Year in review: 2008

As 2008 winds down, we'd like to follow tradition and close out the year with a look back at a few of the biggest happenings in AdSense.

In 2008, we introduced new features like AdSense for feeds and an improved version of AdSense for search to help you generate additional forms of revenue. We brought Google Ad Manager out of beta to help publishers with smaller direct sales teams more efficiently sell, schedule, and deliver their ad inventory. At the same time, we worked towards providing more information within AdSense accounts. In April, we enabled the Ad Review Center in all accounts to help you review ads placement-targeted to your sites. And in response to requests for more insight into your reports, we launched link unit reporting and began inviting publishers to link their AdSense accounts with Analytics.

Internationally, we launched AdSense for content in Thai and also expanded Western Union payments to a number of new countries such as Egypt, Taiwan, and Panama. To help more publishers find answers to their questions, we launched AdSense Help Forums in Hebrew, Czech, and Slovak.

On the English Help Forum, we celebrated our 50,000th member and then unveiled a new platform with additional capabilities. Now, forum participants can vote on the best answer to their questions, subscribe to individual discussions, and receive replies to their threads via email.

In news closest to home here on the blog, the Inside AdSense family continued to grow with the launch of blogs in Russian and Traditional Chinese. With your support, our 13 global AdSense blogs received 3.8 million pageviews from 2.4 million visits this year. Through our blogs, we brought you a Newbie Fridays series, 'Optimisation Essentials' videos from our Australian team, and began distributing AdSense stickers. Check out the sticker requests, postcards, and notes we received in the photo on the right :)

Last but not least, the 2008 Reader's Choice Award for this year's most visited post goes to our April Fool's joke, 'Introducing AdSense for conversations'. Co-author Julie Beckmann had this to say: "A lot of hard work went into omega testing the product for this post. While I found the hat fit snugly, I was disappointed to learn the effect my Orange County upbringing had on my chats -- 17 'like's' sprinkled into a two-minute conversation? My chats aren't fit to be placement-targeted."

Thanks for helping to contribute to an eventful 2008 -- we're looking forward to an even more exciting 2009. Happy New Year!

Posted by Arlene Lee - AdSense Publisher Support

How To Advertise for Free-People Rave About This Cool Tip!

Many small business owners are looking to market their product or service online. They desire to know how to advertise for free or very low cost. Using this small business marketing strategy as outlined in this video, a small business can land on the first page of Google for free in 48 hours or less.

This course is offered by my friend and mentor, Lasse Rouhianen, someone I have a lot of respect for. He is the real deal so I encourage you to take a look.

Here is the video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVHXwL2A88Y


To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885 Anytime
Skype: Monique371
Be A Mentor With A Servant's Heart


If you need help generating leads for your business, feel free to contact me.

Everybody knows you have to use the secret language when talking to prospects. It's all explained beginning on page 46 of this free ebook:
http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=90911

Looking for powerful tips, ideas, and secrets about achieving success, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusiness/

When Selecting a Qualified MSP, Assume Nothing

Hiring a managed services provider shouldn't be a leap-of-faith decision-making process. Perhaps you have staff that could fulfill their responsibilities, but instead you entrust a key component of your IT infrastructure to another company.

You believe they can do the job better and more efficiently. However, is that belief proven to be justified?

This begs another question: who licenses or certifies a managed service provider?

The topic came onto our radar thanks to a handful of companies claiming SAS 70 certification. The SAS 70 standard was developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to govern service organizations. (SAS stands for statement of auditing standards; see the AICPA page relating to auditing standards for more information.)

Certification's Real Meaning
You may assume that a managed service provider claiming SAS 70 certification has submitted itself to rigorous tests relating to its internal processes. However, according to Judith Sherinsky, technical manager of audit and attest standards at the AICPA: "There is no such thing as SAS 70 certification."

Sherinsky says that undergoing a SAS 70 audit only results in what she calls a "restricted use report," one intended to help auditors at the customer determine the reliability of transaction processing at the managed service provider.

For such a report to be useful to a customer, it must have meaningful context. "If the service provider organization provides several services, the report is useless if it doesn't cover the services the customer is interested in," she says.

Let's be clear: any MSP willing to undergo an audit is good for the industry, and helpful for the buyer. I'm merely highlighting the need for due diligence.

We'll return to this topic, both to keep you updated on what we learn about other standards and certifications (for instance, the ISO/IEC 20000 standard for service providers, and the MSPAlliance Accreditation program).

Attestation vs. Certification
In fact, Sherinsky suggests that customers of managed service providers check out the AICPA's attestation standards. These encompass a review of engagements that are the responsibility of "another party," that is, a service provider. An attestation report covers the processes between two parties, while an SAS 70 report covers processes internal to a service provider.

When your service provider claims certification under certain standards, don't take them at face value. Ask them exactly what it means, and how it's relevant to your relationship.

Any "seal of approval" is only of value in the procurement process when you have a sense of how stringent the benchmark requirements are, and whether they apply to your specific needs.

Network Marketing Prospecting-4 Steps On How To Increase Page views Of Your MLM Web Site

If you are a netwoker who uses the internet as a network marketing prospecting tool, having a website is crucial. It is the way you can get your mlm product or service benefits to potential prospects.

One of the ways to determine success of your mlm website is how many page views you get each day. Page views come from unique visitors who come across your site based on keywords. Page views are the result of traffic. Traffic is the bloodline of any site, whether it be a mlm or not.To increase the page view or traffic of your site, just follow these 4 simple steps:

1. Provide quality, pertinent, and unique content to your site.

This is the rule that all savvy marketers follow-to offer solutions to problems that people are seeking. People use the internet to find information on all kinds of things. They surf the world wide web because they are looking for something. And if that information comes from your site, they are more than willing to check it out what you have to offer. Always make sure what you offer is valuable information about your mlm products or services that provide solutions to problems. For years now, it has been said that content is king. And if your site is a good source of reliable data, then people will just keep on pouring in. Your page views will dramatically increase with the content you have.

2. Keep content short and simple.

People don't want to read too much or too little on your website. They also don't want to be presented with hype and a lot of sales pitches. Just provide the necessary information to them fast and easy. Over the internet, people have short attention spans. Don't expect them to read a very long article containing thousands of words. People are more likely to scan the article but they definitely won't read it all word for word. Another tip is not to have lots of flashing lights and all sorts of bells and whistles. This will drive many people away, especially if as a result, your site takes a long time to load.

In addition, to capture their attention initially, make sure you use a attention grabbing headline. There are plenty of low cost software you can buy that will help you create outstanding headlines. You will be amazed at the steady flow of network marketing prospects you can generate when you have fantastic headlines.


3. Use proper highlighting and formatting.

The way your website or your content is presented to your audience is very important. Increase the page view of your site by highlighting all the important words, sentences, or ideas you would like to impart. Highlights and formats don't fail to catch a person's attention. So if your site is well presented, your visitors won't walk away disappointed. In fact, they'll so happy about your site they are willing to comment on your posts, subscribe to it, or even refer your site to other friends who may be interested.



To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885 Anytime
Skype: Monique371
Be A Mentor With A Servant's Heart


If you need help generating leads for your business, feel free to contact me.

