According to Internet market research powerhouse eMarketer, the mobile search advertising market size is currently $13.5 million and growing - by a projected factor of 50 - within the next four years. With everyone buzzing about mobile these days, we wanted to tell you straight from the horse's mouth about some sophisticated new tools and features that we've recently rolled out to help you run a more successful mobile ads campaign.
AdWords Business Pages for mobile ads
Mobile ads can refer users to a business phone number, a mobile website, or both. Usually you need to be a web developer or contact your webmaster in order to create a mobile web page from scratch. However, AdWords Business Pages for mobile ads provides a friendly wizard that creates a page for you in minutes - which is available immediately after you create it. Google hosts the page for free.
Carrier Targeting
We've just expanded carrier targeting in more countries, which means you have more options to fine-tune who sees your mobile ads. Click "Advanced targeting and network options" to expand your options for carrier targeting from the "Create/Edit mobile ad" page. You can choose to show your ads to users on all mobile carriers, or check off the boxes next to the specific carriers you want to target.
If you don't already have a mobile ad running, learn how to create one.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Spice Girls panic, the reason being chicken pox
I loved the spice girls and now they're back! remember the wannabe song? those were days i would dance away to glory and now Alisha, my one year old baby loves dancing:)i do teach her some steps which shes very quick at following...
News is out that just days before the Spice Girls are set to make their anticipated return to the stage with their massive world tour kickoff in Vancouver, Geri Halliwell's daughter contracted chicken pox.Cruz Beckham, son of Posh Spice and soccer star David Beckham appears to have given Bluebell Halliwell, daughter of Ginger chicken pox forcing Ginger to leave her daughter of 18 months at home.
“Bluebell caught chickenpox from Cruz,”is what geri has to say.She also mentioned that “ She loves hanging with the Beckham boys.Cruz and Bluebell have play dates, and Romeo – well, he is just gorgeous with her.Actually, it was a beautiful moment when we were rehearsing the other day and all of our kids were playing on the stage at the same time.It made me smile.”
Arent they a cute band? If you like them too and you ever hummed or danced to their songs do mention it in the comment box, looking forward to read some interesting comments.
Carnival of the Agilists - 11/29
Once again we are pleased and humbled to be included within the Carnival of the Agilists collection of blog posts. See here: http://trailridgeconsulting.com/blog/?p=104
For all the prior Carnival of the Agilists selections, see here: http://www.agilealliance.org/show/1670
Enjoy. These are recommended.
This is not to say that I would agree with every word of every post, but "two heads are better than one" is an key idea in Agile. The team is wiser than any one individual. (Yes, I know there are exceptions, and a good team knows when to follow the leader.)
For all the prior Carnival of the Agilists selections, see here: http://www.agilealliance.org/show/1670
Enjoy. These are recommended.
This is not to say that I would agree with every word of every post, but "two heads are better than one" is an key idea in Agile. The team is wiser than any one individual. (Yes, I know there are exceptions, and a good team knows when to follow the leader.)
Thursday, November 29, 2007
CNN/YouTube debate highlights for your video units
UPDATE: The video units feature has been retired -- however, you may wish to review the other revenue opportunities available for video content owners.
Did you catch the CNN/YouTube Republican debate on Wednesday night? And are you interested in having the debate available on your site for visitors to see? We've set up a channel for your video units to play the night's highlights as well as those from the July Democratic debate. To get the clips for your video units, choose "CNN YouTube Debates" as a content provider on the Edit AdSense Player page. You can also use our new option to choose the specific videos that will appear by typing in the name of the video you want (e.g., "GOP Debate Song") into the Hints box under "Automatic targeting."
The debates are just one example of the compelling content that we plan to bring to your sites with video units. In the coming months, we'll continue to enhance the depth and variety of the content that is available, while making it easier for you to discover and choose what best fits your site.
As always, to learn more about video units, you can check out our regularly updated FAQs or view our instructional videos on YouTube.
If you aren't using video units yet, now is a great time to give them a try. Sign in to your AdSense account and visit the AdSense Setup page to get started with video units.
Did you catch the CNN/YouTube Republican debate on Wednesday night? And are you interested in having the debate available on your site for visitors to see? We've set up a channel for your video units to play the night's highlights as well as those from the July Democratic debate. To get the clips for your video units, choose "CNN YouTube Debates" as a content provider on the Edit AdSense Player page. You can also use our new option to choose the specific videos that will appear by typing in the name of the video you want (e.g., "GOP Debate Song") into the Hints box under "Automatic targeting."
The debates are just one example of the compelling content that we plan to bring to your sites with video units. In the coming months, we'll continue to enhance the depth and variety of the content that is available, while making it easier for you to discover and choose what best fits your site.
As always, to learn more about video units, you can check out our regularly updated FAQs or view our instructional videos on YouTube.
If you aren't using video units yet, now is a great time to give them a try. Sign in to your AdSense account and visit the AdSense Setup page to get started with video units.
TravelClick sold to PE firm Genstar
I published a rumour in September that TravelClick was on the cusp of being sold to a PE firm. Received confirmation today that a division of Genstar Capital has committed to buy the travel intelligence and marketing firm for around US$275mm. Deal closure to happen in about two weeks. You heard it here first at the BOOT - TravelClick has been sold to Genstar.
If you can - please Digg this story here.
Deal confirmed publicly on 20 Dec 2007
If you can - please Digg this story here.
Deal confirmed publicly on 20 Dec 2007
6 Ways To Avoid Low Sales Conversion Rates Web Site Design
By Luis Galarza - Affiliate Marketing Secret Training Guide BlogHere Are 6 Things A Successful Site Must Communicate To Get High Conversion Rates!
Here are 6 of the goals your site must achieve by communicating your message the right way to your site visitors to gain the main goal which is high conversion.
1.- Communicate Your Service
This can be done by using a good tag line on the top of your site. This tag line need to be clear enough for people to now what you offer as soon they enter your site.
2.- Establish Your Credibility
Make sure to use references, membership logos (BBB, and others), and client testimonials to brake the ice and establish rapport and credibility.
3.- Show Your Industry Leadership And Expertise
It doesn't matter if your clients are extremely surprised by the quality of your knowledge, but if your site do not communicate your expertise that well you to your visitors or prospects your conversion rate will not improve. To fix this you can show case studies on how you helped your clients solve their problem.
4.- Present Your Product
Depending of your industry, service or products you need to find a way to showcase your fine work for your new prospects to see. If is a product you need to make sure you put pictures and small description on your home page.
5.- Make Your Visitor Aware of Your Industry Involvement If Any
This can be as little as having a good up to date blog and as big as seminars where your were one of the main speakers. This also show your customers that you are no rookie when it come to know your industry and product very well.
6.- Gain Powerful Search Engine Rankings
You need to work hard to make sure your site come up on the top 5 spots of many highly targeted terms.
Achieving each of this goals can be easy and simple if you know how or if you have a good web designer firm behind you. But, putting it all together is the hard part even for top experts. So, take your time to make sure you do your best and then keep evaluating your site for constant improvement and changes.
To learn how can you be part of the Internet Entrepreneurs Club click here.
To your success,
Luis Galarza, Internet Marketing Consultant
About Author: Luis Galarza is a respectable Internet Marketing and Small Business Consultant in the area of Leominster and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Also, he had teach 100's of entrepreneurs how to make money online and offline without their own product.
A proud member of
AdSense for search offered for Thai
We'd like to welcome Thai as the newest language to join the AdSense for search family. If you manage a site primarily in Thai, you can now offer Google search results directly on your pages and monetize the results pages. Don't have an account yet? Feel free to submit an application today.
Here are some fun facts about Thailand to celebrate this launch:
Here are some fun facts about Thailand to celebrate this launch:
- The full given name of Bangkok, Thailand's capital city, is "Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit". The city's full name is listed as the world's longest place name in the Guinness Book of World Records.
- The Thai greeting is known as the "wai", which involves bringing the palms together and raising them to a level between the chest and forehead. The higher the hands are held, the more respect is being shown by the greeter.
