Be inspired,Make money online,be successful, build your business.

http://yourstreamingmedia.com/

2010-05-08T13:37:00.000+08:00

http://yourstreamingmedia.com/
This is a new blog I'm working on. Streaming media is rapidly moving to the front of the online marketing pack. Hence the reason for this blog.
I believe all smart businesspeople will be employing these techniques over the next few years and beyond.

Making money from your Twitter account.

2010-04-02T20:43:00.004+08:00

I found a great way to make some extra cash. For those familiar with Twitter this is a very simple way to make some extra money. Basically it involves the very simple process of allowing companies to advertise as sponsors. I Just signed up for Sponsored Tweets and had one company offer within minutes.
This is certainly an easy way to add a few extra dollars to your pocket with very little effort (and it only takes a minute or two to set up - and costs nothing although you need to have a minimum of 50 Twitter followers). Refer others and you also get paid a percentage of earnings. For more on this venture click on the banner above and check it out for yourself.

What you know can make you a lot of money - here's how.

2010-03-31T18:18:00.001+08:00

Hi everyone, I have been extremely busy over the past few months - hence I have not had much time to attend to this blog and give it more articles. Most of my time has been devoted to developing other blogs and ideas related to my chosen niches. this leads me to the topic of this post. I have been doing a lot of research on what exactly successful businesspeople (particularly those that work at home) do to make a good income for themselves and I believe it boils down to a few basics.
Knowledge and passion and finding a niche. Also on many occasions it has to do with what they are interested in and that interest being shared with like minded individuals since these are where their customers are. To understand how to marry all these ingredients to create a successful business drop by my post http://yourstreamingmedia.com/2010/03/using-streaming-video-to-make-money-here-is-one-idea/ which gives one example of how to combine what you know with a little technology know - how to create a successful business you can work easily from home.

The Dummies Guide to Finding A Hungry Market Niche that you can make money from.

2010-02-13T10:35:00.002+08:00

The Dummies Guide to finding a hungry niche is a 6 video series developed specifically for marketing newcomers to help them get started in growing their online business.
The first and most important step in creating a profitable online business is finding the right market - one that will be hungry and eager to buy (if you don't find this then your business is guaranteed to fail).
This series solves that problem by taking the viewer through the steps of searching for a hungry market using some little known but highly effective steps that are simple to follow and very effective.
I personally have purchased and viewed the series and think it's an extremely helpful resource that I refer to whenever I'm looking for inspiration and pointers in building a new business.

Affordable web hosting with newbies in mind.

2010-02-10T17:38:00.001+08:00

Speeding Pullet Hosting (and more) is a business I have been working on with newbies in mind. After my own experience of starting from scratch learning all about hosting, web design and so on, I thought why not offer a service that caters for those who are completely new to getting their business online? The journey was not without it's challenges, however we have now put together a service that will take the stress out of website hosting (and at the same time make the whole experience an enjoyable one). Speeding Pullet hosting is a service that will benefit many newcomers wanting to their website up and running with a minimum of fuss.

Stories of courage and inspiration to fire up your day.

2010-01-11T21:24:00.001+08:00

Today I wanted to offer some inspiration via my Squidoo page which has been getting a steadily increasing flow of traffic over the last few months - in fact this week it has almost doubled.
Stories of courage was a project I put together last year to inspire and encourage others and it has been getting some good feedback. I believe we need more encouragement in a sometimes discouraging world and we should dare to dream. Not only that, we need to understand that life is not all about making money or gaining status. Let's rethink our priorities in 2010.

Zero Risk Business Opportunity. Enrollment fee slashed to zero.

2010-01-02T18:27:00.010+08:00

2009 was a tough year for many hoping to expand their income streams. Starting a business can be expensive and often risky - but there is hope. VMdirect has put together a package that virtually eliminates the initial startup cost of their most popular business so that newcomers can have a fighting chance at building an extra income stream for themselves with minimal outlay.
I am delighted to be able to pass this on to those who want to make 2010 a year of positive financial change.
Below are the details:

Initial Fee: $495.00 FEE WAIVED! - Zero start up cost.
Monthly Service Charge: $99.00*

Ideal for the part time person interested in generating commissions by signing on both helloWorld retail customers, AttainResponse business customers and other Affiliates interested in the VMDirect opportunity. For more information go to www.vmdirect.com/markspivey

Effective marketing solutions for small to medium businesses.

2009-09-28T15:29:00.004+08:00

This video outlines the hows and whys of small to medium business marketing tools that are both easy to use and cost effective. I am delighted to have the absolute best marketing products available and be able to provide them to other business owners.
More information is available on my website here.

Jay Conrad Levinson the Author of Guerrilla Marketing loves this product for business marketing.

2009-07-25T19:43:00.007+08:00

Here is a recent quote from Jay Conrad Levinson.
"In today's world, if you're not marketing on the internet, you're missing a rich opportunity.
One of the secrets of marketing on the internet is a powerful new Guerrilla Marketing weapon. It's called AttainResponseTM.
If you use it, you and your company can earn healthy profits."

- Jay Conrad Levinson

"Jay is one of the foremost business marketing experts in the world. No one knows how to use the weapons of the trade better than industry expert Jay Levinson."
- Entrepreneur Magazine

Jay is the author of the Guerrilla Marketing series of books and has sold over 20 million copies of his work so this gives us an idea of his visibility and authority in the business world when it comes to marketing. I'm delighted that he has endorsed AttainResponse as a powerful tool for businesses to promote themselves and grow their profits.
You can catch a video testimonial from Jay on the website. Also check out the online demonstration and Gallery which are new additions to the site.