Everybody knows you have to use the secret language when talking to prospects. It's all explained beginning on page 46 of this free ebook:
http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=90911

Looking for powerful tips, ideas, and secrets about achieving success, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusiness/

I Hate Snow

Hey gang. It has been snowing forever up here in Kelowna and everything is buried under 3 feet of snow. I pretty much can't drive anywhere (except down to the mailbox to see if anybody loves me) because where I live unless the snow plows come by I'll never get out of my neighborhood even though I have semi good tires on my Mazda.

Well when I say semi good I mean they're all seasons but at least new. Yet when it snows like this I'm a little hooped. I can't go very far.

All I can do is hang around the house and wait for things to happen and gawk out my front window.

But hey I can watch some of my neighbors whip around the neighborhood in their big SUV's,Trucks and Hummers with their big snow tires. Burning donuts and grinning. I hate that.

And I can also watch people walking their dogs with big leashes( so they can poop on my lawn) and looking happy about it. I don't know what so fun about winter and dog walking. I hate this ritual too.

And shoveling my driveway. I must of done it 15 times in the last week. I need a bigger shovel and a new pair of gloves. For sure I have come to hate that.

And I'm pretty sure deer hate snow. There are quite a few roaming around my area. I saw one at six in the morning yesterday looking for something to eat. But everything is under 3 feet of snow. He went away hungry with a "this is pointless" look on his face.

And I'm pretty sure the police, ambulance attendants, and tow truck companies also hate snow. I've seen too many ugly accidents lately. Nothing funny about this.


And I'm starting to hate Christmas music. Especially Shania Twain and Celine Dion. They're both Canadian and so am I. So I can hate them if I want to. Shut up already both of you.

No I can't really think of anyone that likes snow. Except maybe skiers, snow board freaks, snow mobilers and ice fisherman,. And you guessed it. I hate them all too.

But maybe I'm getting a little stir crazy. Maybe I'm the grinch and this is "whoville" Maybe I should settle down and just be thankful for a house, food, hot coffee, Christmas lights,
my computer, my guitar, my beautiful wife, my kids and my health.


But on second thought why does it have to SNOW so much. I hate snow!

Free Network Marketing Information-Blog Promotion Tips

Everyone knows that blogging can be a great way to brand yourself as well as promote your mlm's products or services,

Today's free network marketing information tip will cover how to put an RSS button on your blog. This is something I have done with mine and helps people to be able to follow you much easier.

A web log, or commonly known as blog, used to be just an online journal where most teenagers and voyeurs take note of their daily misfits and whatnots. Now, it has become one powerful marketing device that is taking online marketing to new levels. Thanks to its easy-to-use and update-able interface, it has become the favorite of many.

If you'd like to keep your blog a secret, it's your call and adding an RSS feed button or link to it is not necessary. But if you are one of the many marketers who are dying to promote their blogs, then an RSS feed button will suit your blog very well.

By the way, what is an RSS, you might ask? RSS usually stands for "really simple syndication" but it could also stand for "rich site summary" or just about any other thing that geeks can think of.

But the very essence of RSS is to provide busy readers a method to grab info from a blog or a website in an XML or Atom form. With RSS feeds, readers can passively know if a website or blog, whose feed they grabbed, has just been updated or not. When new info pops up from their RSS feed reader or aggregator, the application that aggregates and allows people to read the RSS feeds which convey the updated info from a blog or website, that signals that a blog has just been posted with fresh content.

How do you put an RSS button or just about any form of RSS feed that readers can capture just in case they want to read more from your blog without having to visit your blog any time they wish to?

Go pay a visit to RSS feed sites such as Feed Burner or Feed Blitz and see the instructions on how to get your blog's feed burned and presented in an easy to subscribe to form.

Usually, the steps include typing in your blog's URL on a certain feed burning box. Then, you will be prompted to choose what URL you would like to use when presenting your RSS feed. After a few seconds, the Feed site that provided your blog with an RSS feed form will confirm that you can give out that chosen URL as your blog's RSS feed URL.

To facilitate your blog's RSS feed presentation to readers, all you have to do is tweak your blog's template or theme and include the codes that the RSS feed site provided for your blog's RSS URL. Feed Burner has this orange chicklet form of feed link. Others have colored (usually orange) rectangular buttons with XML or RSS on them.


To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885 Anytime
Skype: Monique371
Be A Mentor With A Servant's Heart


If you need help generating leads for your business, feel free to contact me.

Everybody knows you have to use the secret language when talking to prospects. It's all explained beginning on page 46 of this free ebook:
http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=90911

Looking for powerful tips, ideas, and secrets about achieving success, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusiness/

Progressive Business Technology Adoption Trends

Business leaders are still upbeat about the benefits of technology adoption. It's key to their market penetration, central to competitive differentiation, and vital to their supply chain and distribution strategies.

However, according to Forrester Research, they are less than satisfied with their own IT organization's contributions. In fact, reducing the cost of operations is believed to be one of the few attributes where expectations are aligned.

Members of the Forrester Leadership Boards (FLB) CIO Group recently discussed this challenge. Forrester presented results from their business technology survey of 600 executive leaders.

The study uncovered the following significant gaps:

IT teams rarely are aligned around key business priorities. When asked to rank business drivers by their importance to the firm's technology strategies, business executives identified customers, productivity, and costs as the most important themes.

But, when asked to rate their IT organization effectiveness, there was a wide gap between critical business drivers and the perception of IT's focus -- even in the key areas of cost reduction and workforce productivity.

Business executives consider several sourcing alternatives to fulfill the IT requirements of their enterprise. When asked to rate sources of technology solutions, leaders continue to rank their IT organization as a primary source.

However, they also referred to a wide range of other viable sources -- from their own staff, consulting firms, as well as out-tasked subscription-based managed service offerings.

Proven Strategies for Success
CIO Group members noted that these survey results accurately reflect the overall situation for IT organizations today -- an unfortunate scenario where many CIOs typically spend considerable effort.

These CIO Group members have adopted best practices for IT-business alignment ahead of the general population. Almost all have dedicated relationship managers, as opposed to only 37 percent of surveyed IT organization. All have a PMO dedicated to IT governance, whereas only 47 percent of the typical firms do.

Proven strategies to integrate business and IT include: formalizing IT's role in the overall planning process; formalize, embed, and expand the role of relationship managers; embed IT skills within business organizations; create centers of excellence for business change skills; and, separate business enablement functions from IT delivery and operations.

End of the Do-it-Yourself Era
Forrester concludes, the era where IT said "we can do it all for you" is no longer viable. Business executives see IT inflexibility as a detriment to their agility. They're aware that internal IT is but one of many options.

Therefore, CIOs who insist that their role is the "sole source for technology solutions" will be marginalized. The savvy IT managers have embraced a coexistence scenario, where selective out-tasking is a welcomed addition to their solution portfolio.

Free Network Marketing Information-Duplication Can Cost!

If you have been a networker for awhile, I am sure you have heard about the importance of "duplication".

Yes, duplication has it's part, but there still is something that is needed that goes a step beyond this.