- The island of Ko Samui is known for producing the most types of coconut palm in the world. In addition, it was mentioned in the 2000 comedy Meet the Parents.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
WHOOT: 3 days, 3 notices and Wotif has more than 50% of Travel.com.au
WHOOT series update - WHoever Owns Outright Travel.com.au
The form 604s are flying thick and fast relating to Wotif's buyout plans for Travel.com.au. A 604 form is the "change of substantial ownership form". Through these forms we can track just how close Wotif is getting to owning Travel.com.au as the Dec 17 offer deadline approaches.
Tuesday Wotif hit 36.86%, yesterday 40.23% and today a massive 58.04%. The acceptances are flying in. No word in any of the filings if one of those acceptances is from AOT who before this rapid fire round of 604s owned just shy of 20% and seemed to be the only obstacle to 100% ownership for Wotif.
The form 604s are flying thick and fast relating to Wotif's buyout plans for Travel.com.au. A 604 form is the "change of substantial ownership form". Through these forms we can track just how close Wotif is getting to owning Travel.com.au as the Dec 17 offer deadline approaches.
Tuesday Wotif hit 36.86%, yesterday 40.23% and today a massive 58.04%. The acceptances are flying in. No word in any of the filings if one of those acceptances is from AOT who before this rapid fire round of 604s owned just shy of 20% and seemed to be the only obstacle to 100% ownership for Wotif.
Meet our AdWords Evangelist in Las Vegas
Back in September and October, Fred Vallaeys, Product Evangelist for AdWords, joined us for a three part series on ROI (Return on Investment) and how to track it.
Now is your chance to ask Fred specific ROI questions, or questions about AdWords in general -- Fred will be speaking at PubCon by WebmasterWorld in Las Vegas, Tuesday, December 4th, as part of a panel discussing Major Search Engines. We hope you'll stop by and introduce yourself to Fred, if you're attending.
Fred is always interested in meeting advertisers and hearing feedback about all things AdWords -- check out Fred's bio for the event, complete with a photo, so you'll know who to look for.
If you do chat with Fred, let him know that the Inside AdWords crew sent you. ;)
Now is your chance to ask Fred specific ROI questions, or questions about AdWords in general -- Fred will be speaking at PubCon by WebmasterWorld in Las Vegas, Tuesday, December 4th, as part of a panel discussing Major Search Engines. We hope you'll stop by and introduce yourself to Fred, if you're attending.
Fred is always interested in meeting advertisers and hearing feedback about all things AdWords -- check out Fred's bio for the event, complete with a photo, so you'll know who to look for.
If you do chat with Fred, let him know that the Inside AdWords crew sent you. ;)
Don't Beat Yourself Up!
One of the biggest reason people quit exercise is guilt. After missing a planned workout or two, guilt and negative self talk destroys the will-power to workout again. Defeat the negative talk inside your head by giving yourself a break. You're not going to be perfect with your exercise routine, but you won't be defeated either. You may miss a workout here and there but you will be back on a consistent basis.
New Viral Blog Marketing tool Called Blogrush Is Free
By Luis Galarza - Affiliate Marketing Secret Training Guide Blog
The name of this free new viral marketing tool for blogs is called Blogrush (www.Blogrush.com). The company offers this service at no charge what so ever to help bloggers who want instant web exposure for their content and want increase their blog traffic with highly targeted visitors automatically, well after the 48 blog review :)
So, don't way any more and sign up right away for an account today by clicking here.
I just sign up for it today and I going to try iy to see if delivers they way the said. If any one is already using this traffic service please leave a comment with your opinion about it, I want to know if is working for you....
Free New Blog Marketing Service Let You Send Your Blog Post or Articles On Other Relevant Blogs. Plus Is Completely Automatically And Viral.
The name of this free new viral marketing tool for blogs is called Blogrush (www.Blogrush.com). The company offers this service at no charge what so ever to help bloggers who want instant web exposure for their content and want increase their blog traffic with highly targeted visitors automatically, well after the 48 blog review :)
So, don't way any more and sign up right away for an account today by clicking here.
I just sign up for it today and I going to try iy to see if delivers they way the said. If any one is already using this traffic service please leave a comment with your opinion about it, I want to know if is working for you....
To learn how can you be part of the Internet Entrepreneurs Club click here.
To your success,
Luis Galarza, Internet Marketing Consultant
About Author: Luis Galarza is a respectable Internet Marketing and Small Business Consultant in the area of Leominster and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Also, he had teach 100's of entrepreneurs how to make money online and offline without their own product.
A proud member of
No Gambling In Second Life Virtual World
By Luis Galarza - Affiliate Marketing Secret Training Guide BlogThe Virtual World Second Life Has Banned Gambling And Have The FBI Helping To Keep The Place Clean Of Casinos!
From now and on the company will be monitoring the place for any kind of gambling acts, and if someone if found doing any casino constructions, Linden Lab will not refund any virtual cash the member spend to build the casino.
If you were thinking that real world laws doesn't apply on the virtual world you were wrong.....
To learn how can you be part of the Internet Entrepreneurs Club click here.
To your success,
Luis Galarza, Internet Marketing Consultant
About Author: Luis Galarza is a respectable Internet Marketing and Small Business Consultant in the area of Leominster and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Also, he had teach 100's of entrepreneurs how to make money online and offline without their own product.
A proud member of
"You can observe a lot by just watching"
As some of you may know, I am a fan of Yogi Berra quotes. The guy is amazingly stupid-smart. And, since he was a coach, I can relate.
One of his quotes is: You can observe a lot by just watching.
Why is this relevant to Agile?
Well, it seems obvious to me. But it seems it needs to be explained, and I need reminding too.
Let me start by stating my hypothesis, that everything we do in working as a team is imperfect, everything can be improved. My related hypothesis is that people and their interactions are complex. And another related hypothesis is that only by sharing tacit knowledge can the team create new knowledge and become truly successful in creating a new product for its set of customers (a new piece of software for example).
So the ScrumMaster watches the team to see what is really going on. How the productivity is working. And he evaluates...what are the top impediments and what can we do about them.
These impediments can be anything. Any thing. People, technology, external intrusions, light/heat, attitude, process, whatever. So the ScrumMaster evaluates what is important enough to be worth taking action on.
Thus, as I am trying to explain, the ScrumMaster needs time to observe the team (and things around the team). Time to smoke out what is noise and what is real. Time to let the introverts speak with their actions. What are the usual complaints about "work" or "life" (we all always have these), and what are the top one or two impediments that, if changed or improved on, will give the team greater velocity.
It's not hard if you relax and concentrate. (The paradox that martial arts and most sports and, indeed, life itself always bring us back to. Mastery with some time.)
One of his quotes is: You can observe a lot by just watching.
Why is this relevant to Agile?
Well, it seems obvious to me. But it seems it needs to be explained, and I need reminding too.
Let me start by stating my hypothesis, that everything we do in working as a team is imperfect, everything can be improved. My related hypothesis is that people and their interactions are complex. And another related hypothesis is that only by sharing tacit knowledge can the team create new knowledge and become truly successful in creating a new product for its set of customers (a new piece of software for example).
So the ScrumMaster watches the team to see what is really going on. How the productivity is working. And he evaluates...what are the top impediments and what can we do about them.
These impediments can be anything. Any thing. People, technology, external intrusions, light/heat, attitude, process, whatever. So the ScrumMaster evaluates what is important enough to be worth taking action on.
Thus, as I am trying to explain, the ScrumMaster needs time to observe the team (and things around the team). Time to smoke out what is noise and what is real. Time to let the introverts speak with their actions. What are the usual complaints about "work" or "life" (we all always have these), and what are the top one or two impediments that, if changed or improved on, will give the team greater velocity.
It's not hard if you relax and concentrate. (The paradox that martial arts and most sports and, indeed, life itself always bring us back to. Mastery with some time.)
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Qantas - fly the criminal skies
Aaah Qantas - the "spirit of Australia". So long as you mean old fashioned pre-colonial convict spirit of Australia to steal as much as you can from anyone you can. I have been tough on Qantas in the past. Have complained about the rort that is the Pacific Route, the bad customer service and the faulty (now fixed) Video On Demand system. However I have also defended them as one of the best airlines in the world.
