? Well the number one reason is Our Videos Will Explode Your Current Business. They will help your Explode Any Downline in Hours Not Days.

Once someone views your Prospect Blazer Online Video they fill-out a capture form, they will be redirected to your own Prospect Blazer site so you earn an affiliate commission for every sale! And with our training videos, you will be able to drive thousands of visitors to your capture pages every day. This gives you the ability to earn thousands of dollars EVERY SINGLE DAY!

This is what Prospect Blazer says on their site. In a nut shell, here is what you get. Superior Capture Page Copy with “High Impact” Website Templates… just click which template design you want and what killer copy you want to use and start sending traffic to it immediately! Value - $1800.00. Capture Pages that have “Professional Spokes Models” offering valuable software bundles for just $7.95. You keep 100% of the $7.95 and most importantly, you get the PAID LEAD! Value - $3750.00. Sales Letters that sell massive software bundles from $47.00 - $997.00… again, you keep 100% of the sales and you get the paid leads! Value - $3388.00. A HUGE collection of resell-rights software you can use and sell! Value - $8,897.00 A Video Training Section that shows you how to drive an insane amount of traffic to your lead generation pages… this alone is worth 10 times the price! Why read “how-to” books when you can watch a video that shows you step-by-step exactly how to get a ton of traffic? It doesn’t get any easier than this! Value - $1597.00. The Complete Fully-Automated Marketing System! Value $9887.00

Well I love Prospect Blazer Marketing System. I also love the fact that after I get ONLY two people to sign up for the system and join my downline my Prospect System becomes completely FREE! This system builds my business,gets me leads, traffic and hopefully lots more cash! Click Here to visit the Prospect Blazer site.

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by Markku Saastamoinen

No talk about home business opportunities is complete without mentioning the internet. Yet the internet is full of ’scams’ where the reverse of what you dream happens. They take away more money than you earn. Any business which you start on your own would be the safest home business opportunity.

Is there anything which you love to do or have special aptitude for? Think of putting these talents to use and make money from home. Provided you have passion for something, you can achieve success in business.

When you start your home business, remember you have to pay the price for success. Your comprehension and abilities need constant development if you wish to taste success. Fortunately the internet can also be used for accessing information and advice on business opportunities. Some home business opportunity ideas which could be rewarding as well as challenging are provided here.

How does the idea of becoming an internet researcher appeal to you? This could be a fabulous home business idea if you are proficient using the search engines and love gathering information from the net. There are many companies which depend on the information from the net. You could be providing this information. The best part about this idea is that companies usually pay good money to get the desired information.

Another good home business opportunity idea is being a CV writer. That is if your writing skills are up to the mark. Strange as it may sound, but few people have the time, desire or the writing skills to generate a good CV. Your initial thought should be to start a part-time enterprise with a low start up cost. You could then build it up.

You could then build it up further. Every job seeker looks for a brilliant CV which could bag the job. You are there to help them out with it. Whether you are looking for information on writing or CV writing in particular, the internet is your leading source.

The answering service is another home business opportunity you could try. There are several small companies who are willing to outsource their answering services. So as they save on time, you could make some good money in return! You know what I mean when you think of a situation when the caller is made to communicate with an automated phone messaging system.

This business is simple to run and the overheads are low. All you need is a dedicated phone line. Warm and friendly customer service would be of paramount importance if you take this road. Whichever way you settle on, do not forget this enormous and free source called the internet. Learn to use the benefits of the internet instead of falling for the scams.

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