So, your free network marketing information tip today will be about discovering what this next step is.

Let's let mlm expert Richard Dennis fill usin.

MLM - Duplication Can Cost You a Lot of Money
By Richard Dennis

I'll bet that the first time you ever heard of MLM, the word "duplication" wasn't far behind.

It's long been accepted as gospel that for big success in MLM, you must have duplication. But the fact is, mindless duplication can cost you a lot of money.

Back in 1989, I was reading the business opportunity ads in the weekend edition of USA Today. I circled a few ads and called one in particular. I got a voice mail message and left my contact information. The message offered me a free audiotape. The ad wasn't specific. I didn't know what it was about until I got the tape in the mail.

So I listened to the tape. It was by a fellow by the name of Dayle Maloney. You may well know Dayle, an old-time MLMer, very successful.

I Wanted Nothing To Do With MLM

I had been there and done that and had been killed a number of times in MLM. So I wanted nothing to do with it back in the late 80's. But I listened to Dayle's tape and he had some interesting ideas. One thing in particular he said just stuck with me. What Dayle said was that if you are ever going to make it big in THIS business, if you are ever going to be a player in network marketing, you've got to do your own audiotape. You HAVE to do your own audiotape. There's no argument - you just have to.

And that thought stuck with me. So a few years later, I was in a position where I had found an MLM product that I thought was outstanding. I figured if there was ever any product I could sell, it would be that one. I very definitely remembered what Dayle said. So I wrote a script and then rented studio time and recorded a 90-minute audiotape. And I had good success with it.

Over the next few years, I did 6 or 8 different audiotapes. And every one of them built a business for me. Most of them were scripted. Some of them, I recorded with other people. The technology is obviously different today. I am not telling you that you have to do an audiotape today, because you don't.

But To Have Major Network Marketing Success, You Need To Brand Yourself

That first audiotape set me apart from others in the business. There were quite a few MLM audiotapes at that time, but even so, anyone who actually did one, who took the time and learned enough to do it ... it branded them, set them apart, differentiated them.

And as I built my business, that tape gave my people an exclusive tool to use that nobody else had. (THAT is where the duplication comes in!) And it made it easier for me to recruit to build the business, because I have this tool that nobody else had. In MLM, you are always talking about how important duplication is. And it definitely is important. You've got to have a system that duplicates that other people can use.

But if you are ever going to be the big leader who has the huge success, who makes the really big money, you also have to differentiate yourself. You have to brand yourself somehow. Figure out a unique message and a unique way to deliver it ... video, podcast, email, conference call ... figure out something that makes you different. You have to decide how you are going to do that. You have to both duplicate and differentiate ... and then network marketing becomes a REALLY interesting and fun game.

If you are a blogger or writer or are willing to learn, then at http://RootsOfTrust.com, Richard Dennis will show you how to build a good residual income.

To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885 Anytime
Skype: Monique371
Be A Mentor With A Servant's Heart


If you need help generating leads for your business, feel free to contact me.

Everybody knows you have to use the secret language when talking to prospects. It's all explained beginning on page 46 of this free ebook:
http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=90911

Looking for powerful tips, ideas, and secrets about achieving success, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusiness/

ADVERTISE for LESS

8 inexpensive but effective ways to promote your business

There are a number of ways an entrepreneur can make his business known without shelling out so much cash.

1. EMPLOY WORD-OF-MOUTH MARKETING
A recommendation from a friend is the most trusted source of information when making a purchase decision. So generate positive conversations about your product by taking advantage of social net sites like friendster and facebook, or blogging and twittering.

2. INVEST IN A WEBSITE
A website is a big plus since aside from publishing prices and information, viewers also get to see what the products look like without having to venture all the way to your store. Include your website address in the flyers that you give.

3. GIVE OUT FREEBIES
Example is you include in your flyers a free taste that the customers can claim to your store, that is for food business.

4. USE COMPANY TOOLS
If you use a car or van for your business, you can use this as your very own moving billboard - for free!. Other things you can place your brand on: packaging materials and even uniforms.

5. JOIN BAZAARS AND TRADE FAIRS
You may shell out a bit more cash for this, but it allows you to display your products and enables clients to place orders on tye spot. Provide a guest book so that you can get in touch with your prospect clients even if the exhibit is over. If the booth rentals too costly for you find another entrepreneur to share booth space with.

6. SEND OUT FLYERS

7. GET MEDIA EXPOSURE
Simply send samples of your products or invite the media to try out your services for free; if they like the experience, they will be more than happy to put in a good word for you when the opportuniy comes up.

8. SPONSOR TV SHOWS
You don't have to take out an ad to appear in a tv show; some are actually open to ex-deals. You can simply provide food for the staff and crew of the show (i.e.Umagang Kay Ganda, Sis, Unang Hirit, 24 Oras, TV Patrol, etc) in exchange, either your company name will be mentioned or your logo will be flashed on air. It's very effective. GMA 7 at (632) 982 - 7777 and ABS-CBN at (632) 924 - 4101.

Four Places to Find Managed Service Providers

We spend considerable time educating businesses about the value of managed service providers (MSPs). Now it's time to tackle the next logical question: Assuming you're ready to outsource some or all of your IT infrastructure, where can you find a qualified, reliable MSP?

The search for an MSP that fits your business is a bit like finding a doctor: There are thousands of qualified people ready to help you, but ultimately your choice may come down to personality and bedside manner.

In some cases, MSPs may serve as a virtual extension -- or complete replacement -- for your IT department. With that reality in mind, your service providers will need to have corporate cultures that blend well with your own business culture and working style.

Treat your search for an MSP similar to an employee search. Interview the candidates carefully, ask about past successes and failures, and ask for plenty of references that you can contact directly.

Step One: Finding MSP Candidates

I still need to answer the most basic question of all. Where can a small, midsize or large enterprise find qualified MSPs to manage some or all of their IT systems? Here are four potential starting points:

1. Your Existing IT Partners: Chances are, your current IT consulting firms, solutions providers and integrators have launched -- or will soon launch -- managed services practices.

If you already depend on external firms for IT project work, ask those firms if they offer hosted applications, remote monitoring and IT management, and other ongoing, fee-based monthly services.

2. The MSPAlliance: This association has roughly 7,000 member MSPs from across the globe. I'm not suggesting that all of the MSPs are top-notch, but a growing number of them have earned so-called MSPAlliance Accreditation, which means the association has inspected their data centers, network operation centers and business processes. Check in directly with the MSPAlliance to see if they have any member organizations in your areas that offer the IT services you need.

3. MSP Partners: This vendor-driven organization -- originally launched by Cisco Systems, Ingram Micro, Intel, Level Platforms and Microsoft -- educates MSPs across North America. Chances are, they can direct you to qualified MSPs in your region. You'll find MSP Partners contact information here.

4. The MSPmentor 100: The annual MSPmentor 100 list identifies the world's top managed service providers. The research is based on a global MSPmentor reader survey, and it ranks MSPs according to more than a dozen metrics (including annual revenue growth and number of devices remotely managed).

Disclosure: I'm MSPmentor's founding editor, and even top-ranked MSPs can stumble in a bad economy. But if you check the MSPmentor 100 list, you can search for MSPs in your area.