But now we have Qantas effectively pleading guilty to a charge of price fixing and agreeing to pay a fine of US$61mm as a result of a US Department of Justice investigation (e-travelblackboard report here). They have settled an action that claimed they colluded with a number of airlines (maybe as many as thirty) to set prices (ie reduce competition) in cargo pricing.
Let's be clear as to what it means to admit to price fixing. This is akin to an admission of criminal behaviour by Qantas. It is a confirmation that Qantas as a company engaged in a criminal act to defraud its customers (cargo in this instance) of money by secretly agreeing with competitors to fix prices. To engage in secretive activity that resulted in customers paying more than they should have. Anti-competitive activity is the same as corporate theft. A class action is already under way in civil court on behalf of the customers that were ripped off by this behaviour.
Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon seemed to indicate it was a few employees not a company in this comment attributed to him
Whether or not it was rogue employees rather than company policy - this is still a huge slur on Qantas - and whether Qantas likes it or not it places a cloud of suspicion over all of Qantas' activities.
UPDATE - Jan 08 - Qantas has been taking a dive in the stock market and this price fixing issue is part of the reason (according to the Sydney Morning Herald). SMH has also published the names of the executives that were excluded from the deal (four ex and two current employees). They are Qantas's former head of freight Peter Frampton, the airline's head of freight in the US Bruce McCaffrey, Qantas's general manager of freight sales John Cooper, Qantas's country manager for Thailand and former head of freight in Singapore Harold Pang, Qantas's head of commercial freight Stephen Cleary, and another Qantas freight employee Desmond Church.
Qantas has been given two weeks to pay up.
But now we have Qantas effectively pleading guilty to a charge of price fixing and agreeing to pay a fine of US$61mm as a result of a US Department of Justice investigation (e-travelblackboard report here). They have settled an action that claimed they colluded with a number of airlines (maybe as many as thirty) to set prices (ie reduce competition) in cargo pricing.
Let's be clear as to what it means to admit to price fixing. This is akin to an admission of criminal behaviour by Qantas. It is a confirmation that Qantas as a company engaged in a criminal act to defraud its customers (cargo in this instance) of money by secretly agreeing with competitors to fix prices. To engage in secretive activity that resulted in customers paying more than they should have. Anti-competitive activity is the same as corporate theft. A class action is already under way in civil court on behalf of the customers that were ripped off by this behaviour.
Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon seemed to indicate it was a few employees not a company in this comment attributed to him
“Qantas takes its obligations to comply with the law very seriously. We have a comprehensive competition compliance program in place, and expect all of our employees to comply with these requirements at all times,”...and in indicating that two current and four past employees are not part of this plea agreement. In other words that those employees may be subject to separate prosecution.
Whether or not it was rogue employees rather than company policy - this is still a huge slur on Qantas - and whether Qantas likes it or not it places a cloud of suspicion over all of Qantas' activities.
UPDATE - Jan 08 - Qantas has been taking a dive in the stock market and this price fixing issue is part of the reason (according to the Sydney Morning Herald). SMH has also published the names of the executives that were excluded from the deal (four ex and two current employees). They are Qantas's former head of freight Peter Frampton, the airline's head of freight in the US Bruce McCaffrey, Qantas's general manager of freight sales John Cooper, Qantas's country manager for Thailand and former head of freight in Singapore Harold Pang, Qantas's head of commercial freight Stephen Cleary, and another Qantas freight employee Desmond Church.
Qantas has been given two weeks to pay up.
The Airline Industry - Insider style - Rule 240 is dead
Fare Compare's Rick Seaney has published an Top Ten Secrets of Air Travel Insiders here
Number 10 was a shameless plug for FareCompare - no surprises. However the one that caught my eye was Tip Number 9 - Forget Rule 240. Rule 240 are the filings that each US carrier makes with the DOT stating the rights of a consumer if a US flight is cancelled or diverted. I did a post on Rule 240 in August quoting a travel lawyer that urged all consumers to carry a copy of an airlines Rule 240 filing on every flight just in case you need to show it to a grumpy customer service staff member.
Seaney says this is bad advice. He says that Rule 240 is no longer a government rule and hasn't been one for 30 years. Has a quote from the FAA to say that it is the airlines own conditions of carriage that is now the definitive statement of what you can expect from an airline that bumps or dumps you. That means - you are subject to the kindness of the US airline industry. God help us all. Seaney has a good list of links to carriage conditions for most airlines
via Consumerist
Number 10 was a shameless plug for FareCompare - no surprises. However the one that caught my eye was Tip Number 9 - Forget Rule 240. Rule 240 are the filings that each US carrier makes with the DOT stating the rights of a consumer if a US flight is cancelled or diverted. I did a post on Rule 240 in August quoting a travel lawyer that urged all consumers to carry a copy of an airlines Rule 240 filing on every flight just in case you need to show it to a grumpy customer service staff member.
Seaney says this is bad advice. He says that Rule 240 is no longer a government rule and hasn't been one for 30 years. Has a quote from the FAA to say that it is the airlines own conditions of carriage that is now the definitive statement of what you can expect from an airline that bumps or dumps you. That means - you are subject to the kindness of the US airline industry. God help us all. Seaney has a good list of links to carriage conditions for most airlines
via Consumerist
Low Cost Carriers, GDS and Intermediaries are friends, enemies and squabbling children all at the same time
In the early days of Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) the world was simple. No GDS, No intermediaries, No food, No frils. Then LCCs started calling themselves New World Carriers and introducing frils (see my discussion on this re Virgin Blue in June this year). A few news stories have caught my eye in the last couple of weeks which may be pointing to another evolutionary change in the LCC/GDS/Intermediary relationship:
- easyJet announced a distribution deal in Europe with both Amadeus and Galileo. On cue - Ryanair's Peter Sharrard channelled his best O'Leary impersonation by slamming the deal and calling travel agents the "greatest deadwood of the travel industry" (travelmole);
- Orbitz, Travelocity and Priceline.com all announced that JetBlue flights would be available for sale (BusinessWeek via Hotelmarketing.com); and
- Tiger Airways held the line saying that it will not make its inventory available to online players in Australia despite many in Australia such as Webjet and Travel.com.au have aggregation engines that could access Tiger inventory without Tiger having to participate in a GDS. As Rob Dell, president of the Association of Travel Management Companies, pointed out in this Age Online article this position could well change as per Virgin Blue.
Google Content Network Tips: Part 2 - Targeting options, environments, and ad formats
In our first post in this series, we highlighted some of the most notable improvements we've made to the Google content network over this past year. Today, we wanted to focus on the range of options that the content network provides to make campaign management simple.
To ensure that our advertisers have increased flexibility and control across all aspects of their campaign, we offer multiple targeting options, a variety of ad formats, and hundreds of thousands of sites on which your ads can show.
Targeting Options
Ever wonder how we match ads to relevant pages? By scanning the millions of pages on the web, Google's contextual targeting technology analyzes the content of different web pages to determine the theme of a page. Then, by looking at all the keywords and ad text in your ad groups, our system matches the most relevant ads to the theme of that page. For example, if you have an ad for a digital camera, our system may place your ad next to a news article that reviews the latest digital photographic technology.
To ensure that you are targeting your ads to the right users, you can create tightly-themed ad groups. You can also try using negative keywords but remember that they work by exact match on the content network. The more theme-specific negative keywords you include, the less likely your ad is to appear on sites that match that theme. Following the example above, to decrease the chances of your digital camera ad showing up on pages related to video equipment, be sure to enter keywords like video, video camera, and video cameras as negative keywords. But keep in mind that doing so will increase your chances of excluding pages that review both video and digital cameras.
For further control, you can use the site exclusion tool to prevent your ads from appearing on specific pages, subpages, or types of pages that you don't think are a good match for your message.
If you want even greater control, you can use placement targeting to hand-pick specific sites or sections of sites you want your ads to appear on. If your goal is conversion-oriented metrics likes sales or leads, you can select CPC pricing and pay when users click on your ads. To increase brand awareness and maximize impressions among your target users, you may choose CPM pricing.