Help! My email marketing sucks. (and how to fix it).

2009-06-19T22:13:00.007+08:00

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways for a business to promote themselves and increase sales but it must be done right in order to be effective.

In this article I will touch on the art of email marketing- (What works and what does not) and how you can get more bang for your marketing buck when selecting an email marketing service.

A word about spam.

Unsolicited email or "Junk email" also called "Spam" is living proof that email is a powerful way to reach an online audience. Spammers know that for all the emails trashed in every bulk mail out, they will still get a few unsuspecting readers who will click on their links and make a purchase. While their shotgun approach is annoying to the majority of us they still persist because of that reason. On the other hand, email marketing should not involve spamming a harvested collection of email addresses, but rather contacting a list of individuals who have actually said yes to receiving your material.

How to get people to subscribe to your mailing list.

Here are some of the ways to get people on your mailing list.

The first and most obvious option is that they fill out a form on your website specifically designed for the job. You can add a special offer such as a free report, a tutorial, discounts or even a prize draw in exchange for their contact email.

The second way (if you are a local business) is to have some printed material such as a flyer with a special offer, competition or similar that people can fill out and return to you.

Hint: In all these cases, it is worth adding a note to your forms telling people that you will not share their email with other companies and that you will not swamp them with emails either.

The third way to get more subscribers is to actually purchase a list of verified email addresses from a reputable provider. They must be interested in your subject material and have opted in to receiving emails from you.

There are a number of companies that specialize in providing leads, but it is worth doing some homework to find out what value this method will give to you.

What works well in emails.

These items are very effective in encouraging readers to continue to look at the emails they receive from businesses.

How to's and tutorials.

People love do-it-yourself articles that show them how to solve a problem. The added advantage of posting material like this is that you are not only helping existing customers and encouraging loyalty (and repeat sales) but you can use opportunities such as this to address potential issues before they happen and so reduce calls for customer support.

Video and Audio content.

This is the best format for the above, as well as tours, testimonials...the list goes on. Video gets noticed and is highly memorable in comparison to text. Audio sessions are great for podcasts too which means your listener can take your article with them.

A pleasant layout with some color.

This will help make your email stand out from your competitors and add to the reader's enjoyment. You can incorporate a template and produce something really effective.

Nice pictures that are both relevant and of good quality.

A picture paints a thousand words - so make sure you include at least one to illustrate your point. Include photos (they need not be professional) but in focus and a reasonable size. Hint: not too large though so they do not take several minutes to download.

Humor (in good taste).

A laughing reader is likely to be a repeat one. You might want to enlist the help of a cartoonist to create something original. Add a funny video, quote or even a brief story.

Relevant news .

keep your readers informed on new products and developments and how improvements to your offerings will help them.

Competitions (with a nice prize).

You can gain a lot of interest from readers simply by creating a competition.

An opportunity to share an opinion.

People will often happily share their thoughts if you ask them to because it gives a sense of belonging and community. It is also a very cost effective way of finding out what your customers want. Make it fairly short and offer a prize draw or other incentive as a token of appreciation.

What Does not.

Hard sell - "buy now!!!" will soon become "Bye now." from your readers.

An email every day.

This is the death knell for emails via annoyance and plain overkill - try and control your enthusiasm to market by limiting your email frequency. This will give you time to produce quality content too. Quality beats quantity.

Bad layout (such as none).

Lots and lots and lots of text with poor spacing all crammed up with no places for the eyes to rest. (and besides who has time to read a newsletter that is 149 pages long during their morning break)?

Lots and lots and lots of banners.

"Ohhhh my eyes my eyes!" Save the flashing logos and bright colors for Las Vegas.

Poor writing skills and grammar.

Forgetting to check for spelling mistakes is more than just another annoyance (believe it or not, but people are influenced by this). Poor spelling and grammar presents an unprofessional / lazy picture for your readers.

What to look for when choosing an email marketing service.

A good email marketing service should have a number of features that will allow you to tweak things so you can get the most bang for your marketing buck. Here are a few features to look for...

Firstly there needs to be flexibility and creativity to get your message across.

This includes the ability to combine text with pictures and video as well as some html so you can make your message stand out. A good email is more than just a page of text - it needs to be memorable and the way to do that is by being visually creative.

Secondly there should be a way to find out if your email marketing is being received and read.

This feature is called tracking and basically means you should have a display somewhere that will show you exactly where your emails are going, what addresses are incorrect (your emails are undeliverable and bounce back) and what emails are actually being delivered, clicked on and read.

Thirdly you must be able to automate and adjust everything so once you create an email you can set it to deliver to your recipients at a set time.

This can also include auto responders (An email that goes to a visitor as soon as they fill out a contact form or make a purchase from your website) which help you communicate with your potential customer when you are not online. You should be able to do split testing too (in other words create two different emails and send them to selected groups so you can find out which one works best).

Fourthly you should be able to see how your email list is growing over time.

Data like this is not just for statisticians and geeks who like to crunch numbers - it will help give you an insight into what is working overall so you can refine your marketing.

Marketing is an art, but with the right tools and know-how it can work for you.

Here's to your success.

The email marketing tools I use and recommend.

