Soropa Blog

I have been working for Internet companies since 1994. First at America Online and now in my own marketing and design business. The only online marketing rule I adhere to is that things are constantly changing. That could make marketing difficult. To keep moving forward, I use the following five principles:

1. Ask the right questions

Unless you ask the right marketing questions, you will waste a lot of your valuable time on things that don’t matter. Abraham Lincoln was quoted as saying, “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.” Gather the people you trust to work on business problems and ask them to make a list of the three main problems your customers have identified for you. Then analyze those problems to see what marketing questions you should be asking. Instead of asking how to increase revenue, perhaps you should be asking how to make it easier for your customers to check out using your shopping cart. Continue to drill down and simplify until you have a list of very specific questions and set about to answer those.

2. ‘Think Big; Act Small’

This principle captures what I think is imperative for anyone marketing online today. Jason Jennings’ book ‘Think Big Act Small’ details how companies succeed by maintaining a small business attitude. Embrace the qualities that ’smallness’ provides- quick improvements, employees that are close to the problem and the ability to connect with your customers. I’ve worked with companies that assume their competitors are better because they have deeper pockets. The notion that more marketing dollars ensure success is misguided at best. Look at your product or service and continue to improve it. Online buyers want quality and service. That part never changes.

3. Search for what’s different and strive to understand it

The popularity of online marketing tactics go up and down like the stock market. Pop-ups, podcasts, ezines and blogs are all effective if applied to the right audience at the right time. The key is to continually ask yourself, “what’s different today?” Are customers suddenly responding to something you don’t highlight? Are they bored with your current promotion? Read everything you can about new ideas and cultural trends. You don’t have to try to apply every one of them, but you do need to know what your customer knows. Keying into changes on a weekly basis ensures that you won’t suddenly find yourself with an outdated marketing strategy and no customers.

4. If you’re not the customer, ask her!

Don’t spend your time debating with other staffers about what you ‘think’ your customer wants. Unless you ARE the target customer, you don’t really know. I have listened to endless debates about customer needs based on no actual customer data. Ask your customers. They will be happy to tell you what they think. If you don’t want to hear what they think, you’ve got a different problem.

5. Do what’s difficult

I find that this principle separates the wannabes from the real innovators. If you know what tactics need to be applied to make a difference, but you are too lazy or disinterested to try them then stop reading now. Nothing you do will make a difference until you tackle the hard work necessary to grow. If you need a better designed website, a new database or an easier shopping cart, you need to do that, NOW.

About Digital Media Works
Digital Media Works, Inc. is an Internet marketing and design firm that specializes in solutions for e-commerce companies. A seasoned 25+ year management/marketing professional, founder Stephanie Diamond is experienced in building profits in a broad range of product and services businesses. As Marketing Director at AOL, she created a highly successful line of multimedia software products that sold millions of copies.

When you’re self-employed, choosing a website designer is a crucial decision, as a good website can bring you more business and a bad one can drive away prospective customers. Below are some important things to consider when selecting a website designer for your new site or site redesign.

What Types Of Websites Designers Are Out There?

I don’t think there is an “official” definition, so I’ll give you MY definition:

• A Website Designer helps you to determine the page layout, graphics, text location and colors of your site, as well as the navigation and how pages will cross-link to one another. He may also do the actual computer programming and graphic art work for the site, or may hire out that work to a programming specialist. A Website Designer is the project manager for your site design or redesign.

• A Website Programmer takes the design from the Designer and creates the code to make the site run. She is also responsible for all the technical stuff that happens behind-the-scenes to make sure the site works properly for your visitors.

• A Graphic Designer creates the graphics for the site, including your logo and buttons. A Graphic Designer may also create the overall look and feel of the site.

• An Internet Marketing Specialist helps you to determine how your website fits into your overall marketing strategy, and how to get more traffic and sales from your website.

Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can get all four of these skills from the same person. You may find a designer who can also help you with the text for your website but don’t count on it. Be prepared to write the text yourself, or hire a professional copywriter.

Who Is A Good Designer And How Much Do They Charge?

I don’t recommend specific designers, as much of it depends on whether you want to work locally with someone, or whether you are willing to work remotely with them over the phone. Here are some things to think and ask about when hiring a website designer:

• Talk to some of their current and recent clients, to see how smooth the process was.

