We all know the many “free” traffic producing avenues. We all know about free classified ads, traffic exchanges, web site submitters, banner exchanges, link exchanges, but how many of you have ever thought of this FREE traffic avenue! In the past I have tried, I think, every free method of advertising, and have also had some success with the variety of free advertising resources. I have also tried different paid advertising sources. They have been very effective in building my business, but many times have proven to costly,especially when you are just starting out in a new business. So I was always on a quest to find new and better ways to advertise. Then I met a person on line with the secret!!

Now, your probably wondering what I could possibly be referring to when I claim to have a source of free advertising that is not commonly practiced. What could I possibly be doing to bring traffic to my website that many other marketers are not prating. What do I know that most of you don’t know. Well, I am going to give you the secret right now!

Some time ago, I met a person who was pretty effective in online advertising. After many email correspondences, and being told of all the free ways to advertise, he confided in me. He told me one of the most effective, and FREE, ways to advertise your business is to write articles. At that time I thought he was crazy!! Writing articles? How on earth can writing articles promote my business? After I corresponded with this person, I discovered the “how” in my question. He gave me alot of incite into this method of adverting. Now I will share this knowledge with you!

Here is the hidden source of traffic in writing an article. When I have completed the article, I write a few sentences about myself and include my website address or email address. (Please see bottom of this article for an example.) Ok, what do I do after I write an article? There are many ezine owners that would love to print your article. Search out ezines that would fit the category in which your article would be of interest to the readers. Contact the owner. Or you can find places that you can submit your article to which is like a data base for ezine owners to go to when looking for content for their newsletter.

Secondly, there are webmasters who would love to put your article on their site. By using your article, they don’t have to do all the “pencil pushing” work, and they get good content for the web site. If the have a good web site, with alot of good info then they will get more visitors, and happy visitors at that! Meanwhile these people will read your article and some of them will visit your web site. In this way, you are giving something to someone and getting something in return….FREE traffic. Placing these articles in as many places as you can find will increase the number of visitors to your site.

What can you write about? Anything!! Write about anything you can. Maybe you have some good cooking tips. Write an article about your tips. Find appropriate web sites, newsletters, and ezines to submit the article to. Or maybe you are a mechanic, and can give some do it yourself tips. Write out your tips, and again find appropriate places to submit your article to. Maybe you don’t feel like you have anything to write about. How about the vacation spot you visited last summer? Write a review! You see there is so much information on the web. There are so many sites looking for content about such a variety of topics, you can write about anything and find places to submit your article.

Now stop and think about it! If you know anything about ezines, you will know some of them have 1,000’s and 10’s of thousands of readers. Some may only have hundreds of readers, but multiple that by 5 or 10 and the number of folks being exposed to your web site is quite alot! Now maybe your are starting to see why writing articles are such a good source of free traffic! So Get Started!

Gather your thoughts

Write out notes

Check your spelling and grammar

Write using details and descriptive word.

Search for editors and webmasters wanting your article

Submit you article to the databases

Place the article on your own web page and advertise the free info!

Be creative

I hope this information has been helpful to you. I hope you will put this information to work for you. I hope you will discover for yourself the wonderful marketing tool writing articles can be for you. Above all I hope you can look back one day and say like I do, “Boy am I glad that guy shared this information with me!” I am so thankful for that person taking the time to teach me about writing articles. He spent time and effort teaching me. Now I hope with the time and effort I have taken to write this, I have taught you something you will appreciate.

Please keep in mind, the keep to be a success in any business you need patience! A business takes time to grow.You must be willing to stick with it. Begin your business with giving it at least 1 year. One full year of dedicated commitment.

Some years ago, the company website was nothing more than a marketing plaything, but these days, it is so much more than just a toy. As a matter of fact, it has become an important part of the whole operation of most business with an online front; in some cases, it has even become a bigger business compared to the existing non-internet business. However, competition is prevalent in the online world, due to the fact that it is not very hard to set up a virtual store front (the website) and that the internet is a not-so-expensive way to reach potential customers. For you to actually earn from the internet business opportunity that you took hold of, you have to know what to do, and what you are getting yourself into.