Cost-effective marketing tools give businesses the edge over their competition.

2009-06-06T20:57:00.011+08:00

Small to medium businesses (and larger) will be delighted to know that the online marketing service that gives excellent results is both easy to use and very cost effective.
The Attain Response suite of products combines streaming video, customizable templates with email tracking and live broadcasting to give businesses the edge in today's marketplace.
I am absolutely delighted to be associated with this product and the potential it has to generate business and sales for marketers.

More information can be found here on my website.

Six Sure-Fire Ways to Make Video Work For Your Business to Generate Buzz, Traffic and Sales

2009-05-25T19:36:00.005+08:00

Video streamed on the web is a powerful medium to reach your online customers, and contrary to popular belief it is now no longer beyond the budget of small businesses.

Below are six ways to use video to build your business. Many of them do not require large funds to implement - just a little time and creativity.

1) DIY Tutorials and How - To's.

The proliferation of home improvement, cooking and motor repair shows both online and offline is testimony to the continued popularity of practical information in a video form. Hardware stores for example, provide handy tips to customers and in return reap the benefit of generating goodwill - and a continual flow of buyers.

One recent example that sticks in my mind was a company that supplied computer parts. Their online store provided video tutorials on how to fit these parts. The end result was that I made my purchase from them because not only was their price reasonable, but their video showed attention to detail in helping their customer (and that is good business sense).

You can do the same by creating simple tutorials in video form and featuring them both on your own website and sharing a few around the various video sharing sites and linking them back to you. This will not only expand your visibility in the search engines (remember to add keyword tags to your video) but also generate goodwill and traffic when viewers want to investigate further.

Hint- don't put all of your videos on sharing sites - embed them (and others) in your website too because you will want to provide as much incentive as possible for people to visit from these sites and actually go to yours to investigate what else you have on offer (including what you are selling).

2) Testimonials.

Have happy customers? Few advertising campaigns (if any) can match the effectiveness of a genuine testimonial from a delighted consumer. Video some brief testimonials and post them online and get people talking. Post a few on your sales page too.

3) Tours.

Who are you? What do you do exactly? Where are you located? Can I trust you? These are questions your potential customers will be asking before they are willing to do business with you. A video tour of your business location, your people and how you do what you do is a great way to break the ice and show visitors that you are more than just a website - you have real staff who care about their customers and what you do is not a mystery.

Hint- Keep it real - Trash the jargon and use common language to explain exactly what you do and how you can help your customers.

4) Online Demonstrations.

Ever tried to explain how to use your product or service over the phone or produce a manual for your product? Video will be much more effective on getting your message across. Simply film your product or service in action, add a voiceover and some text if required and create something that will clearly explain to you viewer exactly how your product or service can help them.

You can utilise this twice - As a sales tool and secondly as a customer support tool that can be viewed after office hours.

5) Video Newsletters.

Keep your existing and future customers in the loop by providing a newsletter with video footage as part of the content - it will be more likely to be watched and remembered. Also consider that many good videos are viral - they will be forwarded from person to person so make sure your content is useful since it will inevitably find it's way into the inbox of other future buyers. You could add a helpful tip in each issue, perhaps a case study or testimony and maybe even a competition - get people talking and have them submit their own videos in exchange for a prize.

You can then post these to once again increase traffic.

6) Start Your Own Online TV Series.

Dare to be famous? Are you an expert in your field? Why not create your own online TV program and stream this from your website? A few episodes distributed among video sharing sites will act as teasers to draw more visitors to your site where you can develop a fan base and incorporate your own promotions and advertisements. You may want to incorporate messages from other businesses who are promoting related products and benefit from their advertising revenue to supplement your own.

Hint - create quality, useful and entertaining content as mentioned previously (since this is what will attract viewers). Also include a subscription form on your website so visitors can sign up for email notification so you can let them know when you have released a new episode. (Also choose a paid streaming video service so you can have full control over your advertising and distribution).

Closing Remarks.

Streaming video is a unique medium that is both versatile and powerful. Making it work for you requires some creativity and planning but the final product will reap dividends for anyone willing to embrace the technology.

Visit Mark's Streaming Video Marketing tools website for more information on how you can effectively grow your business.

Effective video and email marketing kicks into high gear.

2009-04-25T13:24:00.021+08:00

It has been a long wait but it was worth it.

What I'm talking about is the new comf5 marketing toolbox produced by VMdirect.
I became a VMdirect affiliate a few years ago after seeing the potential of the early products and their effectiveness in communicating to customers through streaming video.
I must confess although I thought the product was great - it did have it's drawbacks (relying on Internet Explorer and Windows to be fully functional).
A great deal has changed since then and now I'm delighted with what we now have for businesses - (I'm an Apple user mainly) and with the move from the old system to the new one I can at last make use of all the features without needing to move to my Windows machine (and the video quality is excellent too.) :)

What businesses can expect:

ComF5 is a full featured multimedia communications and marketing platform. The initial modules will be an email client, almost exactly like what VMdirect currently sells but supports audio mail as well as video mail, a media manager, an email template manager, a Live Broadcast tool, and a full blown email campaign and marketing system.
ComF5 is 100% cross platform, meaning that it works equally well on Macs as well as PCs.

You can check out the comf5 service here and drop me an email if you would like to trial it for yourself.

Individuals wanting to make extra income for themselves can visit VMdirect Here.