• Look at sites they’ve designed to see if you like their style. Is there a certain feel to ALL their sites, or are they flexible in their designs?

• Ask them if they did the actual graphic and layout design of the site, or if they just did the programming.

• Ask them if they have a structured planning process that leads you through the design phase, and if they will document all the discussions that you’ll have together. If they have a Website Planning Guide that you’ll work through together, it’s helpful.

• Ask them what they know about internet marketing and search engine optimization. Be sure that they’re creating a site for you that meets your larger marketing and business goals.

• Ask the designer for their fees (expect to pay between $60 - $200 an hour, depending on their skill and their location), and what is the estimate of cost for the site you want. They may not be able to give you a good estimate until you discuss content and features of the site.

• Ask them how they bill you. Will they invoice you monthly, or when certain milestones are reached? Do you have to make deposits?

• Pay attention to how much they ask you about YOUR BUSINESS. They should want to get to know you and your business intimately. How else can they design a site that reflects you and your business, unless they spend time to get to know you?

• Pay attention to whether they’ll try to stick within your budget, or whether they keep suggesting new add-ons that increase to the cost of your site. Remember, designers aren’t responsible for your budget, you are.

• Ask them whether they will maintain your site after the initial design, and how much they’ll charge for that. Some designers want to create new sites but don’t want to maintain them. Someone like a virtual assistant (VA) may be able to maintain your site for a lower hourly fee, as long as the VA is skilled in website programming. The more bells and whistles and complicated programming in your site, the less likely that an average VA will be able to maintain it for you.

• If you’re going to maintain the site yourself, ask them if they’ll design your site in a software package that’s easy for YOU to use, like FrontPage. Many professional website designers look down their noses at FrontPage or Macromedia Contribute, but guess what? If you want to maintain your site yourself, then you have to use a software package that’s easy for YOU to use, regardless of the website programmer’s preferences. (And don’t let a programmer tell you that they can’t design a good site in FrontPage. There’s a difference between can’t and won’t. I’ve been designing sites since 1997, and have designed over 40 sites in FrontPage that are clean, modern, visually-appealing, and visitor-friendly.)

• Do you LIKE the designer? Do you believe they’ll act ethically? Do you enjoy speaking with them? Do they stay focused to the task at hand, or do they ramble and waste your time? Do you feel you “click” with their personality and values? Do they offer you invaluable insight and advice about your site design?

• Tell each prospective website designer what your deadline is and ask if they can meet it. If you don’t have a specific deadline, brainstorm with the designer to create a good working deadline that you can both meet.

By doing extensive interviewing of potential website designers, you’re more likely to pick one that can do the work you want, is willing to really listen to you, can create a site that reflects you and your business, and keeps within your budget.

Karyn Greenstreet is a Self Employment expert and small
business coach. She shares tips, techniques and strategies
with self-employed people to boost clarity and focus, create
sustainable motivation, and increase sales and profits.
Visit her website at http://www.PassionForBusiness.com

Cary Grant had a marvelous analogy to explain the mechanism of fame in Hollywood.

He likened the whole film industry to a tramway car with only so many seats and standing space.

The tramway car is always full. Some people try to step on board from the front door but that can happen only if some people leave the car from the back door.

The prime locations are the seats in the middle. Then come the standing slots in the middle.

Some actors in Cary Grant’s time had a firm seat in the middle of the “Hollywood Tramway,” like Gary Cooper.

Others, like Cary Grant himself and that other great actor with whom he shared the same initials, Clark Gable, were busy making room for themselves and shouldering their way towards the middle of the moving car.

They were still standing up but they had a firm hold on the leashes dangling from the metal bar overhead.

So their situation was perhaps as not comfortable as the sitting deities like Cooper but it was still stable.

In the fifties Grant would earn a safe seat in middle of the car.

Who are the “standing passengers” in today’s “Hollywood tramway car”?

Tom Cruise, who made the cover of the Premiere magazine lately as the “most powerful actor on earth,” now seems to occupy the same seat once enjoyed by Cooper and Grant.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon are definitely making their way towards those seats in the middle.