Let me know how your search for an MSP goes and best wishes for a successful 2009.

Free Network Marketing Information: "Cheap" coupon prospecting idea

All of us as networkers are always looking for inexpensive ways to attract more prospects to our products or services.

Our free network marketing information tip today hails from Tom Schretier. He talks about how to turn your business card into a coupon.

Ready for more info? If so, read on!

"Cheap" coupon prospecting - cool idea.

Turn your business card into a coupon. Instead of
printing a paper coupon, make your entire business card
a coupon.

Instead of having your company logo, address and other
boring data on your business card, do this: Make a
strong offer for your product or opportunity.

For example, your business card could say:

* $5 off SuperVitamins.
* First-time customers only.
* Free admission to business seminar.
* Present this ticket at the door.
* Free audio report:
* How to get an extra paycheck every week.

Business cards are cheap, cheaper than printing cheap-
looking paper coupons.

So when your next prospect asks you for a business
card, give them your business card coupon with an offer
they can't refuse.


Tom 'Big Al' Schreiter
Fortune Network Publishing
Phone +1 (281) 280-9800
http://www.fortunenow.com
PO Box 890084, Houston, TX 77289, USA

This is a cool idea! I am loving it. Why don't you try it today?

To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885 Anytime
Skype: Monique371
Be A Mentor With A Servant's Heart


If you need help generating leads for your business, feel free to contact me.

Everybody knows you have to use the secret language when talking to prospects. It's all explained beginning on page 46 of this free ebook:
http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=90911

Looking for powerful tips, ideas, and secrets about achieving success, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusiness/

Business Social Networks. What to do and what not to do

Business social networks are the latest rage that everybody is getting on board with. There is a right and a wrong way to use these sites and I want to touch on a few issues.

What these sites are not is a place for you to blast your ad daily to other contacts there. It doesn't seem to matter how many times this gets said there are still people that seem to want to send you canned business spam messages non stop. They even post to the forum discussion area of the site as though their business is some sort of a discussion. Stupid to the max!

Don't misunderstand me. Everyone is there to promote their business opportunity and we all know it. The fact of the matter is nobody signs up with somebody they don't even know. You should be there to actually get to know people and people should get to know you. If I were to go into business with you what could I expect from you along the lines of friendship and expertise.

It is actually exactly the same as the real world. I am much more likely to buy a product or service from someone I know and trust as opposed to salesman who jumps on me when I walk in the door.

The way to think of these sites is like a big party. You wouldn't walk up to people and say "Hey want to join my business" without even introducing yourself. You'd be the biggest jerk at the party.

All of the preceding chat may be a bit redundant so here is what I feel should be done to be successful.

#1) Daily invite others

New people are joining rapid fire and this is your chance to make a first impression. Just saying welcome and inviting them to be your friend is all that is necessary. Try to do at least 5 people a day. Read about them first. There may be some people you don't want or need to connect with.

#2) Comment on others blog posts

Showing genuine interest in other people's blogs is the key. Once again there seems to be people that want to blast their ad here. Stupid to the max again. Just be real and don't even comment if you don't really care about what they are saying. Although I think you should leave a hyperlink to your business somewhere in the comment. Truthfully I have learned a lot about marketing just by reading other established internet entrepreneurs thoughts.

#3) Ask questions about others

Go to their page and ask genuine questions about their business or family. Once again we are building relationships.

#4) Add videos to your page

Make your page as educational and interesting as possible. There are lots of people on Youtube that have a wealth of wisdom you can tap into. Download their video and put it on your site.

#5) Participate in groups and discussions

Set yourself a goal like I will post 5 intelligent comments to discussions today. Be consistent and once again hyperlink your business in your posts.

Success in home business is a matter of getting your presence about you and your brand out there on the web. What kind of reputation do you want? Remember bad reputations travel twice as fast as good ones.

Spreading love, peace and warmth on christmas

Ho ho ho! did Santa leave gifts for you by the time you awoke? well Santa left gifts for my kids.. some toys and many many sweets :)

Well today is Christmas and am so happy and excited, the feeling and the spirit of Christmas has almost sunk in with wishes from friends and family, it feels great to loved so special on this day. The message of Christmas itself brings in so much love, warmth and peace to the world. It spreads even much before Christmas actually begins :)

What is Christmas without love and happiness on this day? its most important to spread the message which i already written about last year, and can be viewed on the festivals category. So if you have any enemies, just hug them and wish them.. they will remember the gesture for a lifetime. The bad things you do wont count much, but the good will count and be cherished, and what other day could be as special as Christmas. It is a glorious day of our Savior's birth and we should follow the message be brought with him, to us :)

May the timeless message of Christmas fill your hearts and homes with joy today and throughout the coming year. Wish you all a wonderful, and joyous Christmas :)

Warm wishes

From all of us here in Mountain View, have a safe and happy holiday season!


(Members of the AdSense, DoubleClick, and Google Ad Manager teams pictured above.)

Posted by Arlene Lee - AdSense Publisher Support

Free Networking Marketing Information-Setting Goals is Fun, But. . . . . .

Well, it's that time of year. All of us know we are supposed to set new goals for the new year! But, for some reason, the goals we set never seem to be obtained.

As it turns out, there is a reason this!

If you want to learn how to set goals, obtain them, and become more successful in 2009, you will not want to miss this free network marketing information call with Tom, Big Al, Schreiter.

Here is the information from Big Al himself:

Setting goals is fun, but usually fruitless.

Want to make 2009 different?

I am going to share with you two totally
different ways of setting goals on a special
coaching call.

You have been told that your subconscious
mind will assist you in setting goals..But
maybe you ought to question that.

Because you will find out how the sub-
conscious mind actually fights against you
setting goals ... and it usually wins :)

We are going to learn a little weird trick
that can change you life, and get your sub-
conscious mind on your side.

And it's viral too.

Start 2009 off right. Join me for a Fortune
Now members only conference call where
I will teach you this weird trick.

Setting goals will never be the same again.

===========================
December 29, 2008
9 PM CST/10 PM EST

The call in number is:
(712) 432-0575 Access Code: 416585#
===========================

Happy Holidays! I hope to hear you on the call.

Tom "Big Al" Schreiter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885 Anytime
Skype: Monique371
Be A Mentor With A Servant's Heart


If you need help generating leads for your business, feel free to contact me.

Everybody knows you have to use the secret language when talking to prospects. It's all explained beginning on page 46 of this free ebook:
http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=90911

Looking for powerful tips, ideas, and secrets about achieving success, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusiness/

MEDIA FIRMS INCREASINGLY CHARGED WITH COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONS

First it was record companies suing Napster and peer-to-peer file sharers, and then it was media companies such as Viacom, Universal Music Group, and Agence France Presse suiting Google, YouTube, and Facebook for distributing content whose rights they owned. Now GateHouse Media has filed suit against another newspaper firm, the New York Times Co., for publishing content from its websites and papers on Boston.com.