Receive a video email from the President - Obama embraces streaming media.

2009-01-21T20:34:00.008+09:00

Congratulations to president Obama on his recent inauguration.
There has been worldwide coverage on numerous TV stations and online.
Perhaps more than any other this president has extended his reach online by using streaming media and vmail to address potential voters. No doubt as his term begins we can expect more employment of this technology as he shares his vision and how the US is to get there.
This is the Streaming Media Service used by Obama in the political arena.

Good advice for troubled economic times.

2008-10-26T14:16:00.002+09:00

The economy is not in the best shape right now world-wide in case you didn't notice.
All that really matters is your own personal economy however. Even in the great depression people made money. Some became very wealthy at the worst economic time in history. This time will be no different. There will be people that lose everything, and there will be people that prosper.

While you can't control the outside influences, you can control how you react and what action you take. If you focus on making your business better, more efficient, more competitive, and better promoted, you too can prosper. Its a mind set. If you think everything is going down so you stop advertising, stop working hard, stop getting leads and building your business your income will go down automatically.

"No one ever went forward by retreating"

On the other hand if you keep working hard, advertise, and tweak your business to produce results, you'll prosper.

This will mean looking at better ways of doing things, cost effective ways to advertise and building relationships.

Troubled times are a good opportunity to test new methods and ways of solving problems.

Audio visual rentals, meetings and event management.

2008-07-23T17:22:00.003+08:00

In my work related activities I go to corporate events on a regular basis.
One thing that is basically a given these days is AV (audio visual presentations).
These add a powerful dimension to any corporation or large business (and smaller companies can also benefit too).
I have also seen DIY events come off as quite uninspiring - you know the kind with a poorly placed projector and computer set up hastily a couple of minutes before kick - off.
Flat battery in the remote, audio running through one speaker which is underpowered for the room or they forgot to bring an extension power lead...
Disaster.
It goes without saying a good AV hire company can work wonders and prevent embarrassing hiccups.
Take some time to plan this side of your event well and it will go a long way to ensuring your meetings, balls, seminars etc are going to work for you.

This product generated over $450K in commissions to this Las Vegas Realtor.

2008-05-15T17:53:00.003+08:00

Businesses are getting hold of new technology, running with it and producing some startling results.
It seems that video communication is no longer just a gimmick but is being seen as a viable and advantageous form of effective marketing.
Perhaps this new tool will create more trust in the online world and open up business partnerships previously less likely in the online world.
For one real estate agent her journey with streaming media took her to the other side of the world without leaving her office and generated over 450 thousand US dollars in commissions (not bad for a few minutes of streaming video technology).
View the full story here

What would you do in this situation?

2008-02-23T18:55:00.002+09:00

What would you do? You make the choice! Don't look for a punch line; There isn't one! Read it anyway. My question to you is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children,the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. "I believe,that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child."Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked,"Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher

The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"

Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, run home! Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.

Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND, NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people think twice about sharing. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.

If you're thinking about forwarding this message,chances are that you're probably sorting out the people on your address list that aren't the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the "natural order of things." So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up that opportunity to brighten the day of those with us the least able, and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.

DigitalFX Selected by WoozyFly.com to Provide Streaming Video Services

2008-02-08T20:11:00.000+09:00

DigitalFX and WoozyFly.com Team Up! NEW (2/7/08 4:30 PM PST)

WoozyFly.com an online music media company announced that DigitalFX Solutions has been named the company’s official streaming video host.

"DigitalFX offers one of the best streaming video platforms in the industry," said Jonathan Bomser, President and CEO of WoozyFly.com "Its stability and ease of integration makes it the best solution for both our users as well as our corporate needs. DigitalFX has a broad offering of groundbreaking online tools and we look forward to working closely with them to enhance our site."

"We are very excited to be working with WoozyFly.com. It is the premier online music site leveraging online video as a medium for its music distribution," said Craig Ellins, CEO of DigitalFX International, Inc., the parent of VMdirect and helloWorld. "Our innovative, high quality streaming video tools will enable WoozyFly.com's customers to have a rich user experience, while increasing our recurring revenue stream."

About DigitalFX International, Inc.

DigitalFX International (Amex: DXN) is a creator of digital communications and social networking solutions, as showcased on its social network www.helloWorld.com, and small business product available through www.FirstStream.com. The company develops and markets proprietary communication and collaboration services, and social networking software applications, including video email, video instant messaging and live webcasting. The company also markets customized streaming video applications through its subsidiary DigitalFX Solutions. DigitalFX International, Inc. is democratizing the world of online streaming video and digital media archiving with its flagship product, called The Studio. The Studio is an affordable, cross digital platform web-based solution. Only the DigitalFX Studio brings together all this capability, simply and in one place.

15 minutes of fame - and then some (and how affordable technology makes it happen).

2008-01-13T16:41:00.000+09:00

It has been said that everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame, but what if you want more?
Watch the recently broadcast Australian current affairs programme story and discover how some are using affordable technology to capitalize on their interests and skills while businesses are finding new ways to save time and increase their earning power.
See how one Australian company slashed their video conferencing costs by 90 percent without sacrificing quality.
One lady changed her home kitchen into a TV station and broadcasts her cooking shows live for just cents a day.
And watch how a couple were able to share their wedding event as it happened to family members living overseas.

Start your own online TV station with Helloworld.

Stories of courage and inspiration.