It is only normal to desire financial freedom. However, you should be careful especially in matters were you are supposed to shell out cash (e.g. financing an internet business). Here are a few things that you might want to ask yourself when presented with an internet business opportunity.

What Are You Paying For?

Find out what is actually being sold. Is it something you can resell? Or is the permission to resell (sometimes called distributorship)? If you say yes to the second question, some warning bell should ring at the back of your head. The thing is, if distributorship is being sold, it means that you would be a middleman of some sort. You have to find out how far are you from the ‘mother company’. If you are way far, then why not talk to them yourself and find out how you can get rid of the middleman and strike out on your own. There is no easy way to do this, though, especially if you do not know about web 2.0 how-tos such as web design, meta tags, etc. You might be tempted to take the offer that would promise you income the easy way. But let’s face it. Serious money takes serious work. Some people claim to earn huge amounts of money without so much as lifting a finger. Well, that is possible, if the company you established is already standing on solid ground and you can afford to hire people.

What do you Know?

The thing is there are a lot of ways to earn income on the web. You can engage in direct marketing and sell your own products and services. You can try an affiliate program and generate traffic and sales for someone else. If you are really good at what you are doing, you can even sell your expertise. You can also try Freebie Trading. Another way is for you to establish an online outsourcing firm to provide services for other websites. But the thing is you have to learn the inner workings of internet marketing. Before you even think about clicking on that link on an email you received regarding some internet business opportunity, you have to at least know how you can do it, and how you can do it well. Otherwise, you just might end up wasting money - either by being duped or by setting up a website that no one would even want to glance at.

A final note: before taking an internet business opportunity offer seriously, please take trouble to double check the background of whoever is making the offer since you would probably be asked for a fee. When it comes to making money and parting with money, one can never be too careful.

I find the other writer in this category to be petty, ridiculous, and irresponsible, amongst other things. But I’ll write about the subject itself, not the author of the other article.

First, when you go to self-checkout, don’t have a ton of items. Let a cashier with a conveyor belt, the turn-around of bags, etc. handle large orders. Believe me, you’re better off waiting an extra 5-10 minutes in line for your turn in the cashier line than trying to process 6-8 bags of groceries all by yourself in the tiny space given at a self-checkout. Know when self-checkout is appropriate and when it is not to begin with.

As you wait for your turn (if you have to), get prepared! Put whatever discount cards, coupons, and pay methods in an easily-accessible pocket so you don’t have to fumble around when it comes time to pay up.

Next, scan in an organized, planned fashion so bagging can be organized and planned too. Take care of your biggest items first and put them in the bottom of the bags or to the side. Then get your smaller/more delicate items in last. This will make the processing of your order faster because you won’t be rearranging your bags every time you put another item in (making the people in line have to wait more).

When you pay, hopefully you followed the second step and planned ahead. Whether you did or not, be quick and simple about paying so you can get out of there (everyone behind you and no doubt you yourself wants you to ASAP). As soon as you pay, grab your bags and put them in your cart or hold onto them. You can get this done while your receipt prints, take your receipt, and leave!

Was it really that hard? If so, I feel sorry for you. Maybe you’re inexperienced with these things. Not to worry; with practice you quickly become more efficient. If you are among the self-checkout veterans but the machine wanted to be difficult (e.g. required cashier clearance at almost every step, coin slot jammed, etc), consider using one of the other 3 machines next time. If you frequently encounter errors almost every time, either figure out what you’re doing wrong and try to do better, or if you can’t find any faults with your own actions, complain about the machines to management.

Most people like self-checkout because they don’t have to interact with a cashier and can usually get through checkout a little faster. Give it some time and you may come to agree.

Cusomer Service Equals Performance Equals Service

Customer Service can be described as a “performance” of some kind involving two parties, whereby one party is the benefactor and the other party is the performing party receiving some type of monetary payment. The value of the Customer Service depends on the personal experience of the benefactor. When I looked it up in Webster’s, there it was at #11 out of 31 definitions. The payment part was not included, but the key word mentioned was “performance.”

As I relate this to restaurants, it’s so easy to see why dining room customer service is excellent training for actors, since they’re performing all of the time. There might be days when their energy level is low, yet they are still expected to perform in the show on stage at night. It is not much different for dining room service staff whose livelihood depends quite a bit on how they look and act before many people on any night. The word “performance” makes a lot of sense when relating it to other Service fields such as medical, legal, financial, and armed; even in religion they have prayer services.