That media companies are suing each other is a sure sign of the maturation of online distribution and that money is starting to flow—albeit slowly and at levels far below that of traditional media, which still account for more than two-thirds of all consumer and advertiser expenditures

But the lawsuits really point out the weakness of revenue distribution for use of intellectual property online. In publishing, well-developed systems for trading rights and collecting payments exist. In radio, systems for tracking songs played and ensuring artists, composers, arrangers, and music publishers are compensated are in place and working well. The trading of rights for television broadcasts and mechanisms for payments to owners of the IPRs are well established.

However, effective systems are absent in online distribution and the industry needs to move rapidly to establish them. If the industry can not create such a system on their own, more money will go to lawyers and the rules and systems for online payments will ultimately be imposed by courts or legislators who tire of the governmental costs for solving disputes and enforcing the rights.

Organizations representing print and audio-visual media need to sit down with their major counterparts in online distribution to create a reasonable mechanism by which rights are traded and revenues shared, otherwise they risk imposition of a government imposed compulsory license scheme that will be less desirable to the industry.

Companies that continually argue there should be less government regulation of media operations can’t increasingly go to government to solve their disputes without expecting it to produce more regulation.

Traffic to Your Website. Are You the Tortoise Or the Hare?

We all know the old fable of the tortoise and the hare. I have come to realize that the tortoise is what you want to be when trying to get traffic to your website.

The hare approach takes you down a path of believing that one can be made rich overnight. Buy this tool and your troubles are over. Follow this method and then traffic will suddenly appear. It never happens and you just run around in circles wasting money.

Well like it or not the internet and running an online business are still subject to the laws of the universe that all of us live in. Hard work and perseverance will work here just like anywhere else offline you may be working. People will take notice of you if walk down the right paths on the internet.

The following is a list of things that the tortoise would do everyday to promote his business.

#1)Make a least 5 contacts everyday. There are lots of lead sources out there for FREE. These can be found on sites like face book, my space etc. They don't even have to be business contacts at first. Making friends is wise and the more contacts you have the better. Even if they have no interest in your affiliate program or starting a home business. They may have friends that they will steer to you down the road if they like you.

#2)Join a social business network. These sites are the new rage and your target market is going to be there. You don't have to join a lot of them. Just one or two good ones. The important thing to remember is not to bash people over the head with your business. Treat it like you are at a party. Build friendships by genuinely taking an interest in other people's businesses and lives. Posting blogs, adding comments,adding friends,posting videos of others,creating your own video, and participating in discussions is the tortoise approach and it will work over time.

#3)If you don't have a blog website get one and post to it daily. It can even be like a public daily diary if you want. Search engines will pick up on your blogging. Remember you are building a brand and your blog is where people will find out about you. Lots of pictures of yourself and your family are good here so learn how to use the blog layout in the back office. You can put your affiliate link somewhere on the page thus promoting your business. Start a blog network and add other peoples blogs you like. This will draw traffic from other blogs to you as well. Link a few other sites with traffic to your blog but not too many. Otherwise it can look too busy and cluttered and turn people off.

#4)If you can, learn to write articles and submit them to free article sites. It is really not that hard and everyone has a field they feel expert in. There are lots of categories for you to write in and at the end of every article is your signature box where you can steer people back to your blog where your affiliate links lurk. If your articles are good they will get picked up by other websites and it will have a viral effect and your link will be found on lots of pages. Write them all the time and get your name out there.

#5)Consider joining Twitter. This is the latest rage where people with similar interests share short little comments like "I'm at the airport" or "my car won't start". Your chat can only be 140 characters and Twitter counts it down for you when you post. The amazing thing is you are forming friendships which eventually turns into business for you. It may seem pointless when you first look into it but like I said it is the latest rage.

So there you have the things I know will work over time for your home business. There are tons of good affiliate programs and home businesses out there so in my mind that isn't the key factor in your success. Finding the right program with the greatest pay plan is secondary. Can you do the tortoise things? Can you eat an elephant one bite at a time? Yes we can(as Obama would say)

Videoconferencing Enables Sales For Global Consulting Firm

The business case made the argument for Kline & Company, a management consulting and research firm about to celebrate its 50th anniversary, to investigate hosted videoconferencing. A global company, it handles approximately 40 projects at any given time. Three to six people collaborate on each project, which last three months on average. About three-quarters of its projects are global.

To collaborate and share knowledge, team members confer approximately 20 times over the duration of a project. That's thousands of in-person meetings over the course of a year, between colleagues and clients who are unlikely to be in the same location. The cost -- both financially and in terms of time -- was becoming prohibitive.

Serving Client Needs
Companies benefit from management consulting firms' insight because of their aggregated experience. But that insight needs to be shared because not every consultant can join every engagement. That's why John Hadley, Kline’s director of IT, is so bullish on WebEx's hosted videoconferencing service.

He investigated other services before settling on WebEx, impressed by its platform independence; other solutions required software to be installed on their (and clients') computers, which can be problematic in these security-conscious days.

WebEx Meeting Center, launched from a Kline-branded portal and integrated with Microsoft Outlook, provided a fully integrated Web collaboration solution that offered easy set-up of meetings and a virtual meeting experience, "as if we were all sitting in one room," Hadley says.

The improvement WebEx brought to collaboration on client engagements was so clear that Kline began deploying it elsewhere within the company. Its market research group began using it for pre- and post-sales activities, hosting 30-minute WebEx seminars for each study it produces. This lets the company reach up to 50 prospects at a time and help generate sales leads for its consulting group.

Improving Sales and Collaboration
Kline also started using WebEx internally for communication. It's used for quarterly staff meetings and sales meetings, among others.

Because of its global reach, the company also uses WebEx for sales presentations. This helps when clients are geographically dispersed as well, because the team can make presentations to up to 12 people at the same time.

When the research team launched a new database capability, using WebEx for demos helped reduce the sales cycle: the company converted 100% of its prospects to sales within 30 days.

With all companies running leaner these days, it's impossible for key personnel to cover the ground they did in the past. Think about how videoconferencing can speed up not only collaboration and information sharing in your company, but also help reduce your sales cycle.

PPC Advertising for Maximum Web Promotion

Do you ever feel like you know just enough about to be dangerous? Let's see if we can fill in some of the gaps with the latest info from experts.

Engaging in pay - per - click ( PPC ) advertising has its own benefits and drawbacks. But what exactly is PPC advertising and what it can do to your business?

Business nowadays is doing different kinds of austerity measures when it comes to advertising their products and services. This is because of high rates of placing ads on print and on television. But there is a fast growing approach that businessmen can utilize to bring their services closer to the people and that is through Internet Marketing.

One tool that is causing internet marketing popularity is PPC advertising. This is a technique used in search engine marketing that requires one to pay a fee every time someone clicks an ad on your website. Usually this placement is done through a bidding process. If you are a top bidder for your keywords / phrases, you are sure to be on the number one glimpse on all search engines. Just be positive of the effectiveness of your ad representation to get the most number of clicks you need for your business.

Here are the benefits of PPC advertising are:

1. You need not be a genius in computer and technology to be able to run this ad campaign.
2. Immediate effect are seen after a few days.
3. No need to make a website conform to the SEO rules.
4. Nothing to lose even if you do not top the pages of different search engines. You can still always choose PPC advertising.
5. You can make use any search engine available.
6. You can type in any keyword you relating.