2007-12-09T18:58:00.000+09:00

Most people live ordinary lives.

Just occasionally you meet someone who lives beyond the average - people who dare to not just dream but actually DO.

Despite difficulties and challenges that would cause most to give up these individuals and their families have decided to think and live outside the box.

These are true champions.

Watch the videos and be inspired.

helloPhone is Building a Buzz amoung the major media outlets.

2007-12-08T11:09:00.000+09:00

Since its announcement a month ago, VMdirect’s helloPhone application has been building a buzz.
Integrating Fusion’s Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) with VMdirect’s live streaming video technology creates a premier and powerful online communications tool.

With standard features including Call-Waiting, Caller-ID, Three-Way-Calling, Call-Hold, Call-Transfer, and Do-Not-Disturb, helloPhone is being viewed with great anticipation. Here are some of the major media outlets that have featured helloPhone:

CNNMoney

Forbes

Earthtimes.org

Broadcast Newsroom.com

New York Business Times

To take advantage of this growing market and become an affiliate visit VMdirect

Former Warner Communications senior executive shares incredible opportunity.

2007-11-25T20:47:00.000+09:00

For more information visit VMdirect

"Email will be sexy again".

2007-11-23T20:30:00.000+09:00

Recently in the Wall Street Journal a senior Vice President at
Yahoo said "I have very little doubt that email will be sexy
again in a way that people will say, 'Holy Smokes, I didn't
see that coming' "

Streaming Video Email is next wave in communications that is
sweeping the globe. A small company based out of Las Vegas
called VMdirect is creating a real stir with its simple to use,
cost effective video email service called helloWorld. From just
$9.99 p/mo it is in reach of everyone and incredibly this price
also includes the ability to Live Broadcast (also know ast webcasting)
and to do a 4 way Live Video meeting with friends, family and
business associates anywhere in the world.

Recently Inc. Magazine in the US announced that helloWorld is a
leader in streaming video both for service and cost effectiveness.

Find out more about the service at www.helloworld.com

VMdirect's parent company is DigitalFX International (DXN) a public
company listed on the American Stock Exchange. The company distributes
the helloWorld service know as The Studio solely through VMdirect
affiliates using the network marketing distribution model.

Former Vice President of Time Warner, Manny Gerard joined the DigitalFX
board in 2007. Speaking at the company's annual convention he stated
this is one of the biggest opportunities he has ever seen and it is
literally fun positioning yourself ahead of something that will change
the way the world functions. Manny should know as he brought the Atari
computer to the world in the 80's. Atari computers are regarded the
forerunner to the modern day PC.

To find out about becoming a VMdirect affiliate visit www,digitalagegold.com

Your knowledge can make you money - Here's one idea how.

2007-10-25T17:23:00.000+08:00

Do you have a skill or talent?
It's a proven fact that some people will happily pay to learn a useful skill that will help them.

Car repair manuals, do it yourself tutorials, craft and home improvement shows have a huge following and are in themselves a multi million dollar industry.
One guaranteed way to generate income is to teach a skill or talent that is in demand.

An example I came across literally by accident demonstrates how a stay at home mom discovered a niche market and is capitalizing on this.
What she did was simple but effective and with a minimum up front cost and a few days filming with a video camera, and she has established for herself a nice passive income.
Below is the example of her niche.

This is just a free sample to effectively advertise her knowledge.
All her other "how to videos" are safely locked away in a server.

Her customers pay an entry fee (via Paypal) after which they are emailed the URL where they plug in a password that gives them access to the site.
They can then view all the tutorial videos online at their leisure.

This idea is brilliant in a number of ways.

Firstly there is only a small initial cost - basically a video camera, and some editing software (which you can get either with the camera, at low cost or even free such as windows movie editor).
A little time for recording, editing and uploading each video.
A company to host your "pay-per-view" videos (a small monthly fee).
And an account with Paypal (free).

Secondly because her tutorials are online there is no need to produce, package and mail anything.
They are available 27hours a day every day so there is no waiting for her customers.

Thirdly
Because her videos are streamed rather than downloaded and they are safe in a password protected "Vault" they can't be pirated.

It really is a brilliant way to make some extra cash - and if you're good at it there is absolutely no reason why you couldn't build a whole list of tutorials and make a living out of it.

There are a few hosting services available for Pay Per View but I personally believe for the sake of simplicity and value for money you can't go past helloWorld which has now included in their range of excellent tools an easy "Pay-Per-View" feature.
The above link will take you to the homepage of helloWorld

Are you a gardener, play a musical instrument, know something about car repairs, can you fix something, do craft or have other skills?
Stream it online and get paid to share your knowledge.

Don't be a mosquito.

2007-10-20T17:38:00.000+08:00

When you see a room full of people, make sure you are not thinking like a mosquito, looking at them as something to suck dry, to get what you want and move on.

It's important to meet people, but more important to really get to know them. Ask questions. Listen. Make a point of discovering what you can do for them.

The best opportunities will come from real friends, not “contacts”. Be a good friend. Relax. Don't be a mosquito.

Many thanks to CD Baby for this article.

Your word, your bond (and how to spread a positive reputation like wildfire).