With increased human knowledge and modern inventions, the term “Customer Service” has evolved over time. Whenever a new technology is invented, an array of “services” develops making it accessible to the general public. Its success depends upon product “performance” and the product-related “Customer Services performance.” Whether it is a bulb to make a room bright or a flying machine that sends people around the world faster, the need for developed services attached to new technologies does create jobs.

Even at the computer we dial up our Internet “Service” Provider to gain access to the information highway. The instantaneous delivery of sorted out information within seconds is now the norm. Proper navigation “performance” (that word again) allow us to surf the World Wide Web, streamlining information at our fingertips. ” With improved search engine technology, the return of consumer searches has become more categorically specific, proving that better performance results in better Customer Service.

Take a look around and you will notice Service performances touch every part of our daily lives - many of which are taken for granted.

It’s that time of year.

This is when we all start getting those emails that want to steal our secret codes and passwords. You know the ones: “Your Account Is About To Be Closed,” “There’s A Block On Your Account,”, “Congratulations – You’ve Won The Lottery (that you never entered).”and my favorite “Could You Help Me Claim My Funds?”.

This is also the time of year when we start shopping for gifts and the last thing you need is for your bank or credit card accounts to be stolen by “cyber grifters”. They are counting on some of us to follow the instructions in the email.

First and foremost, DON’T FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE EMAIL! If you think there might be a problem, access the account in question as you normally do on your PC and not with the link supplied in the phony email.

I’ve had some very authentic looking email supposedly from banks, that even went so far as to copy the colors of the bank logo and stationery style. But, don’t fall for the scam. In fact, don’t even open the email, because many are just set to loose a virus program on your computer by being opened. Simply forward the suspicious email to the “spoof email” address supplied by your bank, or credit card company.

Identity Theft is a worldwide epidemic. According to the Better Business Bureau and Javelin Research, almost 9 million Americans fell prey to identity theft this year with fraud costing businesses and individuals over $56 billion dollars.

There are ways to reduce your chances of identity theft:

1. Understand debit card dangers: When it comes to fraud, debit cards carry much greater personal liability than credit cards, depending on how quickly you report the loss of the card. If you fail to report unauthorized use within 60 days of receiving your bank statements, you could lose all the money in the account and be held responsible for the amount of money that has been tapped from your line of credit.

2. Rethink check writing: That little slip of paper has way too much information. Some experts advise against check writing because it gives away your address, bank account number, signature and license number to complete strangers. On top of that, there’s no federal legislation to limit your liability for forged checks (each state has its own set of rules). Experts advise that you look into automating your bill paying.

3. Secure your mail: Your mailbox is a goldmine of information. Between bank statement, bills, and all those pre-approved credit card offers, your mailbox is loaded with personal data which identity thieves can use to easily apply for a credit card in your name. Unless you diligently check your credit report, you may never even know about it. One way to avoid this is to have your mailbox under lock and key, but most of us in Santa Clarita have our mailboxes at the curb in front of our house and the postman frowns on carrying dozens and dozens of keys around. The other solution is to have a rented mailbox, or to foil “dumpster-diving” thieves by buying a shredder and destroy documents before discarding.

4. Go virtual: For shopping online, there are “virtual” card numbers. These are randomly generated credit card numbers that are disposable and that on-line shoppers use once and throw away. It’s linked directly to your real credit card account so purchases show up on your monthly bill. The service is easy to use – and it’s FREE! All you need to do is register with companies offering the virtual card, and they are MBNA, Discover, and Citigroup.

5. Create an emergency identity kit: Would you know how to contact your credit card company in an emergency? Create an emergency kit that contains: your account number, expiration date, issuing company name, and emergency contact number for each card you own. While you’re at it, make copies of your driver’s license, social security card, birth certificate and passport and store them in a locked box or file cabinet, or a safe deposit box. I like the safe deposit box best, because this gives you protection in the event of a catastrophe such as fire, earthquake, etc.

This may all seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but if you’re ever the victim of identity theft – even just once – you’ll realize that it’s well worth the effort.