Environments
The Google content network has partnered with a variety of different websites, from news sites like Reuters and CNN, to social networking sites like MySpace and Friendster, to smaller niche sites like Ask the Builder and WhateverLife. This wide selection helps you match your message with the right audience. To find out more about how one advertiser found success through advertising on niche sites, you can read this case study.
Ad Formats
Text ads are a great way to reach your audience with a brief, pointed message. When you want to communicate a simple, visual message, try image ads, which are accepted on over 95% of content network sites. And if you're looking to engage your audience with sight, sound, and motion, or if your product requires a demonstration, Google click-to-play video ads offer an effective way to connect your message to the right users. You can read this case study on how one advertiser engaged with customers and increased revenue by using click-to-play video ads to demonstrate his robotic guitar tuners.
You can also check out demos of video ads and learn more about the Ad Creation Marketplace, where you can find a professional to help create your video ad.
Altogether, Google's targeting options give you full control over the parts of the content network where your ads appear, and AdWords reporting gives you insight into how your ads perform in different environments. By matching the right ad formats with the right environments, you can reach the audience that matters to you most when they're engaged with content that's relevant to your business.
As always, you can read more about the content network here. And if you have specific questions that you would like answered in upcoming blog posts, we invite you to email us. In the meantime, stay tuned more information on optimizing your content network campaign in the coming weeks.
To ensure that our advertisers have increased flexibility and control across all aspects of their campaign, we offer multiple targeting options, a variety of ad formats, and hundreds of thousands of sites on which your ads can show.
Targeting Options
Ever wonder how we match ads to relevant pages? By scanning the millions of pages on the web, Google's contextual targeting technology analyzes the content of different web pages to determine the theme of a page. Then, by looking at all the keywords and ad text in your ad groups, our system matches the most relevant ads to the theme of that page. For example, if you have an ad for a digital camera, our system may place your ad next to a news article that reviews the latest digital photographic technology.
To ensure that you are targeting your ads to the right users, you can create tightly-themed ad groups. You can also try using negative keywords but remember that they work by exact match on the content network. The more theme-specific negative keywords you include, the less likely your ad is to appear on sites that match that theme. Following the example above, to decrease the chances of your digital camera ad showing up on pages related to video equipment, be sure to enter keywords like video, video camera, and video cameras as negative keywords. But keep in mind that doing so will increase your chances of excluding pages that review both video and digital cameras.
For further control, you can use the site exclusion tool to prevent your ads from appearing on specific pages, subpages, or types of pages that you don't think are a good match for your message.
If you want even greater control, you can use placement targeting to hand-pick specific sites or sections of sites you want your ads to appear on. If your goal is conversion-oriented metrics likes sales or leads, you can select CPC pricing and pay when users click on your ads. To increase brand awareness and maximize impressions among your target users, you may choose CPM pricing.
Environments
The Google content network has partnered with a variety of different websites, from news sites like Reuters and CNN, to social networking sites like MySpace and Friendster, to smaller niche sites like Ask the Builder and WhateverLife. This wide selection helps you match your message with the right audience. To find out more about how one advertiser found success through advertising on niche sites, you can read this case study.
Ad Formats
Text ads are a great way to reach your audience with a brief, pointed message. When you want to communicate a simple, visual message, try image ads, which are accepted on over 95% of content network sites. And if you're looking to engage your audience with sight, sound, and motion, or if your product requires a demonstration, Google click-to-play video ads offer an effective way to connect your message to the right users. You can read this case study on how one advertiser engaged with customers and increased revenue by using click-to-play video ads to demonstrate his robotic guitar tuners.
You can also check out demos of video ads and learn more about the Ad Creation Marketplace, where you can find a professional to help create your video ad.
Altogether, Google's targeting options give you full control over the parts of the content network where your ads appear, and AdWords reporting gives you insight into how your ads perform in different environments. By matching the right ad formats with the right environments, you can reach the audience that matters to you most when they're engaged with content that's relevant to your business.
As always, you can read more about the content network here. And if you have specific questions that you would like answered in upcoming blog posts, we invite you to email us. In the meantime, stay tuned more information on optimizing your content network campaign in the coming weeks.
Ning Let You Customize Social Networks For Anything
By Luis Galarza - Affiliate Marketing Secret Training Guide BlogSocial Network Tool Ning, Is Creative, Functional, And Really Easy To Use. So, Go And Build Your Own Custom Social Network For Any Purpose!
But, Mr. Andreessen didn't get behind the changes of the web. He still have a vision for a more interesting world and now he's the co-founder of Ning (www.ning.com) a web 2.0 application that let's anyone to develop a complete customizable social network for whatever purpose you want.
With Ning you can become the center of your on social network. They have simple tools to let you build a social network for free with cool stuff like: RSS feeds, members profiles, email importing, other special widgets.
Like I say the service is completely free, but you may want to upgrade if you start getting a lot of members or you don't want their ads showing on your network.
As an Online entrepreneur you can see that this web 2.0 service represent a good new opportunity for experienced and new marketers.
To learn how can you be part of the Internet Entrepreneurs Club click here.
To your success,
Luis Galarza, Internet Marketing Consultant
About Author: Luis Galarza is a respectable Internet Marketing and Small Business Consultant in the area of Leominster and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Also, he had teach 100's of entrepreneurs how to make money online and offiline without their own product.
A proud member of
Monday, November 26, 2007
The EnergyFlow Warm Up
The EnergyFlow Warm Up
Sgt Shanahan shows the warm up elite athletes use to resist injury and achieve ultimate performance. It's simple and very effective. I use this and have seen great improvement in all areas of sport, fitness and recovery.
Funk Roberts
Sgt Shanahan shows the warm up elite athletes use to resist injury and achieve ultimate performance. It's simple and very effective. I use this and have seen great improvement in all areas of sport, fitness and recovery.
Funk Roberts
Play it safe, family-safe
Many of our publishers regularly ask what is exactly considered adult or mature content by AdSense policies. It's a lot easier to understand when we speak about family-safe content. As you may already know, only ads classified as family-safe will be displayed on AdSense publisher websites.
Our policy regarding adult or mature content may include any material that is not appropriate for all audiences. While this obviously includes full nudity or sexual activity, it may also include textually explicit sexual content, image or video content containing lewd or provocative poses, strategically covered nudity, see-through or sheer clothing, and close-ups of anatomy that would be inappropriate if shown nude. Additionally, topics such as sexual health and sex tips may be held to a higher standard of professionalism than content that isn't bordering on mature.
While it's not a sure test, we sometimes suggest that publishers ask themselves the following questions to determine if content is family-safe: Would I be comfortable viewing this content with my parents or children in the same room? Would I feel comfortable viewing this content if my boss walked up behind me while I had this content on my screen? If the answer to either of these questions is no, then it is likely that some advertisers would not be comfortable showing their ads on such content and we might consider it mature.
Our policy regarding adult or mature content may include any material that is not appropriate for all audiences. While this obviously includes full nudity or sexual activity, it may also include textually explicit sexual content, image or video content containing lewd or provocative poses, strategically covered nudity, see-through or sheer clothing, and close-ups of anatomy that would be inappropriate if shown nude. Additionally, topics such as sexual health and sex tips may be held to a higher standard of professionalism than content that isn't bordering on mature.
While it's not a sure test, we sometimes suggest that publishers ask themselves the following questions to determine if content is family-safe: Would I be comfortable viewing this content with my parents or children in the same room? Would I feel comfortable viewing this content if my boss walked up behind me while I had this content on my screen? If the answer to either of these questions is no, then it is likely that some advertisers would not be comfortable showing their ads on such content and we might consider it mature.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Help To Start An Online Business
By Luis Galarza - Affiliate Marketing Secret Training Guide Blog
New Poll By The Internet Marketing Center That Ask "How Can We Best Help You To Start An Online Business?" Reveals How New Web Entrepreneurs Want To Learn About Making Money Online!
- 22% of voters answer that they prefer Home Study Programs.
- 20% answer that they will love marketing or business Software to Guide Them through the process.
- 18% of voters prefer real live Examples And Case Studies that show step-by-step how to make money online.
- 16% feel more comfortable with Workshops to Train Them with hands on practice studies.