2007-10-14T16:06:00.000+08:00

Today was inspiring and confronting.
Sunday morning service was all about relationships and family and how to be successful.
The issue that stuck in my mind was one of keeping your word.
I believe we all need to take time to ask ourselves are we a person of our word?
Do we say we will do something or be somewhere and then make sure we actually do it?
To spread a positive reputation like wildfire do the following....
Be a person of your word - If you can do it say so and then do so.
Make promises you can keep and don't make ones you cannot.
If it's a project allow extra time and then deliver a day early - your customer will love you for it.
Keep your promises to your wife and kids - they are a reflection of you and your best allies.
Wife and Kids before work (Jobs and businesses can always be rebuilt).

kathleen Bradley, Paris Hilton - just some of the celebrities who are utilizing new, powerful marketing tools.

2007-07-22T11:56:00.000+08:00

Celebrities Kathleen Bradley and Paris Hilton are just some of the many celebrities and high profile individuals who have discovered Helloworld and VMdirect and are utilizing the tools to increase their communcation abilites and incomes.
Note: This streaming video footage was captured from a Live broadcast so the link referred to is directly below.

VMdirect

Business opportunity call

2007-07-21T11:17:00.000+08:00

Here is an audio clip about marketing and how being first in the launch of new products can position yourself for success.
This article relates to VMdirect.

How to promote yourself and your business using real live streaming video.

2007-07-18T19:33:00.000+08:00

If you have just dropped by you may have noticed the video above.
This is a general overview of some of the most powerful online communication tools available today, and since the internet is rapidly becoming more "visited" than the TV, it makes sense to have an "as effective as possible presence" there.
At last, an easy controllable, customizable way to get your customer's attention (and memory).
Here is my virtual TV studio that I'm using to effectively reach my customers.

Here's an interesting fact:
Did you know that most customers visit a site more than once (usually a few) before they make a purchase?
This means that a good first impression is vital in order to remain in a visitor's memory so that they will come back at a later date when they want to buy.
Since video is much more effective than text it makes absolute sense to use it as much as possible.

How to generate quality traffic for free (Do you Squidoo?)

2007-06-16T10:40:00.000+08:00

How do I get more traffic to my site?
How do I find what I’m looking for on the web?
Where are the experts?
Can I be one?

For the answers to the above questions and then some, take a look at Squidoo.
I'm not going to say too much here except that this site has shown me that you can get a good increase in traffic without shelling out money for ads.
(I have created several lenses on this site - all free and already I'm seeing an increase in visitors).
If you are an expert in your field and have something to sell, then this is an absolute must.
Here is an example of a lens I have created

To find out more and build your own visit Squidoo.

New markets in European nations opening.

2007-05-30T18:12:00.000+08:00

VMdirect Explodes into Ireland on June 1st
On June 1st, VMdirect will officially be open for business in the Republic of Ireland. Ireland has over 2 million Internet users and every one is a potential customer.

In even more exciting news, it was also announced that VMdirect’s presence in Ireland, will open up the entire European Union as potential helloWorld retail customers. It will be a Sizzling Summer, as over the next few months helloWorld will open for business in 27 European countries. The potential financial impact of the helloWorld business opening in the EU is enormous (49.9% of the world’s Internet users).

Germany Holding Tank is Ready June 1st
The Holding Tank for Germany will open June 1st, with the official launch of Germany scheduled for September 1st. Germany is the largest and most successful direct selling market in the European Union.

DigitalFX - Web 2.0 Innovator (and how to get a piece of the pie).

2007-05-25T21:35:00.000+08:00

DigitalFX - Web 2.0 Innovator
Andrew Weinman
MN1 Staff Writer
LAS VEGAS (May 1, 2007) --

With the Internet evolving and growing every day, entrepreneurs
are being forced to adjust their businesses to fit the ever-changing requirements of today’s
technology. But one company – DigitalFX (OTCBB: DFXN) –isn’t just ready to meet the
challenges of the Web 2.0 community, it’s helping to bring it about.
“Web 2.0” is a popular phrase used to describe the next stage of the Internet’s evolution – the
point where the Internet becomes less a scattered collection of Web sites and more a
conglomeration of related user-managed pages. The phrase was originally coined by Tim O’Reilly
of O’Reilly Media, an American media company dedicated to publishing books and Web sites and
producing computer technology conferences.
Many people see the proliferation of user-manageable Web sites like YouTube, MySpace and
FaceBook, along with downloadable Internet communication accessories like BitTorrent, and the
various forms of instant messaging software, as the first stage in bringing Web 2.0 about. Their
popularity, ease of use, and speed of communication make them the natural precursors to the
Web 2.0 revolution.
But there’s still one problem: all these sites are unconnected, and no one site offers all the
services of the others.
Craig Ellins, CEO and president of DigitalFX International Inc., said the company’s innovative
flagship communications site, HelloWorld, will change all that.
“HelloWorld’s slogan is ‘making digital life simple,’” Ellins said in a recent interview with MN1.
“Everybody has a digital life ... because your music doesn’t come on CDs anymore, it comes on
MP3s, shortly your movies will not come on DVDs anymore thanks to IPTV, your cellphone,
camera and camcorders all have hard drives. Although the devices have advanced, the ways an
average person has to handle their digital life has been left up in the air. HelloWorld is an aspirin
for that headache.”
According to Ellins, the HelloWorld Web site (www.helloworld.com) offers the social networking
capabilities of MySpace and some instant messaging software, the video sharing abilities of
YouTube, and a slew of other specialty Internet services not offered anywhere else – and all for
as little as $10 a month.
“It’s a whole suite of really rich media tools that kids today might want to go out on the website,
they need to go to five or six different sites to get what we’ve got under one application,” Ellins
said. “The beautiful thing is that it’s all one application so you don’t have to go to multiple Web
sites … and there is no software download.”