Many of us forget that were it not for what we carry in our wallets or in our purses, we’re all John and Jane Doe’s if we can’t speak due to injury or are unaccompanied by someone who knows us. How much less stressful is it to know that in a bank box, no matter where you are, there are items that can verify your identity. Better to be safe, than sorry!

Here’s my ten ways to save money when you have kids !

1. Take them to parks instead of shopping malls. If they don’t see the temptations, they don’t want them. If they don’t want them, no temper tantrums to deal with, no fighting with yourself over whether or not to spend the money to keep them quiet etc. Just avoid getting into potential trouble in the first place.

2. Watch DVDs instead of turning on the TV. You get to control what they watch. You don’t have to worry about adult advertisements coming on at the wrong time. You don’t have to worry about commercials telling them what they really need to get you to buy for them.

3. Borrow books from the library instead of buying them. How many times do you really want to read Piggywiggy goes to Space anyway ? Also saves you having to move to a bigger house because you have run out of storage space for the books.

4. Return your DVDs and library books on time ! Don’t waste money on fines !

5. Kids don’t really have to be in branded clothes. The in-house brands are perfectly acceptable. They outgrow them so quickly anyway.

6. For that matter, kids don’t need new clothes all the time. Go to garage sales, learn to shop on e-bay, heck, accept hand-me-downs and be grateful. who knows, you can get some really good branded stuff for less than what you would pay for a new no-brand suit !

7. Get toys with multiple functions. I find blocks, legos or those things that allow kids to link things are great. That way, when they go through a train phase, a gun phase, a car phase, a castle phase, a sea creature phase, or whatever, they just build the toys they want !

8. Be creative ! Kids usually prefer the boxes that their presents came in anyway. Use old boxes, paper, egg cartons, whatever. Make toys with them. They play just as long with them as the train set you spent $100 on.

9. Don’t use toys as bribes or rewards. Think of other things they like. Offer a trip to the zoo, bake a cake with them or something.

10. Put them to work. Mine aren’t old enough to realise the difference between play and work so getting to mop the floor with a real wet mop is a real treat ! They’ve spent hours just with a little bucket and their own cloths wiping up things.

To get the best instant auto insurance on the internet is not difficult but also it is not easy. To get the best online auto insurance on the internet you have to get quotes from as many auto insurance companies as you can and then you choose the best auto insurance company that can give the best auto insurance rates with the best policies. To do this it looks like that it is very easy and not difficult. But if you know the fact, doing that think is not that easy like it looks like.

You need to submit your personal information on each auto insurance companies website. If you want to get quotes from as many auto insurance companies on the internet as you can, then at least you have to submit your personal information 20 times. You will waste much of your time. How ever doing it online is faster than doing it manually (visiting the store or the office of auto insurance companies). But there is still much better way to get quotes from auto insurance companies online, you can visit carinsurancerates.com. On the web site you just need to submit your personal information once. Then the site will automatically search the best auto insurance companies that suits the best with you. This is a better way to get quotes.

Buying a small business for sale is a much different purchase than a larger, more complex mergers & acquisition transaction. A small business purchase is based on sound financials but it is also based on the right fit with the buyer. Compatibility with the company for sale is critical to the success of the venture.

This article will explore some of the things to think about if you are considering buying a small business.

Is the business right for you?

Often, buyers of smaller businesses will go through the process of buying a company and be focused on the financials (which are important), the due diligence process and the actual work involved in buying a small business. The first day after the deal closes can be a moment of panic, excitement – or a combination of the two. When you are working with a business broker, looking for a business to buy, please take the time to reflect on what you really want to do. Can you really see yourself working in a business that you own and putting in significant hours as the owner & operator? Running a small business can be quite labour intensive. Oftentimes, a buyer is replacing a job and is looking for an entrepreneurial venture to focus their attention on. Whatever the case may be, please take the time to consider carefully if the business truly is right for you. You’ll be glad that you did.

Does your family support the venture?

When a person buys a small business, it is a major commitment in time, money, energy, and risk. It requires perseverance to succeed. Take the time to have a conversation with your family to get a true sense on what their feelings are about the investment. Buying a small business will affect everyone in the family so please get every member’s input before you make the investment.

Are you comfortable with the risk?