Cons of PPC advertising includes:

1. Fixed payments every month to the search engine you choose.
2. Pay for each click received by your website. At times, visitors are just competitors or people playing pranks on search engines. This hassle wastes money you moor in to this advertising.
3. Inability to pay for the fees next month would mean removal of your website on the paid listings.
4. This advertising can only be used temporarily because it is difficult to handle in the long dash.
5. Pay - per - click pricing can be costly for long periods of time, therefore, this should be stopped following an ad campaign.

But how exactly PPC advertising can increase traffic, leads and sales?

PRE - QUALIFIED TRAFFIC. All visitors of your website are already considered as a qualified consumer or buyer of your product. PPC advertising leads your customers to you for a lesser cost.

INSTANT EXPOSURE, IMMEDIATE PROFITS. PPC search engines enable you to get your desired results fast. They will have your website live within just a few hours which means going on increase in sale.

If you find yourself confused by what you've read to this point, don't despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

CONSISTENT TOP LISTINGS. This is to get your website on top of the sponsored search results for free. You just have to choose the keywords like to your site and business and place them within your web pages. After this, you are done.

PPC advertising enables advertisers to control their advertising campaigns. Advertisers have effectively targeted their audience and set their own price per click. PPC advertising networks provide the platform to identify the desired audience by geographic setting, topic and industry. These networks have a list of websites of the publishers where the ads will be placed.

Tools are provided by the networks to check how the pay per click limit is working for a set advertiser. If its still competitive, would it be stable listed among the paid search lists or does it generate sales? Of course, if the advertiser made the highest bid, the better chances the ad leave be seen in the search engine. These networks markedly feather protection for the advertisers against click fraud. This advertising set - up allows advertisers to set a daily budget for his ads, thus, less spending for unnecessary clicks. Advertiser will never go over his budget.

In PPC advertising, what are important are the keywords and phrases. You have to select at least ten " very specific " keywords that would give you the best traffic in the search. Then, write the ad creatively but straightforward. Tell the truth about your product or collaboration and do not lie. Good thing if your product or service will not disappoint those that are relying on your ad's promise - but what if it did otherwise? Important too is the clarity of the ad. Do not use very vague languages. Include important details like the price.

You should also remember to restrict your bids. Do not go overbidding because you will only lose your money and do not go so low that your ads will never get the chance to show up. Check your profit against your spending. If you see no progress then most likely you have to drop your ad campaign.

Expanded and more advertisers have been using PPC advertising and it will continue to grow faster than any online advertising techniques. From revenues of $2. 6 billion in 2004 to $5. 5 billion in 2009, cost per click will dramatically go up thanks to well from $0. 29 to $0. 36.

PPC advertising is new in online marketing and legitimate is going to continue in the years to come. For advertisers, this board increase revenues with fewer advertising expenses, savings, more sales, good return of investment ( ROI ) and effective ad campaigns in the days to come.

Now you can understand why there's a growing interest in . When people start looking for more information about , you'll be in a position to meet their needs.

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

• ACCENTURE, the global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company, is said to be the largest consulting firm in the world, employing more that 178,000 people in 49 countries. It is headquaretered in Campus Kronberg, Germany.

• The International Business Machines (IBM) has been known through most of its recent history as the world's largest computer company; and with over 388, 000 employees worldwide, it is the largest information technology employer in the world.

8 WAYS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Many people are afraid to go into business because they don't want to gamble their life savings away; the good news is you don't have to.
There are many financial alternatives that entrepreneurs can avail of; in fact banks are mandated by law to allocate at least 8 percent of their net lending portfolio to small businesses. With that piece of encouraging news in mind, here are a few ways to obtain capital for your business:

1. TAKE OUT A PERSONAL LOAN
2. OBTAIN A BANK LOAN
3. ENTER INTO A JOINT VENTURE
4. USE CREDIT CARDS
5. AVAIL OF CHECK REDISCOUNTING
6. TRY CONSIGNING
7. LIQUIDATE PORTFOLIO INVESTMENTS
8. TAP A VENTURE CAPITALIST

source: Masigasig Magazine August 2008 issue

Free Network Marketing Information-Are You ManagingYour Feeds?

We have been talking about how to use blogging to build your mlm business.

In today's free networking marketing information tip, we will be discussing blog feeds; in particular, Feedburner.

Being known throughout the world was once a dream that only few people could achieve. However, through the great advancements that communications and technology has reached, especially with the emergence of the Internet, ordinary people can now easily make themselves known to practically anyone on the planet. The blog craze, which started just a few years ago, is now a normal part of daily life.

News feeds that deliver content from blogs and other websites to people have made information retrieval just so convenient. And now, things are getting even better, in terms of information dissemination, with the help of remarkable tools that have been just made available. One of such great devices for enhancing people’s means of publicizing is FeedBurner.

What Exactly is FeedBurner?

It is amazing to imagine how something could grow big in less than two years. FeedBurner is basically a news feed management provider that was launched in 2004. Now it is the largest service provider of its kind serving over 20 million subscribers all over the world. FeedBurner helps commercial publishers, bloggers, and podcasters deliver and promote the content of their sites, and even make money out of it using invaluable web-based services.

The service also provides the greatest network of advertising for feeds, bringing together an unmatched level of content fed from the leading bloggers, blogging networks, publishers, and media companies all over the world. This makes FeedBurner an indispensable tool for those who are looking for imaginative methods of attracting viewers and listeners as well as those who need to know how far one’s content reaches in the competitive world of information technology.

What is a Feed?

Feed has become a buzzword in the online community. More formally known as a news feed, a feed is any content whether text, sound, or video, which users may subscriber to so that they can read, listen and watch it through a feed reader. They are basically delivery packets for publishers to be able to reach their audience easily, and conversely, for audience to be able to get updates from their favorite publisher, blogger, or podcaster regularly.

Feeds are very useful to the great number of people who like keeping track of their favorite blogs or websites. Feeds are aggregated to feed readers so that subscriber would not have to manually visit the source websites or get their inbox filled with subscription email just to see if something new comes up with their favorite pages.

Feeds are very beneficial to consumers, publishers, and advertisers alike. Consumers are now able to view a great amount of information in a very short time by subscribing to feeds, while at the same time, eliminating other things they do not necessarily want to see. It is like having just a particular column delivered instead of the entire newspaper. Publishers, meanwhile, can distribute their content instantly because it is fed automatically to their subscribers. Advertisers also benefit by being able to reach their target market more directly, since they can advertise to particular groups of interest.

What is so good about FeedBurner and how does it work?

Most blog users and podcasters publish feeds automatically as they post their content online since most blogging platforms and publishing tools already have automatic feed options. Others may also use certain tools that convert their web content into a format that is easy for distribution or feed. FeedBurner then helps the publishers to enhance their feeds and make it more easily distributable to their audience. FeedBurner then publicizes the content, making it easer to be subscribed to by viewers. The service also optimizes the distribution of content, making it easy to share, link, and tag by subscribers.