- 13% already started their online business ventures and got everything they need from Derek's Home Study Internet marketing course "The Insider Secrets To Marketing Your Business On The Internet"
- 12% ask for Monthly Couching Programs to keep up to date with new tested marketing strategies.
To learn how can you be part of the Internet Entrepreneurs Club click here.
To your success,
Luis Galarza, Internet Marketing Consultant
About Author: Luis Galarza is a respectable Internet Marketing and Small Business Consultant in the area of Leominster and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Also, he had teach 100's of entrepreneurs how to make money online without a their own product. For more information about his Free Affiliate Marketing Course.
A proud member of
Free EBook & Limited Time Offers
I have a valuable freebie for you today.
It's from Worldwide Brands, the creators of OneSource. They have the world's largest database of genuine wholesale suppliers and every year they hold workshops for eBay sellers on how to find wholesale products for their eBay business. They recently compiled all of their 2007 eBay workshops into one eBook.
The eBay workshop titles included in the eBook are...
* From Hobby to Home Business
* How to Compete in a Crowded Market
* What is the difference between Liquidation, Closeouts, and Surplus
* Understanding the Basics to Importing Physical Products to Sell
* Building Supplier Relationships is Very Important, Especially for the Holiday Season
You can download it for free here.
It's a great book and I'm sure you'll get a lot of value from it.
Also, if you sell on eBay or plan to in the future, OneSource is a great place to find wholesalers and drop shippers for your eBay auctions.
And there are 2 big reasons you should become a member of OneSource today.
The first reason is right now, they are running a $30 discount to a lifetime membership to OneSource. The discount only lasts until the end of November. It's the lowest price you'll be able to get a lifetime membership to OneSource.
Click here to get the full details on OneSource and get the discount.
The second reason why you should get OneSource is wholesalers have begun offering steep discounts on their products. They are trying to get inventory out of their warehouses before the end of the year, so they won't have to pay taxes on the inventory.
That rarely happens this time of year. But, with the combination of the housing and mortgage market, the low consumer confidence index and wholesalers overestimating retail sales, wholesalers are looking for a way to liquidate goods immediately.
It's a great opportunity to stock up on items to sell right now and for the first quarter of 2008. But you need to take advantage of this now. This window of opportunity closes on December 31st, 2007.
Chris Malta, the founder of Worldwide Brands, explains how you can take advantage of this rare opportunity and buy low from wholesalers and sell high for nice profits in a brief audio. You can listen to his 8-minute audio here.
Enjoy the free eBook and the audio, and we'll see you back here soon.
It's from Worldwide Brands, the creators of OneSource. They have the world's largest database of genuine wholesale suppliers and every year they hold workshops for eBay sellers on how to find wholesale products for their eBay business. They recently compiled all of their 2007 eBay workshops into one eBook.
The eBay workshop titles included in the eBook are...
* From Hobby to Home Business
* How to Compete in a Crowded Market
* What is the difference between Liquidation, Closeouts, and Surplus
* Understanding the Basics to Importing Physical Products to Sell
* Building Supplier Relationships is Very Important, Especially for the Holiday Season
You can download it for free here.
It's a great book and I'm sure you'll get a lot of value from it.
Also, if you sell on eBay or plan to in the future, OneSource is a great place to find wholesalers and drop shippers for your eBay auctions.
And there are 2 big reasons you should become a member of OneSource today.
The first reason is right now, they are running a $30 discount to a lifetime membership to OneSource. The discount only lasts until the end of November. It's the lowest price you'll be able to get a lifetime membership to OneSource.
Click here to get the full details on OneSource and get the discount.
The second reason why you should get OneSource is wholesalers have begun offering steep discounts on their products. They are trying to get inventory out of their warehouses before the end of the year, so they won't have to pay taxes on the inventory.
That rarely happens this time of year. But, with the combination of the housing and mortgage market, the low consumer confidence index and wholesalers overestimating retail sales, wholesalers are looking for a way to liquidate goods immediately.
It's a great opportunity to stock up on items to sell right now and for the first quarter of 2008. But you need to take advantage of this now. This window of opportunity closes on December 31st, 2007.
Chris Malta, the founder of Worldwide Brands, explains how you can take advantage of this rare opportunity and buy low from wholesalers and sell high for nice profits in a brief audio. You can listen to his 8-minute audio here.
Enjoy the free eBook and the audio, and we'll see you back here soon.
MyWorkoutSpot.com
My Friend Juan Caban from New York has launched his new fitness/networking website that links you to people with fitness interests, trainers and information. You need to sign up free and use this site. It's great. I am a trainer on here as well.
Most of us would like to get or stay in shape, and know how tough it can be sometimes when you're working out alone and don’t have a friend/spotter/trainer with you to push you to your max... the solution is MyWorkOutSpot.com
The premise behind MyWorkOutSpot.com is to assist you in reaching your fitness goals by supplying you with all the tools needed to do so, with that said one of our goals is helping you locate a fitness partner in your area; to go to the gym with, run those 2 miles, play any sport, or any other fitness activity you can think of.
One of the truly unique features of MyWorkOutSpot.com is the site can also assist you in finding a Fitness trainer who specializes in your needs... as well as giving you detailed fitness and realistic diet plans to help get you over that plateau we sometimes find ourselves at when trying to reach that next level of fitness. Best of all being a member is completely FREE!! Please check it out. MyWorkOutSpot.com…. It'll take less than 2 minutes to join sign in and take advantage of some really great people who are searching for the same thing as you.... a trainer or workout partner.
Juan J. Caban
Free Network Marketing Leads: Just Ask This One Quesion
There are many ways to generate free networking marketing leads. Tom, BIg Al, Schreiter, is a master in this area. Here is a mini-report I received from him that discusses how you can ask this one question to generate a free network marketing lead:
"I was at a restaurant in Charleroi, Belgium with my friend,
Jean-Philippe. After ordering our drinks, Jean-Philippe
asks the waiter:
"Are you married to your job or are you open-minded?"
Everyone wants to be considered as having an open mind,
so the waiter responds:
"Yes, of course I am open-minded. You know, this
job doesn't pay enough for me."
Jean-Philippe gives the waiter his card and casually says:
"We'll talk later."
This opening sentence opens the door for you. Not only
will the prospect be more receptive to hearing a presentation,
your prospect will also try to give your presentation a fair
hearing.
What more can you ask for?
Simple sentences and questions like this will build
your business. Network marketing leaders work hard on
perfecting these sentences and questions.
Later in the day, Jean-Philippe and I were back at the
same restaurant. The waiter was still working. He was
supposed to get off work hours earlier. And he was busy.
In fact, he was the only waiter and the restaurant was
was very crowded.
When the waiter sees Jean-Philippe, he smiles. He knows
he wants to talk to Jean-Philippe. He is motivated.
So what do you do next?
You could set an appointment to talk to the waiter
when he gets off work. You could give the waiter your
card and tell him you will call later.
Or, you could invite the waiter to a conference call,
an opportunity meeting, or even set an appointment
to visit with your sponsor in person or via a
three-way call.
Maybe you could just give the waiter a CD to listen
to on his way home.
Or, just give the waiter your "One-Minute Presentation"
- and then if he was interested, you could talk more
when the waiter had a break.
If you don't have a good "One-Minute Presentation" -
you can get the no-cost e-course on exactly how to do
it at:
http://www.fortunenow.com/resources/1minute_219.htm
So try using:
"Are you married to your job or are you open-minded?"
And watch your prospects' eyes light up while they
imagine a better life.
Watch your inbox for more amazing, easy sentences from
me that will create new, hot prospects.
- Tom "Big Al" Schreiter
P.S. Don't keep these mini-reports a secret! Plus,
the weekly Big Al Report has more great ideas.
Please tell your networking friends to subscribe
to the Big Al Report. All they have to do is to
go to http://www.FortuneNow.com and fill in
their info."
Do you see how easy it can be to generate free network marketing leads for your mlm business? Why not try this today?!