And as to those who are leaving the tight little tramway of Hollywood from the back door, that’s not a polite topic to discuss in public, don’t you agree? Such is life.

California real estate prices have jumped so much in recent years that
refinancing mortgages has increased potential savings. With higher
equity ratios, you can cash out part of your equity at favorable rates. But
don’t limit your lender search just to in-state lenders. Look to online
financing companies to give you the best deal on a refi.

Tap Into Increased California Home Values

With California’s hot housing market, home equity has shot up for most
homeowners. Higher equity ratio makes refinancing easier. With a large
equity base, lenders are more likely to offer low rates.

That means you can consolidate your high interest debt, renovate your
home, or finance a college education at a reasonable price. And in most
cases you can use the mortgage interest as a tax deduction.

Don’t Just Look At In-State Lenders

Financing companies based across the nation are competing to get your
refinancing business. Offering lower rates online than in their regular
offices, you can’t afford not to shop online for a lender.

Online lenders will give you free loan quotes that you can compare with
other offers. As long as you don’t give a lender permission to access
your credit report while requesting quotes, it won’t affect your credit
score.

What To Look For In A Mortgage Lender

Great rates are the first thing people look for in a lender, but you
want to be careful about fees. 3% is average for closing fees, so watch
out for anything higher. You can also use the APR to evaluate loans and
find which is truly the lowest costing loan.

A good lender will also give you prompt service. With most lenders you
can ask questions any hour over the phone, email, or instant messenger.
They are also prompt in mailing out information and contracts.

Once you are ready to commit to a lender, the process will take about
two weeks. Most of the application is completed online with only the
most basic information needed. Then the contract is mailed out the next
day. Funds are often dispersed in less than two weeks directly to your
checking account.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of http://www.abcloanguide.com.
Visit her site to find recommended lenders for a California Mortgage Refinance Loan.

View her recommended California mortgage refinancing lenders online. Also, view her recommended 125% home equity loan lenders online.

A “rate tart” is someone who switches from one zero per cent introductory credit card deal to another to avoid paying interest; however they may be set to become something of the past. Recently a number of the major credit card companies, including Egg, Barclays, the Royal Bank of Scotland and MBNA have introduced transfer charges for people who want to shift their outstanding credit card balances to a new card to take advantage of a zero per cent introductory rate.

Rate tarts will wait until the interest free period is about to expire on their current credit card, and then check through lists of providers to find another card they can switch to that has another 0% interest rate introductory period. The growth of financial comparison sites like uSwitch, Moneynet and Moneyfacts has made this money saving behaviour easy to achieve.

The providers have effectively become victims of their own success. As more and more card companies began offering interest-free balance transfers, the card providers found that they had to offer longer and longer interest-free periods to win customers, which in turn meant less profit.

Analysts have recently estimated that rate tarts are currently costing lenders £1 billion a year.

Financial director Stuart Glendenning said, “Charging a fee on balance transfers is one way of recouping some losses, given it is impossible to make money lending at 0 per cent if the customer conducts no further transactions on the card.”

Professor Merlin Stone of Bristol Business School, comments: “Economically, some providers cannot sustain their current offers of zero per cent interest which means they may have to remove them or start introducing new charges to help reduce their losses.”

This is exactly what appears to be happening, Professor Stone stated, “Research shows that in 2003, none of the cards offering zero per cent APR interest on balance transfers applied charges for transferring balances compared to around 11 per cent that do today.”

Perhaps in an effort to justify the reduction in 0% introductory period on credit cards, Patrick Muir, marketing director at Morgan Stanley Consumer Banking, said: “Our research suggests that cardholders are wising up to short-term deals, as the majority of those currently switching or planning to switch are not moving from one short-term offer to another.”

Only eight per cent of people are looking to change their credit card in the coming months, said investment bank Morgan Stanley, however Stuart Glendenning advises, “Whilst not all have gone down the fee route yet, my advice is simple: transfer your balance for free while you still can.”