FeedBurner also helps publishers analyze their traffic, informing them not only how many have subscribed to their feeds, but also where the subscribers come from and what subscribers like the most about one’s web content. FeedBurner also helps publishers make their content profitable by accessing the lucrative and wide-reaching FeedBurner Ad Network.

FeedBurner adds value to one’s blog, podcast or commercial publications by processing it and providing a valuable boost that could make it attractive to the hoards of potential subscribers online. Making one’s self to the world is made easy with FeedBurner.

Make sure you get going with Feedburner today!

To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885 Anytime
Skype: Monique371
Be A Mentor With A Servant's Heart


If you need help generating leads for your business, feel free to contact me.

Everybody knows you have to use the secret language when talking to prospects. It's all explained beginning on page 46 of this free ebook:
http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=90911

Looking for powerful tips, ideas, and secrets about achieving success, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusiness/

Our Top 10 for 2008

2008 is coming to a close, and we want to leave you with our favorite posts for 2008. The posts were chosen based on FrankRank, and represent the team's favorites over the last year.

1. Introducing Google Ad Planner
   There was a ton of interest in the tool, and the post announcing it was the most read post here on Inside AdWords for the whole year.
2. Improvements to Ads Quality
   This year, we made two big changes to how we calculate Quality Score and rank ads. This post explained the new changes in detail.
3. Build your own display ads in minutes
   We liked this post as it showed off a new tool that helps you broaden your advertising campaigns easily.
4. Keyword tool updated with search volume
   A theme for this year's top posts is providing our advertisers with more information to make their advertising decisions. The keyword tool updates definitely fit in with this theme.
5. Announcing Google Insights for Search
   Like the keyword tool, Insights for Search is another useful tool for your business.
6. Tie: New ways to look at Search & Content Network statistics and Separate metrics for Google and search partners now available
   Both these posts announced improvements to AdWords reporting that had been heavily requested by advertisers.
7. New features in Website Optimizer
   The new features addressed some of the top requests for Website Optimizer.
8. Use keywords and placements together on the content network
   This new feature gave advertisers better control over their advertising on the content network.
9. Groundhogs, Seasonality, and Trends
   A fun post looking at how you could use Google Trends to plan your campaigns around seasonal traffic patterns.
10. Announcing the Search-based Keyword Tool
    Another tool we released this year. The Search-based Keyword Tool helps you locate missed opportunities for advertising campaigns.

That's it for our top 10 for this year. We'll be off celebrating the holidays for the next two weeks, so you won't see any posts from us. We'll be back here blogging in January. Have a great holiday!

Posted by Trevor Claiborne, Inside AdWords crew

Google Apps on Campus: Getting Things Done in '08

2008 was an action-packed year for Google Apps for Education. We grew by 300% since last year, released two new products: Google Sites and Google Video, heard directly from thousands of students on our cross-country road trip across the U.S., celebrated our two-year anniversary, and fostered new relationships with schools across the globe who have decided to make the move to Google Apps.

We think this is an early sign of change to come. In fact, according to a recent study, 71% of universities are currently considering a hosted solution for student email, and 56% of those schools are choosing Google Apps for Education for their students.* We spend a lot of time talking with educators and students, and it's clear that they're as enthusiastic as we are about all the new possibilities and potential that these services provide in and out of the classroom.

Adding to the thousands of universities already using Apps, many new schools deployed Apps in 2008, including Virginia Community College System, University of California Davis, Gothenburg University, New South Wales and Temple University. The Google Apps family continues to grow, and today we have more than 3 million active users at educational institutions around the world.

We can't wait to see what's in store for 2009 as we continue to strive for innovation and efficiency.

If you're interested in joining the Google Apps family -- or know of a school that would benefit from these tools -- please visit www.google.com/a/edu.

*source: Campus Computing Survey 2008

Posted by Miriam Schneider, Google Apps for Education Team

Light up your site

We all know how it feels to find the perfect gift. After scouring stores far and wide, suddenly your hunt is over: the stars have aligned to bring you just what you're looking for -- and not a moment too soon. It's a bit the same way when a search brings you to just the right site. But what if your site's just the right site, and users can't find it?

We're happy to let you know that you don't need divine forces to play a role in the findability of your site. Nope -- you can help make sure that your site turns up just when it should by taking advantage of these tips from our Search Quality Team.

1. Not sure if all your pages are being seen by Google? Search for your site's address after the command "site", like [site:example.com]. When you see your pages in the results, check your snippet content and page titles. Include information that matches the topic of a particular page. If anything is missing or you want more details, you can also use the Content Analysis tool in Webmaster Tools.
   
   
2. If you upload new pages or topics faster than Google crawls your site, make sure to submit a Google Sitemap and include a refresh rate.
   
   
3. Label your images appropriately. Users searching in Google Image Search will more easily find the image on your site. Don't miss out on potential traffic because of [001.jpg] instead of [NintendoWii.jpg]. Image Search is one of the largest search properties out there, so you should take advantage of it.
   
   
4. Manage your SiteLinks. Your most valuable links may not be the ones that Google chooses as SiteLinks, so remember you can remove any that you don't think users will find useful.
   
   
5. Check for errors and keyword traffic in Webmaster Tools. See our diagnostics checklist.
   
   
6. Serve accurate HTTP status codes. If you've retired a page permanently, serve a 404. If you've simply relocated it, serve a 301. The more we know about your old pages, the faster we will find the next best page on your site for a given query.
   
   
7. Users and search engines like organic content. Make some of your own!
   
   
8. Read our recently released SEO Starter Guide.
   
   
9. Watch our Tutorials for Webmasters.
   
   
10. Find out what information Google has about your website in Webmaster Tools.
    
    
11. Get the latest updates from the Webmaster Central Blog.
    
    
12. Find answers to your questions in our Webmaster Help Center, or ask your questions in the Webmaster Help Group.
    

Whether it be the perfect gift, the perfect site, or the perfect cup of cocoa on a cold winter's night, we hope all your searches are fruitful this holiday season.

Posted by Julie Beckmann - AdSense Publisher Support

4 Great Holiday Gift Ideas

From now until the end of the year, Pexagon is offering 20% off 4 awesome personalized holiday gifts ideas!



Personalized Thumb Drives - available in 14 colors, up to 16GB in capacity with FREE custom laser engraving! Choose from one of our 32 exciting themes such as "#1 Teacher" or "Happy Holidays" and engrave two lines of personalization text on the reverse side! Starting at $7.99 after discount.

Personalized Pens - 3 unique styles, multiple colors and a FREE line of personalized laser engraved text! Starting at $1.59 after discount.

Business Card Flash Drives - the perfect gift for the business person or administrator in your life! It looks like a business card but the back side hides a small USB cable (huge 2GB capacity) and the front side can be engraved for FREE with 3 lines of personalization text! Starting at $15.99 after discount.

Wooden USB Flash Drives - environment-friendly, wooden design with attached cap and two color choices. Available in 2GB and 4GB capacities with 2-sided custom laser engraving absolutely FREE! Starting at $15.99 after discount.