(Note this article is exactly the kind of reason I personally became involved in Helloworld because it has placed me in a position ahead of a growing trend which equates to long term financial growth and freedom - it's very encouraging to see many recognizing and utilizing the huge potential of the tools I market).

If you would also like to tap into this market drop by my website for more information www.vmdirect.com/markspivey and leave a message on the contact page.

Advertising money pits to avoid.

2007-05-19T17:06:00.000+08:00

I have been experimenting with a number of different advertising techniques over the last few months and have discovered not all ads are created equal.
Advertising methods can vary in cost and effectiveness - one particular strategy to be careful with is in buying links - where you pay a website owner to display your advert as a link somewhere on their site for a set fee (usually renewable monthly) over a defined period of time.
If you have vast amounts of cash to throw away then this strategy can work well for you, on the other hand it can also be a financial money pit that will gobble up your cash quicker than you can say "click on the link".
This is because you are paying for you ad to be displayed (not actual visitors to your site).
I personally would not recommend buying links simply because they do not prove to be cost effective.
A better strategy would be to employ pay per click where you are actually paying for real visits to your web page.

How to do a Live Broadcast over the internet for your business, friends or family.

2007-05-10T19:35:00.000+08:00

This is a powerful way to share your message, demonstrate you product or service, conduct training or conferences (without the travel expenses) and even connect with friends and family if you do need to travel.

This video (number 6 - there are 6 videos in all) shows you how to transmit live over the internet with the helloWorld studio Live Broadcast feature. People can view live or recorded footage on your Shows page from anywhere in the world. Transmit family occasions or business events. Lights, Camera, Action!
Here's the link to the demonstrations:
www.usingstudio.com

Here's the link to my own helloworld site where you can see some of the things I have done and open your own account.
www.helloworld.com
I'm currently working on three business ideas that will utilize these amazing tools and have just scratched the surface regarding where this will take me in the next couple of years.

How to make your URLs smaller and easy to remember.

2007-05-06T15:34:00.000+08:00

Here's a neat site that solves a problem.
If you have ever been an affiliate or webmaster with a long URL that may include a mix of username, numbers etc to which you want to refer customers but have no way of providing a direct link, you can convert your long, messy URL to a simple one with free service.
TinyURL is a snap to use.
Visit the site and see how it works.

12 differences between those who want to go somewhere and those who actually get there.

2007-04-29T16:41:00.000+08:00

Twelve differences between those who dream and those who act:

1-Wanna-be's obsess about ideas. Entrepreneurs obsess about
implementation.

2-Wanna-be's want more web traffic. Enrepreneurs focus on sales
conversion.

3-Wanna-be's focus on positive thinking. Entrepreneurs plan for
multiple contingencies.

4-Wanna-be's want to get on TV and get "famous." Entrepreneurs build
their list.

5-Wanna-be's seek a perfect plan. Entrepreneurs execute and adjust the
plan later.

6-Wanna-be's wait for their lucky break. Entrepreneurs engineer four,
five, six plans and execute them in tandem, wagering that at least one
plan will get traction.

7-Wanna-be's fear looking stupid in front of their friends.
Entrepreneurs willingly risk making fools of themselves, knowing that long-term
success is a good trade for short-term loss of dignity.

8-Wanna-be's shield their precious ideas from harsh reality, postponing
the verdict of success or failure until 'someday.' Entrepreneurs
expose their ideas to cold reality as soon as reasonably possible.

9-Wanna-be's put off practicing basketball until they've got Air
Jordans. Entrepreneurs practice barefoot behind the garage.

10-Wanna-be's believe what they're told, believe their own assumptions.
Entrepreneurs do original research and determine what paths have been
already trod.

11-Wanna-be's believe they can do anything. Entrepreneurs do what
they're gifted for and delegate the rest.

12-Wanna-be's think about the world in terms of COULD and SHOULD.
Entrepreneurs think in terms of IS and CAN BE.

ANZAC day - Today's event reflections.

2007-04-25T14:30:00.000+08:00

This morning was an early wakeup for a 6 AM start (setting up PA equipment for the ANZAC day ceremony).
Working with my friend who operates a live sound production business (he has been doing this more than 11 years now) we noticed a full turn out of people (including a growing number of the next generation) which demonstrated to us how important this was to many Australians, and even more so in view of many of the events that have taken place overseas such as September 11, the Iraq war and recent terrorist threats.
Contrary to creating fear (which is the intent of warring extremists) it has created a resolve in many Australians to stand and if necessary, fight for our freedom.

One aspect of this morning's ceremony that was made clear by both the speeches and prayers given, was that Australia is essentially a Christian based nation (our constitution is founded on biblical values) and when push comes to shove, desires to stay so.

To me, one of the essential ingredients of a successful life is having the freedom and safety afforded by truth and justice.
It's a challenge to all of us.

I'll be posting more business tips and articles later, but for the present I'd like to take some time to reflect on today's lessons.

The ANZAC spirit.

2007-04-22T16:26:00.000+08:00

ANZAC Day - 25 April - is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.