Buying a business does require a level of risk to be assumed by the purchaser. After all of the due diligence is completed and all the identified risks are mitigated as best as possible, there still remains a level of business risk that must be assumed. The final leap of faith when buying a business is difficult for some investors and they get ‘cold feet’ at the last instance. Before you start looking for a business to buy, do an honest assessment to discover if you are ok with the risk involved with business ownership.

How well do you know the market?

Buying a business is a long process that can take several months of searching until the right business opportunity is found. Sometimes, a “right” business is found that is in the right industry but not the right geography. Sometimes this is ok but sometimes extra caution must be taken. For instance, the process of buying a restaurant business in Toronto, Ontario is much different than buying one in other parts of Ontario – even in a relatively large city like Hamilton. A business buyer from the GTA might be searching for small businesses in Toronto but discover one that fits in all ways but is located in Burlington instead. Although the buyer may be familiar with running such a venture, the markets are much different so it is important to do your homework on the area, competition and other local factors. Also, when you buy a business in another city please take into account such factors as the commute, as this could impact your quality of life.

Buying a business is a journey that requires financial prudence but also one that requires some insight into yourself and what you are looking for from the venture. Be honest with yourself and take the time to consider all the variables – not just selling price and the bottom line.

Case Emphasizes Importance of Providing Clear Notice of Change of Online Terms

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held that the proposed modification of an online terms of service agreement which was simply posted on the company’s web site, was not effective against a company’s customer who had no notice that the terms had changed (Douglas v.

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, 9th Cir., No. CV-06-03809, 7/18/07). The recent case questions the common practice of many companies to merely post revised terms on their web sites and emphasizes the importance of taking steps to provide existing customers with clear notice of material changes to online agreements.

Facts of the Underlying Case:
The plaintiff had entered into an agreement with America Online Inc. (”AOL”) for the provision of long distance telephone service. AOL subsequently sold its long distance telephone service to a third company called Talk America Inc. (”Talk America”). Upon purchasing this business, Talk America made several changes to the services agreement that was to be binding upon its customers. Among the significant changes, Talk America imposed additional charges on its customers, required its customers to waive their right to bring any class action against the company, required its customers to assent to an arbitration provision and to agree to a choice-of-law provision that would designate New York law as the governing law of the agreement.

Following the changes to the agreement, the plaintiff continued to use the services of Talk America for a period of four years without any objection. Upon become aware of the additional charges, however, the plaintiff filed a class action lawsuit, claiming various federal and state-law causes of action. Citing the arbitration clause in the revised services agreement, Talk America made a motion to compel arbitration. The lower court granted the motion, and the plaintiff appealed.

Decision and Legal Reasoning:
Before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the plaintiff contended that Talk America had changed the service contract without notifying him. The lower court dispensed with this argument by observing that Talk America made the service contract available on its Web site which the plaintiff could have accessed and read should he had wished to understood the terms under which he was receiving the services. On appeal, the plaintiff contended that because the monthly charges were charged automatically

to his credit card, he did not have occasion to visit the provider’s web site each month. The lower court did not address this argument of the plaintiff. The Ninth Circuit addressed it, and then dismissed it, contending that even if the plaintiff had visited Talk America’s Web site to pay his monthly bill, he would have had no reason or obligation - to look at the service contract posted there.

The court contended: “Parties to a contract have no obligation to check the terms on a periodic basis to learn whether they have been changed by the other side.”

The court relied upon traditional principles of contract law, contending that a party to a contract cannot unilaterally change the terms of the deal without obtaining the party’s consent to doing so. The court rejected Talk America’s contention that the plaintiff had agreed to the service contract changes by continuing to use Talk America’s services, emphasizing the lack of notice. The court contended that even if continued use of service could be deemed to be assent to the contract changes, as has been held by some courts, such assent could only be inferred after the plaintiff received proper notice of the changes. Unfortunately, the court did not provide detail on what “proper notice” might be.

Lessons Learned
The case really emphasizes the importance of providing users with sufficient notice of changes to services agreements. While the court did not detail the components of proper notice of changes, the court did distinguish two district court opinions that had been relied upon by the lower court. In one of the prior cases, the customer was advised by mail that she could see the new terms online or call the service provider to learn about them and in the other case, the customer received the modified contract in the mail. In addition, each of the distinguished cases involved new customers. This was a key fact in the court’s view, as new customers would be on notice that they were required to assent to contract terms as condition of using the service.