Richard works in Edinburgh for bigmouthmedia, as well as writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla http://cashzilla.blogspot.com/, and drinking too much coffee.

http://www.bigmouthmedia.com
bigmouthmedia head office:

51 Timberbush

Edinburgh

East Lothian

EH6 6QH

0845 130 0022

Self-esteem is something you earn through confidence and
self-mastery. The reward it earns includes the respect you feel
for yourself as well as the respect we see in how others feel
towards you. This is a critical element in your personal growth
when building a business, a personal relationship and even
events that happen around you. How to see yourself creates a
filter for how you see everything else. By building your
self-esteem, you will see the world as a more abundant place and
that will reflect itself in your business development, the
support from your customers and partners as well as those you
know and love and those you’re destined to meet. Strong
self-esteem can even influence how you handle being stuck in
traffic. Building self-esteem is not a very difficult task, but
it is something that you constantly develop in life. When hard
days come along, it is the strong foundation of your
self-mastery that will help you through. Here are nine tips that
may help you build the proper foundation you need for improved
self-esteem.

1. Choose your peers. Surround yourself with people who are
positive and supportive, and avoid those who are cynical and
negative. This will generate a huge swell of positive feelings
in you. Your self-esteem is a reflection of the company you
keep, so seek out people who inspire you and hold you to the
high standards you hold within yourself. True friends will
always love you for who you are but will also support your
continued growth and development as they seek out those things
for themselves. Choose your peers wisely because they can have
the greatest influence on how you behave and how you feel about
yourself.

2. Be clear about what you want to achieve in life. Set goals,
and take action. The goal itself is what you’re working towards
and is not a todo item. Set yourself up for success by planning
the steps towards your goals. When you take action on a step,
congratulate yourself for moving closer to your goal! Feel the
satisfaction you deserve to get from each step.

3. Be positive about yourself. Remind yourself about your good
qualities, your accomplishments and how you help your family,
friends, others and yourself. That doesn’t mean you should
ignore things you want to change and you shouldn’t make excuses
for such things either. Accept the here and now and decide what
you really want and what you can do about it. Don’t make the
mistake of brooding over what you don’t have. Look at where you
are today and have gratitude for the opportunity to keep going!

4. Accept criticism about yourself. You don’t have to get upset
or defensive. Choose your inward and outward response. This
isn’t always easy, but criticism can be empowering! You have the
choice to accept it and accept yourself as you are today. That
doesn’t mean you don’t desire to change something about
yourself, but be thankful for who you are here and now. Cynical
people often criticize others because it makes them feel better.
This means the criticism may not even be about you so let it
roll and be the master of yourself.

5. Be ready to fail. Sometimes success comes from getting the
mistakes out of the way. After you’ve made one you can decide
what to try next and figure out what really does work. Did you
walk perfectly the very first time or did you give up because
that first step didn’t go exactly as planned? Success is
developed through doing. Sometimes that means a failure. A
mentor of mine often jokes that his success comes from the fact
that he is able to make mistakes more quickly than others. When
you move through your mistakes and simply continue to take
action, you will develop the confidence and self-esteem that
only experience can give you. Failure is an option, so accept it
and use it for your own benefit.

6. Measure yourself only against yourself. Life isn’t a race.
When you use someone else as the yardstick for your own
development, there will always be the perception that someone
else is beating you. Set yourself up for success by focusing on
your own goals and values and take action based on your own
achievements.

7. Never put yourself down. Sometimes things don’t go exactly as
planned. That’s ok. Dust yourself off and keep going. When you
allow mistakes and failures to become more than they really are,
you become controlled by them. Sometimes your life will have
challenges. Accept them and even embrace them because every
other person has them too.

8. Dress for your best. When you imagine yourself at your very
best, what are you wearing? How does that compare to what you’re
wearing now? If you work at home, sure it can be fun to work in
your bathrobe but are you successful in your bathrobe? You don’t
need expensive, fancy clothes. Just dress in a way that empowers
you and helps bring out the success you carry within you.

9. Get out there with new people. Join a speaking group like
Toastmasters. It’s an excellent organization that has helped all
types of people develop their speaking skills and their
self-confidence in front of other individuals and groups. There
are other networking groups that also bring people together who
share your hobbies and will help you to enjoy yourself for the
things you do.