Mumbai- gearing up for the festive season after the city faced terror, few weeks back

So Mumbai is gearing up after that big attack which created huge havoc in the city few weeks ago, and fear in the hearts and minds of the mumbaikars. Not only Mumbai city but i think the whole of India is facing the same fear, who knows, anytime and anywhere? But what are the biggies(you know who?) doing about this? There was so much of pain everywhere, so many innocent deaths and for no reason were they targeted. What did they do to encounter an unruly death they couldn't have even imagined while stepping out of their homes. Its really very sad, and while watching the news on TV, my eyes watered in utmost fear and sadness at the mission being carried out to finish the enemy. It was very scary, yet touching to watch our armed forces handle the dangerous mission so fearlessly. No words can compare!

It is obviously noticed in recent times, India is being targeted like hell. Why? Is there no one to solve the much needed crucial matters instead of fighting like cats and dogs in the house of the speakers. One should watch them behaving like kids, which is definitely unacceptable and stupidity on their parts. They need to be discussing how to keep the city secure instead of poking into their own personal affairs. We, the ordinary people have to buck up and carry out safely measures on our own. Just like how Mandira Bedi, a celeb of the big and small screen lashed out and said that "we shouldn't pay our taxes when we aren't given security of our lives, we should do something for our safely first" How true??

Mumbai is home to the biggies, and is known as the city that never sleeps! I think the city is gathering their wits and courage to face reality and gear up for the festive season. The Taj, the same hotel where the bloody siege took place, has reopened since three weeks of the terror. Though people are trying, there will always be a fear in the heart, but for now, lets pray for the victims and mat rays whose lives were taken three weeks ago and hope the city is back to normal once again.

Know your rights under the law, in LA

When the stakes are high and you're facing criminal charges, you need Los Angeles Criminal and DUI Defense Attorneys who have plenty of experience, who are available to take your case quickly and confidently, who will go the extra mile to thoroughly investigate your case, and who get the best possible result in or out of court.

The criminal defense attorneys at Kestenbaum Eisner & Gorin LLP understand that being arrested or charged with a crime is frightening experience. Our law firm’s mission is to aggressively and tenaciously defend our clients, even before the case reaches the courtroom! You need to know your rights under the law, and immediately act to protect them.

Remembering how Christmas was celebrated, during my childhood days

Two days more for Christmas and i can already hear Santa's bells ringing in the air :).. that's probably because i want to hear and feel the excitement the festive season brings in. I haven't been out for quite a while and shopping will be last minute, not that i don't have three sets already given to be tailored! hehe.. But the last minute shopping, is the best, the pre excitement shows the spirit of Christmas everywhere with the whole market decorated for the festive season. Not only the market but almost, the whole of the city is brightly decorated and Christmas carols play everywhere. I love visiting when the smell of scrumptious freshly baked cakes fill the air and most of all, one has to bump into some relative or some old pal! That's fun, really :)

Well, the night before Christmas we buy the kids their gifts, wrap them up and hide them away. Comes the morning and they search like mad.. i actually tell them that Santa hides away the gifts because its fun to search for them. I remember, as a kid, i used to act out the nativity story along with our other hostel mates and that was before our vacations would began. I enjoyed doing that as a christian every year during my 8 long years of life in the boarding! From being one of the sheep when i was little, to changing different characters every year and then moved on to join the choir :). We also used to have Santa coming over to visit us and give us gifts, and i believed in Santa a lot during those years of my life. Those years will be most cherished..

Christmas day is spent in fun and laughter with relatives who come over, and cakes, cookies, drinks and other food stuffs are offered. The best of the best meals are cooked to enjoy the feast with the guests. Its quite sometime since i've actually celebrated Christmas at its best just like when i was a kid, with my grandparents and a huge family and also while being a boarder. But Christmas is still celebrated with its spirit in the heart and with my family :). Our family get together and exchanging of wishes and gifts are still there.. everything is sill celebrated the same way.. yet there is something missing somewhere.. maybe my childhood :)

Wish you all a very very bright and joyous Christmas..

Ring in the Season: 8 WAYS TO PREPARE YOUR RETAIL BUSINESS FOR THE CHRISTMAS RUSH

1. Good forecasting.

2. Coordinate with your suppliers.

3. That said, make sure you order enough- and the right kind - of stocks.

4. Organize your delivery system.

5. Dress up your store.

6. Beef up your staff.

7. Give out promos.

8. Clean up.

HAGGLING DOs and DON'Ts

• Whether you're a customer or supplier, be courteous and friendly, but firm. Know how to sweet-talk your way into a deal.

• This applies for customers and suppliers as well: Don't be too serious; have a sense of humor. If they like you, you will almost always get a better deal. You can even make friends.

• Buying from a supplier? Know when to accept an offer. Don't waste time (or the seller's time) bargaining if you have no intentions of buying.

• Master the art of conversing with clients. Experience is the best teacher of all, so suppliers should deal with clients personally.
  

ICE CREAM BUSINESS IDEAS

Selling ice cream is a good business to get into because people for all ages love it, regardless of income segment. However, it is by nature a seasonal product; sales usually dip during the cold season like this Christmas and rainy months, so you must think about expanding your offerings.
The good news is there are many kinds of ice cream. These include but are not limited to:

1. Premium or super - premium ice cream.


2. Organic or all - natural ice cream. You use only organic ingredients


3. Exotic ice cream. Durian flavored ice cream? Wasabi ice cream?Hehehe

4. Soft - serve ice cream. Examples are Mr. Softy and Creamy D'Lite

5. Gelato. Italian ice cream made from liquid, milk or water; solod, sugar, fats or sweeteners; flavorings, pastes, fruit powders; stabilizers, guar gum, locust bean, etc.; emulsifiers, mono- and digylcerides; and air.

6. Sherbert or sorbet

7. Frozen yogurt

8. Frozen custard

9. Other products and services you can offer through your ice cream shop include:
* Ice cream cakes
* Hosting birthday and other parties in your shop
* Catering services (Providing ice cream and frozen desserts for off-site events)

What is a blockbuster business model?

The term blockbuster, originally a bomb that could destroy an entire city block, refers to an unusually successful product or service with huge sales. Within the pharmaceutical industry the average drug is expected to deliver only 5% return on investment whereas a successful blockbuster drug can yield returns 10-20 times as large. A blockbuster product or service are of course great when you happen to get one, and multinational companies have been built around the success of single products.

No-one can predict a blockbuster and finding one can be seen as finding a needle in a haystack. However, companies such as P&G in consumer goods, Pfizer in pharmaceuticals, and Disney in entertainments, have found successful recipes on how to regularly launch and manage billion dollar products and services. A risk facing companies built around a single blockbuster product is to get too focused and dependent on the revenues it generates, founding itself caught short without new projects or products to keep sales growing.

The Blockbuster business model refers to a method of spending large amounts of money in own research and/or development, to find many of the projects in dead-ends, hoping for some to turn out as successful blockbuster generating high returns. The model is commonly used in the entertainment and pharmaceutical industries where development costs, risks and potential rewards are high.

An important factor to secure the high investments made in development and marketing of new drugs such as Lipitor, or franchise movies such as Batman, is the control over the profit stream from being reduced by competitors once it has been launched.