Given that the defendant in this case changed the terms of service contracts that had been put into place by the company from which it had purchased the business, the case also emphasizes the importance of conducting proper and thorough due diligence when purchasing an existing business. Prospective purchasers are advised to review the service agreements of the business that they are purchasing and consider whether the terms of those agreements are acceptable to the purchasing entity. Where the terms are unacceptable, the purchasing entity will need to develop a strategy for revising the terms in a manner that will be enforceable.

Sending jobs offshore is a sensitive subject in the US, but despite the political fallout from outsourcing, many businesses continue to engage in this practice. This is because from a business standpoint, outsourcing helps maximize profitability and provides an avenue for the business to grow.

Outsourcing occurs when a company opts to send business processes to another company, usually overseas, to handle the task.

Many companies perceive this as very beneficial because it is cost effective and allows their staff to focus on core competencies rather than invest time, energy and money into processes another business can easily handle for them because no specialized skill set is required.

One controversial aspect of outsourcing is when a company decides to outsource customer service. While outsourcing is often a pretty feasible idea from a business standpoint, a company should carefully consider which processes they are going to outsource. Customer service is a risky process to outsource for many reasons.

Here are a few of the top reasons why outsourcing customer service is risky and why companies should think twice about outsourcing their customer service systems:

*Quality of Customer Service

A business knows their customers best. Outsourcing customer service to another company, especially one thousands of miles away, is a disservice to customers. Customers want to know the people they are talking to thoroughly understand their needs, wants and requirements.

The best people to offer this kind of customer support are front line employees located within the business, not an outsourced company who has been given prompts to answer questions employees really don’t understand or have experience in. A customer wants to receive direct and excellence in response; this can happen best if answers are given directly from the business who serves them.

*First Point of Contact

A business considering outsourcing customer service should think about who they want on the front line and as a first point of contact to customers.

While outsourced employees are somewhat of a stakeholder in the business, this isn’t their priority because chances are their company handles more than one businesses’ customer service and they are doing a balancing act trying to satisfy all of the businesses, which isn’t necessarily in the best interest of the customer.

On the other hand, onsite employees who work for the business a customer has purchased from have a direct stake in whether or

not the business grows and flourishes.

Who would be the better first point of contact for a customer, someone with a direct interest and knowledge about the company’s operations or someone who has been hired to do a job with preapproved scripts?

*Language Barriers

There are only so many scenarios a business can write prompts for, and chances are more frequently than not customers will ask questions which cannot effectively be addressed by fabricated standardized answers.

Optimum customer service will be able to answer questions on the fly which are unexpected. They’ll also be knowledgeable in how to address them, and if they don’t know the answer, they’ll know where to find out and get back to a customer quickly.

Language barriers can be a hindrance in the customer service process because a customer wants an immediate, or at least relatively quick, answer. They aren’t going to want to go around in circles trying to get answers which can’t effectively be addressed and/or left with unresolved questions.

*Length of Hold Time

Since outsourced customer service entails calls being transferred thousands of miles away, the hold time can be lengthy by the time a customer service representative can answer the call. Many businesses who have outsourced customer service found wait times were often 30 minutes or more and then calls often transferred which entailed more hold time.

This is unacceptable as a norm for a call to be answered and customers will not respond well to this making it a risky practice.

*Poor Connections in Calls

There is also the consideration there may be a poor connection due to distance. This can be frustrating for both the customer and the outsourced employee to have a conversation and to address the customer service issues in a satisfactory manner.

Outsourcing customer service is pretty risky because it can directly lead to loss of customers. Some of the largest US businesses have learned the hard way how damaging outsourcing customer service can be and have begun pulling back outsourcing customer service and allowing this process be one handled in-house.

Customer service should be treated as valuable as other business processes that would never be considered to be sent offshore. Customer resolution to satisfaction should be the primary satisfaction and unless a business can be sure the company handling customer service inquiries can effectively accomplish this, outsourcing customer service is a risky venture and business may suffer because of it.