Fortunes can be made or lost with network marketing. Many of the secrets to profiting with MLM are not written in your company’s training guide. Get the must have training guide at http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=9091
If you are looking for powerful tips, ideas, and secrets about achieving success, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusines
"I was at a restaurant in Charleroi, Belgium with my friend,
Jean-Philippe. After ordering our drinks, Jean-Philippe
asks the waiter:
"Are you married to your job or are you open-minded?"
Everyone wants to be considered as having an open mind,
so the waiter responds:
"Yes, of course I am open-minded. You know, this
job doesn't pay enough for me."
Jean-Philippe gives the waiter his card and casually says:
"We'll talk later."
This opening sentence opens the door for you. Not only
will the prospect be more receptive to hearing a presentation,
your prospect will also try to give your presentation a fair
hearing.
What more can you ask for?
Simple sentences and questions like this will build
your business. Network marketing leaders work hard on
perfecting these sentences and questions.
Later in the day, Jean-Philippe and I were back at the
same restaurant. The waiter was still working. He was
supposed to get off work hours earlier. And he was busy.
In fact, he was the only waiter and the restaurant was
was very crowded.
When the waiter sees Jean-Philippe, he smiles. He knows
he wants to talk to Jean-Philippe. He is motivated.
So what do you do next?
You could set an appointment to talk to the waiter
when he gets off work. You could give the waiter your
card and tell him you will call later.
Or, you could invite the waiter to a conference call,
an opportunity meeting, or even set an appointment
to visit with your sponsor in person or via a
three-way call.
Maybe you could just give the waiter a CD to listen
to on his way home.
Or, just give the waiter your "One-Minute Presentation"
- and then if he was interested, you could talk more
when the waiter had a break.
If you don't have a good "One-Minute Presentation" -
you can get the no-cost e-course on exactly how to do
it at:
http://www.fortunenow.com/resources/1minute_219.htm
So try using:
"Are you married to your job or are you open-minded?"
And watch your prospects' eyes light up while they
imagine a better life.
Watch your inbox for more amazing, easy sentences from
me that will create new, hot prospects.
- Tom "Big Al" Schreiter
P.S. Don't keep these mini-reports a secret! Plus,
the weekly Big Al Report has more great ideas.
Please tell your networking friends to subscribe
to the Big Al Report. All they have to do is to
go to http://www.FortuneNow.com and fill in
their info."
Do you see how easy it can be to generate free network marketing leads for your mlm business? Why not try this today?!
Fortunes can be made or lost with network marketing. Many of the secrets to profiting with MLM are not written in your company’s training guide. Get the must have training guide at http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=9091
If you are looking for powerful tips, ideas, and secrets about achieving success, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusines
Saturday, November 24, 2007
International Shipping Company Service
Today I would like to recommend a new service to you that
will help you with your growing import export business.
PriceBreakShipping.com provides international shipping
company services for both businesss and residential
customers. They provide competitive rates, superior customer
service, and they have gone to the extreme in making the
entire process a breeze.
Not only do they offer container shipping, small box shipping,
and self service shipping, their international agents will
custom tailor their service to meet your specific needs.
Door to door shipping, door to port shipping, crating, or
customs clearing, they will do it all for you.
Their highly trained customer service staff are trained to
assist you in all your international shipping service requests.
Whether you need packing, wrapping, inventory, full service
or limited service, their expert staff will coordinate your
shipment door to door, provide custom crating and on site
rigging for your shipment.
PriceBreak!Shipping global agents are well seasoned and able
to ensure smooth customs clearance for your goods.
Visit their web site today for a free shipping quote that
will save you money and be sure to tell them how you heard
about their great International Shipping Company
services.
will help you with your growing import export business.
PriceBreakShipping.com provides international shipping
company services for both businesss and residential
customers. They provide competitive rates, superior customer
service, and they have gone to the extreme in making the
entire process a breeze.
Not only do they offer container shipping, small box shipping,
and self service shipping, their international agents will
custom tailor their service to meet your specific needs.
Door to door shipping, door to port shipping, crating, or
customs clearing, they will do it all for you.
Their highly trained customer service staff are trained to
assist you in all your international shipping service requests.
Whether you need packing, wrapping, inventory, full service
or limited service, their expert staff will coordinate your
shipment door to door, provide custom crating and on site
rigging for your shipment.
PriceBreak!Shipping global agents are well seasoned and able
to ensure smooth customs clearance for your goods.
Visit their web site today for a free shipping quote that
will save you money and be sure to tell them how you heard
about their great International Shipping Company
services.
Friday, November 23, 2007
A taxing day of holiday shopping
It's Black Friday, so a number of our U.S. publishers are probably burning off last night's turkey right now by running around the mall looking for deals.
If you find time to log in to your AdSense account between holiday shopping trips, please be sure to check that your address and tax information are up-to-date and accurate. This way, we can properly prepare any tax form you're eligible to receive.
You can resubmit or update your tax information by following these steps:
If you find time to log in to your AdSense account between holiday shopping trips, please be sure to check that your address and tax information are up-to-date and accurate. This way, we can properly prepare any tax form you're eligible to receive.
You can resubmit or update your tax information by following these steps:
- Log in to your AdSense account
- Click the My Account tab
- Click the Tax information link
- Follow the instructions on the Tax information page to update your current form, or to submit a new form.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
WHOOT: Another step towards Wotif.com winning the race for Travel.com.au
WHOOT series update - WHoever Owns Outright Travel.com.au
The Offer period for Webjet's run at acquiring Travel.com.au has come to a close and according to the filings this week Webjet has not received any significant acceptances. Webjet ended up with a "relevant interest" in just 20.53% of the stock. Under the pre-acceptance agreement following Webjet's original bid Webjet acquired "relevant interest" in 19.8% of Travel.com.au's shares - being a right to get 19.8% of the stock from lead shareholder Co-Investor if some conditions were met. Those conditions were not met so the pre-acceptance agreement is terminated and the stock stays with Co-Investor. Presumably the gap between the 19.8% and 20.53% in the filing is explained by a small number of acceptances of Webjet's offer.
The Wotif.com offer period closes on December 17 (here is the TVL board recommendation of the Wotif bid - also called the Target's statement).
So unless Webjet (or someone else) makes another bid then they are out of the running for Travel.com.au and we can presume that it will be all quiet on the TVL front until Dec 17. Or can we...?
The Offer period for Webjet's run at acquiring Travel.com.au has come to a close and according to the filings this week Webjet has not received any significant acceptances. Webjet ended up with a "relevant interest" in just 20.53% of the stock. Under the pre-acceptance agreement following Webjet's original bid Webjet acquired "relevant interest" in 19.8% of Travel.com.au's shares - being a right to get 19.8% of the stock from lead shareholder Co-Investor if some conditions were met. Those conditions were not met so the pre-acceptance agreement is terminated and the stock stays with Co-Investor. Presumably the gap between the 19.8% and 20.53% in the filing is explained by a small number of acceptances of Webjet's offer.
The Wotif.com offer period closes on December 17 (here is the TVL board recommendation of the Wotif bid - also called the Target's statement).
So unless Webjet (or someone else) makes another bid then they are out of the running for Travel.com.au and we can presume that it will be all quiet on the TVL front until Dec 17. Or can we...?
New Import Business Resource
Here is a NEW resource that ties in with the
last post about starting your own importing
business.
It is a FREE 26 page Ebook that includes
2007 workshops into one eBook. Just look for
the download banner with the "Workshop Collection
2007" displayed in it.
The workshop titles included in the ebook are...
* From Hobby to Home Business
* How to Compete in a Crowded Market
* What is the difference between Liquidation,
Closeouts, and Surplus
* Understanding the Basics to Importing
Physical Products to Sell
* Building Supplier Relationships is Very
Important Especially for the Holiday Season
You can download it for free here:
http://www.wjln.com/recommends/2007workshops.htm
last post about starting your own importing
business.
It is a FREE 26 page Ebook that includes
2007 workshops into one eBook. Just look for
the download banner with the "Workshop Collection
2007" displayed in it.
The workshop titles included in the ebook are...