It was long before science became compartmentalized. Professions could freely intermingle and overlap. Wilhelm Olbers was a German physician who enjoyed exploring the night sky with his telescope. His work on comets and asteroids earned him a fairly respectable niche in astronomy, still he continued to be a physician. But something about the night sky kept bothering him. Almost towards the end of this career he brought it in the open. In 1826 he wrote a paper and asked the question - Why is the sky dark at night?

Until then and even through the nineteenth century it was generally believed that the universe was infinite with infinite number of stars. Newton argued in its favor and explained why it should be so. Newton’s eminence and stature notwithstanding Olbers was not convinced. He reasoned that if there were infinite number of stars, the sky would be covered with stars. No matter how far they were the cumulative effect of the star light would ultimately make the sky as bright as the sun. Yet the night sky is dark.

Olbers was the first to address the scientific community with this problem and this is known as Olbers paradox. It turns out though that a Swiss astronomer Cheseaux had made the same observation half a century ago and had mentioned it in his book. Apparently Olbers never read that book and came upon the idea on his own. He tried a couple of explanations but found them unsatisfactory. Finally he assumed that the light from the stars was absorbed by the interstellar gas and rested his case. Later though it turned out that this explanation would not fit either. The interstellar gas will be eventually heated to bright glow and the sky will be again as bright as the sun. So the paradox remained unresolved.

A century after Olbers had put his question Edwin Hubble discovered the expansion of the universe from the observation of redshifts. The answer to the question was: the sky is not dazzling bright because the universe is spending its energy in expanding. The radiation from the galaxies and stars is mostly dumped into the redshift. Whatever remains is so thinned out over the vast distance as to be negligible. The night sky thus remains dark.

Redshift is the term used for the shift of the frequency of light towards the red end of the spectrum due to the source moving away from the observer. This occurs due to a phenomenon known as Doppler Effect. The frequency emitted by a source increases if it is approaching and decreases if it is receding. For example the whistle from an approaching train becomes higher pitched if it is approaching and lower pitched if it is moving away. In the case of visible light the two ends of the spectrum are blue and red. For stars or galaxies approaching the earth the spectral lines will have a blueshift, for those receding they will have redshift. All distant galaxies show redshifts directly depending on their distance, which shows that the universe is expanding.

Dharmbir Rai Sharma is a retired professor with electrical engineering and physics background. He obtained his M.S. degree in physics in India and Ph.D. in electrical engineering at Cornell University. He has taught in universities here and also in Brazil, where he spent sometime. He maintains a website http://www.cosmosebooks.com devoted mainly to philosophy and science.

Alcoholism can be given a lot of definitions and all of them stress the fact that there is a terrible disease that involves addiction to spirits. Apart from the physical dependence on alcohol, there are other psychological, genetic and social factors that may play a role in the development of alcoholism. Many social, economic and public health problems are determined by this very serious disease.

When alcoholism is concerned, symptoms include craving for alcohol, incapacity to have control over the use of alcohol, a greater tolerance to its effects, and withdrawal symptoms during the periods of abstinence. One should as well know that many alcoholics deny having a problem. In many cases intervention is necessary in order to persuade them to start treatment. Treatment in cases of alcoholism usually includes detoxification, counseling and psychotherapy, as well as treatment of associated medical problems, and different programmes for recovery and support.

Alcoholism involves physical and psychological addiction to the alcohol, and it often gets to a chronic, progressive form. There are situations in which it can become fatal, when alcohol consumption begins to interfere with your health, your social life or your occupational functioning. Alcoholics often continue to consume alcohol in huge quantities despite the multiple negative consequences of the disease. Nowadays, alcoholism is the most serious form of alcohol abuse. Alcoholism can be also defined in terms like “having a problem with drinking”. If one has a problem with drinking, that can result in health or social problems (drunk driving, for instance), but that doesn’t make one yet dependent on alcohol and it doesn’t mean one has fully lost control over using spirits - as in the case of alcoholism.