* From Hobby to Home Business
* How to Compete in a Crowded Market
* What is the difference between Liquidation,
Closeouts, and Surplus
* Understanding the Basics to Importing
Physical Products to Sell
* Building Supplier Relationships is Very
Important Especially for the Holiday Season
You can download it for free here:
http://www.wjln.com/recommends/2007workshops.htm
Top 5 Brown Foods
by Etella Homhttp://estellahom.blogspot.com/
The colour brown has been associated with a lot of healthy foods. The first thing that comes to mind is fiber. This is the secret to slimming down and getting rid of that unwanted fat. Why? because fiber is digested and slowly released into the bloodstream. This keeps insulin levels low and will prevent blood sugar levels from spiking, which as a result will prevent you body from storing fat.
Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks - to good family, friends, health and of course good food. To commemorate this event and as part of my continuing food colour series, I give you my top 5 brown foods. These are the perfect foods to include as part of a healthy lifestyle and if you haven't already done so, you'll be very thankful that that you did.
1. Whole Grain Bread & Cereals
Carbs are fuel. You crave carbs because your body needs them. The key is to replace your refined (white) grains with whole grains. A grain is considered whole when all three parts – bran, germ and endosperm – are present. Whole grains breads and cereals are low in calories, pack 4x the amount of fiber as refined grains, and are a good source of B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, and iron. Increasing your intake will fight against obesity, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease.
Studies have shown that people who consume more whole grains consistently weigh less than those who consumed fewer whole grain products.
2. Oatmeal
Oatmeal is the breakfast of champions. A perfect start to the day or fuel before an intense weight training session. They are a good source of B vitamins and packed with good balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. This complex carb maintains your energy over a longer period of time and curbs appetite by slowing the absorption of glucose into your bloodstream. Oatmeal contains soluble fiber which will soak up LDL (bad) cholesterol and unwanted fats in the bloodstream and promote weight loss. Buy the unsweetened oats and mix it with milk, fresh fruits, and whey protein powder for the ultimate pre-workout meal.
3. Almonds
A high-fat food that's good for your health? That's right! Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fat found in olive oil, which has been associated with reduced risk of heart disease. Almonds are an excellent source of protein and vitamin E. A quarter-cup contains 7.62 grams-more protein than is provided by the typical egg, which contains 5.54 grams. Almonds make a perfect snack or can be mixed with fresh fruit, yogurt and cereals.
4. Shiitake Mushrooms
Shiitake mushrooms have been used medicinally by the Chinese for over 6,000 years and have long been a symbol of longevity in Asia. Aside from their rich, smoky flavor, these mushrooms have great health-promoting properties. Recent studies have traced shiitakes' legendary benefits to an active compound contained in these mushrooms called lentinan. Its healing benefit includes its ability to power up the immune system, strengthening its ability to fight infection and disease. Shiitake mushrooms also contain an active component called eritadenine which lowers cholesterol levels. These make a great addition to any vegetable stir fry.
5. Dark Chocolate
Yes, chocolate can be good for you! Many studies have found that chocolate contains flavonoids, a type of polyphenol antioxidant, which is known to lower blood pressure. Antioxidents protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, destructive molecules that cause heart disease and other ailments. Dark chocolate contains about eight times the polyphenol antioxidants found in strawberries. Not only is it good for your heart but it also stimulates endorphin production and has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent
Estella Hom
http://estellahom.blogspot.com/
Funk's Dumbbell Week
Dumbbell Training
Nobody ever brags about their best dumbbell chest press, well except me. And you certainly will not see a dumbbell dead lift listed in the record books any time soon, but maybe you should!
Fact is, I love dumbbell exercises as they force you to isolate your muscles more and exhibit better form. I have even gone so far as to go an entire week only using dumbbell exercises. You can also pretty much ensure that you will not have to wait for machines or squats racks, etc. So let’s take a look at something I call Funk’s Dumbbell Week.
Monday
Dumbbell Chest Presses - 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Dumbbell Flyes – 4 sets for 10 to 12 reps
Dumbbell Calf Raises (standing on blocks) 4 sets for 15 reps
Tuesday
Dumbbell Squats – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Incline Dumbbell Bicep Curls – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Monday
Dumbbell Chest Presses - 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Dumbbell Flyes – 4 sets for 10 to 12 reps
Dumbbell Calf Raises (standing on blocks) 4 sets for 15 reps
Tuesday
Dumbbell Squats – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Incline Dumbbell Bicep Curls – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Dumbbell Wrist Curls - 4 sets for 12 reps
Wednesday
Rest
Thursday
Dumbbell Shoulder Presses – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Dumbbell Bent Over Rows – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Friday
Dumbbell French Curls – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Dumbbell Lunges – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Saturday
Dumbbell Shrugs 4 sets for 12 reps
Wednesday
Rest
Thursday
Dumbbell Shoulder Presses – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Dumbbell Bent Over Rows – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Friday
Dumbbell French Curls – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Dumbbell Lunges – 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Saturday
Dumbbell Shrugs 4 sets for 12 reps
Dumbbell Sstiff Legged Deadlift 4 sets for 10 to 15 reps
Abs – decline crunch with dumbbell
Sunday
Day off
Oh by the way my all-time dumbbell chest press high, is 130lbs for 5 reps!
Abs – decline crunch with dumbbell
Sunday
Day off
Oh by the way my all-time dumbbell chest press high, is 130lbs for 5 reps!
DON’T RUSH THE BEAT!
Turkey Day
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our U.S. publishers! We'd like to give thanks to all of our blog readers for your continued support, and we hope you have a safe and happy holiday weekend.
We'll be out of the office enjoying turkey (and then cold turkey sandwiches) until Monday the 26th. While it may take us longer to reply to your emails, feel free to visit the AdSense Help Center or consult other publishers in the AdSense Help Forum for answers to your questions.
Top Enterprise Impediments - Part 2
This post is a continuation of the previous post on Top Enterprise Impediments. Here we add 3 more impediments.
No or minimal Business commitment
No or minimal Business commitment
This problem recurs and recurs. It derives in part from the Business people viewing Lean-Agile as a Technology initiative. It also derives from the Business people believing in magic. Not understanding what Technologists really do, they “give up” and just hand off stuff to Technology to “just go do it”.
First, we need to recognize that the Business side is unlikely to commit to something unless someone asks them to, and points out the value of committing. Like everyone, they are busy and they need to be convinced that the Lean-Agile initiative needs to be on their plate.
The problem also derives from the Business people having a lack of focus, or being driven by their managers from one thing to another, so that they must lack focus. Example: One business person is not able to be a consistent Product Owner to a small team due to his manager’s lack of focus.
The Business people who really understand, who understand the problem the team needs to address and the real needs of the customers, are extraordinarily valuable. If the value of them playing with the Technology team members is not continually made visible, they or their managers will often forget. (I am reminded of the Dylan song "What was it you wanted?", covered by Willie Nelson.)
And, based solely on experience, we know that teams with active business side Product Owners, who are participating roughly half of each day with the Team, these teams are the most successful, and are most productive in producing business value quickly. This is not just my personal experience, but the experience of many many people using Lean-Agile in many firms and situations.
Lack of appreciation of the change effortMany managers seem to think that once something is “decided” it naturally sticks and happens. But the facts are that Lean-Agile is a major mind shift for everyone, and particularly for some people. These people think they get it, but they do not, and every other word betrays that they do not, even as they say that they do.
Lean-Agile is also a big change for the culture of all firms that I have worked with (and this is confirmed in discussions with all the coaches I meet). Each culture wants to revert to some “natural” state, and that state is not Lean-Agile. I will guess at the main cause: Lean-Agile is just a little bit too transparent for comfort. There are other causes as well.
Moving the waterfall mindset and replacing it are extremely difficult. Many key tenets of waterfall thinking are deeply embedded in all of us, and, as with smoking, those old habits do not go away just because we “decided” to stop. Toyota has gotten good acceptance of Lean after decades of work in changing its culture. And that work continues.
So changing people’s core habits is an enormous struggle. What is delightful is that even a minimal change (and the use of some core practices) almost immediately enables most teams to be more effective than they were before. How remarkable!
Perhaps more to the point, every culture will contain people who will seriously resist the change. They will nod their heads, but subconsciously or even consciously, they will resist. There are many reasons for this and many types of games that are played. This is normal, expectable, and in some ways not to be blamed. Arguably the struggle at the level of the middle managers’ (between the advocates and the resisters) is the key “event” that will determine whether an enterprise will really “go” Lean-Agile or not.
No or minimal embedded culture for managing impediments incrementally
All firms have some de facto approach to dealing with problems. While some of the approaches may not be official or even very effective, some problems must at least be addressed. So, in some sense, every firm has some kind of impediments management approach.
Lean-Agile asks the firm to go to a higher level. First, it asks the firm to focus on improving the fast delivery of business value, and specifically the velocity of its Lean-Agile teams. Anything that is slowing that stuff down is an impediment. Anything!
So, Lean-Agile demands a relentless honesty about all of our problems. In fact, our biggest problems. Some managers want to blame people as soon as they hear of a problem, so you immediately see that this does not breed a good impediment management culture. ("My system is perfect, but it's those darn workers who aren't doing it right.")
Beyond the identification of impediments (typically by the Lean-Agile teams), managers (and the culture) need to learn more rigorous ways of prioritizing and taking action on the impediments. This is often a significant shift.
And not an easy one. Impediments come in all shapes and sizes. People issues, compensation issues, training issues, Corporate Real Estate issues, Build issues, Testing issues, etc, etc. Some of these require significant investment. An investment that is only justified if the problem is big enough, which might be proved, for example, if many teams are experiencing the same problem. Getting the visibility into how many teams are affected by a given problem often requires a culture shift in the way impediments are handled.
Another part of the culture shift is the approach of continuous improvement. Many firms start with an attitude of “I want to fix it once and for all”. Classic waterfall thinking. So they do not take the opportunity to fix an impediment partially, and then look and see if it remains the biggest impediment after the smaller, quicker fix.
* * *
If we only had these 6 impediments fixed, Lean-Agile adoption might be easy sailing. But, easy or hard, it's worth the effort.
If we only had these 6 impediments fixed, Lean-Agile adoption might be easy sailing. But, easy or hard, it's worth the effort.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Video: Imagine you could see all of the flights into, out of and around the US in one video
Well you can - watch the below from Aaron Koblin. Found it on New York Times Site. Koblin has more at his site here
Who would have thought there was an artistic angle to the US aviation industry.
Who would have thought there was an artistic angle to the US aviation industry.
ARE YOU SORE THE MORNING AFTER A WORKOUT?
HERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO BE LESS SORE IN THE MORNING
Cardio
Cardio 10-20 minutes postworkout
Stretch 10-15 minutes after cardio
Supplement
400-800 IU Vitamin E and 1-2 g Vitamin C
Ice Massage
10-15 minutes before bed
Try this and you'll find yourself ready to hit the gym as soon as you wake up.
Funk Roberts
Supplement
400-800 IU Vitamin E and 1-2 g Vitamin C
Ice Massage10-15 minutes before bed
Try this and you'll find yourself ready to hit the gym as soon as you wake up.
Funk Roberts
On turkeys and giving thanks
It's that time of year again. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the US, and we'd like to take a moment to thank you for your continuous support and readership. Before we take the next couple of days off, we'd like to share with you our latest blog doodle -- you may even notice a cameo appearance by a certain hand turkey from last year!
We hope you'll have a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
We hope you'll have a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
MLM Tool: My Story on How I Found A Free Tool to Build A Successful MLM Home Based Business.
As I grew older, this enjoyment of helping others, especially young people, guided me to become a licensed clinical social worker and behavior specialist for young people with developmental disabilities. While my job can be challenging, it also has great rewards when I see a young person make significant progress in their life.
Some years ago, I began to think about earning residual income from home. The book, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kyiosaki, and other books that I read, increased my desire and excitement to take action and find a good home based business opportunity. So, I became involved in networking marketing. This was an easy decision for me since Kyiosaki recommended it and it fit my desire to help others.
At first, I was excited about being a network marketing distributor with a well-known company. But after a time, I began to encounter some difficulty. It seemed that advice I was given was not working. I was told to make a list of my friends and family, and buy leads. There also didn’t seem to be a system in place or a mlm tool that anyone could use successfully to build their business.. Something seemed to be missing and I wasn’t sure what it was. I struggled for about a year and then just gave up and quit out of sheer frustration.
One day after joining a internet social networking site, I found a friend. I shared with this friend my experience and my “why”; why I still desired to earn residual income from home. He began to teach me about the mlm business without pitching me on his company or any other company. My friend told me it wasn’t my fault that I had failed and introduced me to a system he uses successfully that is not based on selling. My friend said that this system provides unconditional support with an emphasis on helping others become successful in their business; that is educates people on the MLM industry with no strings attached.
What’s also cool about this is that you can have lots of fun doing it. I can still do all the things I enjoy in my personal life, plus I can help and teach others what I learn and do so they can be successful too.
So, this is my story about a mlm tool, which is a free system called Mentoring for Free, that I found to help me successfully build my mlm home-based business. This system has changed my life and business. I wish you success in yours as well.
If you are looking for powerful tips, ideas, and secrets about achieving success, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusines
Amazon Kindle Means Opportunity For Ebook Marketing Entrepreneurs
By Luis Galarza - Internet Marketing BeginnersMany Don't Like The Amazon Kindle Idea. But, Open Minded Online Information Marketers See This New Change In The Book Industry As An Income Opportunity!
How many ebooks can you sell if your customers can buy them and download them in just a few minutes from purchase directly to their Amazon book wireless book reader (Kindle).
Think about it?
To learn more how to have your own SEO Lab working for you 24/7 by clicking here.
To your success,
Luis Galarza, Internet Marketing Consultant
About Author: Luis Galarza is a respectable Internet Marketing and Small Business Consultant in the area of Leominster and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Also, he had teach 100's of entrepreneurs how to make money online without a their own product. For more information about his Free Affiliate Marketing Course.
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Searching your account for AdSense for content and referrals?
Since the launch of AdSense for search in Indonesian and Vietnamese, many publishers have requested that AdSense for content and referrals be added to their accounts. Unfortunately, we can't do that, since we're not yet able to support these options in Indonesian or Vietnamese. Please rest assured that we're working to offer them in the future.
In light of this, some publishers with AdSense for search accounts have contacted us requesting additional accounts in languages that support AdSense for content and referrals. However, according to our Terms and Conditions, publishers aren't permitted to maintain multiple accounts under the same payee name.
Thanks for your patience in the meantime -- we'll be sure to announce any additional product offerings right here on the blog.
In light of this, some publishers with AdSense for search accounts have contacted us requesting additional accounts in languages that support AdSense for content and referrals. However, according to our Terms and Conditions, publishers aren't permitted to maintain multiple accounts under the same payee name.
Thanks for your patience in the meantime -- we'll be sure to announce any additional product offerings right here on the blog.
China News - eLong down, Ctrip up and Qunar in the money
Round of news coming out of the online travel scene in China tells and interesting story:
- Number 2 player eLong posted its Q3 results. Good news started and ended with an reported increase in revenue. Bad news was that revenue was only up 12% and losses have widened from RMB2.7mm (USD365k) in Q3 06 to RMB 7.4mm (USD1mm) in Q3 07. Stock is almost half it was a year ago. New CEO Cui Guangfu has a big job ahead of them to catch up with...
- Ctrip posted a great result this quarter - beating expectations - announcing an almost doubling of profits to USD15mm for the quarter on revenues of $46mm. In a clear dig at eLong, Ctrip attributed a lot of the credit for the results to rising travel demand. Shares are similarly moving the opposite direction to eLong. But any possible conflict in signals about the market from the different results between number one and number two in China did not dissuade...
- Lehman Brothers Private Equity Partners dropped $10mm into local meta search player Qunar.com. It was Qunar's second round of funding. First round was in the $2-3mm range with Mayfield leading that round. UPDATE - here is the alarm:clock story including information that Qunar founders Douglas Khoo, CC Zhuang, and Fritz Demopoulos had previously founded and sold the CSEEK search engine to News Corporation and founded and sold the Shawei.com portal to The Tom Group.
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