Dominic is the writer of this article. This article may be reproduced on websites subject to credit being given to the author, and a link to his website. If you would like more information go to http://www.alcoholismrelief.com

If you’ve ever embarked on a shopping expedition on the
Internet, you know it’s easy to get lost in a sea of look-alike
products and copycat offers. The Internet offers everything you
could ever want. In fact, it offers about 50 different versions
of everything you want. The problem is, not you or anyone else
on the planet has time to sort through all the offers for the
best one. That is the beauty of ClickBank storefront websites.
ClickBank offers over 11,400 of the Internets best, most
in-demand electronically deliverable products. But don’t be
overwhelmed by the sheer number of products and opportunities
ClickBank offers. Everything is appropriately categorized,
making it easy to find the products and opportunities you want.
But not all ClickBank storefronts are created equal. These
storefronts are run by affiliates, and most of their parent
companies only allow them to sell about 20% of the products and
services Clickbank offers. If you want to find the most
extensive selection of products, visit a site like
http://www.1stpromotion.com/pro?webmaster=sampo . 1st Promotion
is the only ClickBank Storefront to offer the full line of
ClickBank Affiliate Marketplace products, so if you want access
to the best selection, that is the place to visit. With the
vastness of the Internet expanding every minute of every day,
1st Promotion strives to continuously make shopping at their
ClickBank Storefronts as enjoyable as possible. Their
marketplace includes an extensive selection of shopping
categories, such as Business-to-Business, Computer and Internet,
Fun and Entertainment, Health and Fitness, Home and Family,
Marketing and Advertising, Money and Employment, Society and
Culture, and Sports and Recreation. Also, if you are interested
in owning your own Internet business, becoming a 1st Promotion
affiliate offers top commissions on over 11,400 ClickBank
products, and more benefits than all the other ClickBank
Storefronts combined. 1stPromotion has also just announced the
industry’s first search box plug-in which duplicates the
abilities of the search box located on the Pro Storefront, and
allows webmasters to very simply integrate this capability right
into their other existing web sites. This unleashes virtually
undiscovered streams of revenue for many of 1stPromotion’s
members. Either way, next time you decide to do a little
Internet shopping, use a 1st Promotion ClickBank site and you’ll
find exactly what you’re looking for in no time. Want to own
your own ClickBank Storefront and earn commissions of over
11,400 of the Internet’s most in-demand products? Find out how!
Visit http://www.1stpromotion.com/pro?webmaster=sampo

Where does our motivation come from? What makes us want to strive for more?

It comes from our PASSION, and with out it what are we left with? We are left with our lives in a seemingly endless spin of unhappiness. When we no longer have passion in our lives we no longer want to strive to make our lives thrive.

This I understand clearly after 15 years.

In the early 1990s it took me five years to muster 34 credits at my local community college. I didn’t have the passion for formal schooling at the time. Yes, five years, but it wasn’t until my grandfather insisted that I transfer to a university that I started to completely understand how I felt about school and what my passion was for school. At that time, it took me four years to finish my undergraduate degree. I worked full time; I went to school fulltime taking full advantage of the university’s online programs and was even able to be inducted into the honor society while raising my first daughter. PASSION.

After I graduated, I decided to continue and within three years I was able to obtain my first master degree and year later I had my second master degree, while now raising two daughters. PASSION.

Because of this passion, I’ve been very successful in school and furthering my career, but now I find my life changing because my passions are different. My formal schooling is complete and now it’s time for me to redirect my passions.

I am going back to creative writing. Difficult for me because I’ve been doing technical and research writing for so long now, however it’s my true passion.

At this moment in time, if you are not happy in whatever it is you are doing, it’s not your true passion. Sometimes we get sucked into the myth that making more money, having a big expensive house, or driving the best luxury cars is our life’s passion. It isn’t. These things and objects make us comfortable, but do they really fill the voided holes we have in our lives? These things are fruits of our passionate labors, but they are not the passion itself. If you feel like you’re in rut or you’re not happy with your current situation. Change it and find your passion. Working towards your passion will make your life so much happier.

Find your passion and make it happen.

Michelle R. Sweeny is the owner and founder of S&S Management Consulting. Ms. Sweeny is a Training Officer at an executive branch agency within the Federal government. She recently completed her dual graduate degree program at the University of Maryland University College. She has a Master of Science in Management (specializing in Human Resources Management) and a M.B.A.

Creatively, she goes by the name of ZETAZEN and has successfully managed and owned an internet radio station and message board.