It is a time to reflect on the sacrifice of those who unselfishly gave - sometimes of their very lives in wartime, so that Australia and it's allied nations could continue to experience the freedom that they do today.
The ANZAC legend is one of courage, character, selflessness, loyalty and community.
Over the years the ANZAC story has grown to include those who served in the second world war and following military operations.

To have the "ANZAC spirit" means to be Australian - it's an attitude that puts the greater good before serving self.

Regardless of your nationality, I think we all need a bit of "ANZAC attitude" in our hearts.
For more history on the ANZAC visit here.

Community - WOM- effective advertising.

2007-04-21T14:40:00.000+08:00

WOM.
(Word of Mouth) is the most effective form of advertising you'll ever get.
While Google Adwords will happily digest every cent you send to it, WOM is basically free and spreads beyond the internet.

Creating buzz :
Here are a couple of pointers to help build the WOM factor for your business.
Get involved in community.
Joining forums and commenting on blogs is a great place to start.
Post often and reply to other posts.
Do Not Spam! By this I mean don't try and sell something every time you have something to say and swamp the forum or blog with your ads - you'll get deleted very quickly.

The best policy is to be constructive, share information freely and help others.
Be willing to collaborate with others - if you have a website or blog be willing to exchange links and build business referrals.

Living well. The story of Mrs Green.

2007-04-18T18:55:00.000+08:00

How do you measure living well?
I wanted to share with you this true example from personal experience to illustrate one aspect of living well.

As a kid I remember Mrs Green who was everyone's favorite "grandma".
Mrs "G" was on old fashioned lady who lost her husband some years before and as a widow lived alone in the house on top of the hill overlooking my home town.

With a big orchard around the back, she was always giving away fruit and had a warm welcome with a cup of tea for visitors, both young and old.
Sometimes her steady flow of people dropping by would be so busy I wondered if she ever really was alone - you see she was a very much loved lady and everyone would look forward to chatting with her over a cup of tea by the old wood stove that made some of the best scones you have ever tasted.

She was sprightly and alert right up until the week she passed away.
I remember her telling us that hearing everyone's news and watching the kids grow kept her young and in retrospect I believe it did.
I think of the many great lessons I learnt by example and from the past stories of Mrs Green.

Living a life of sharing and community I believe is one aspect of success that cannot be purchased.
It is acted out in character and heart.

Getting your visitors to stay - website design for businesses.

2007-04-09T10:12:00.000+08:00

All the discussion about short attention spans caused by people raised on video games, fast food and quick-cut-edited music videos is very misleading.

The reality is that genuine web searchers are not randomly flicking from site to site to find some entertaining presentation to keep them happy - they are actually looking for information to meet a need or solve a problem.
The goal of a marketer then is not to speed things up and add lots of bells and whistles to keep the action happening, but rather to slow things down so the visitor has time to hear the marketing message that describes the product or service you are providing and how it will benefit them.

What website visitors won't tolerate are websites that waste their time, and many websites are guilty of doing just that.
A fast loading page is great (but not if it's loaded with nothing more than ads, links and useless information).
Compare this to a site that might take a little longer to load but is full of concise, easy to understand material, useful articles, video testimonials and so on, and you'll have something that will not only capture the attention of your visitor but entice them to return.

It isn't necessarily all about how fast a page loads; it's about delivering an appropriate reward for the wait.

Is your house disorganized? An example of entrepreneurship in action.

2007-04-04T22:13:00.000+08:00

“Most of us have problems staying organized. In fact, controlling clutter is one of the toughest problems consumers tell us they have. So we asked some folks we knew for some great ideas about some organizing products they can’t live without,” Carolyn Forte Cleaning Products Dir. Good Housekeeping Institute said.

This is a good example of entrepreneurship and how companies and individuals are coming up with profitable solutions to age old problems.

Solution for a cluttered digital life.

Just seven centimetres from success.

2007-03-25T16:12:00.000+08:00

Here's a true story I read in Sunday's paper.
Coober Pedy is an opal mining town located in the South Australian outback. With soaring temperatures 55 degrees C or more in the shade it's no wonder the 3500 residents choose to live underground.
Mining fortunes are made and lost here in the search for high quality opal.

One miner spent a lifetime looking for the elusive gem, found a little and then after a year of finding nothing packed in his claim.
His neighbour however, kept going.

In the SAME tunnel just seven centimetres away his neigbour found enough opal to quit his mining and purchase two homes in Adelaide.
The lesson?
Sometimes when we feel like quitting we may be only "seven centimetres" from success.

7 Reasons to Qualify. Part of natural selling.

2007-03-24T12:42:00.000+09:00

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou

One of the many differences between Natural Selling and "selling" the conventional or the “Old Sales” way, is that Natural Selling approaches potential partners and customers with a different attitude.
Qualifying is finding out if a person is ready to take some form of action, ie buy your product or become part of your business opportunity (if you are running a MLM).
The article "7 Reasons to Qualify" is an interesting read.

Tip for the day- Meta tags and keywords.

2007-03-19T22:05:00.000+09:00

It's a good idea to make sure your website has correct coding (ie the existence of meta tags and keywords) so your site can be effectively indexed by the search engines.
A simple way to check this (and also see what top ranking websites are using) is to use the "View" command on your browser toolbar - click on it and then click again on "source".
You should be able to view in a new window the keywords and terms used (see the example above).

Real Estate companies are using streaming media to give themselves the advantage in a competitive market.

2007-03-14T22:04:00.000+09:00

This article arrived in my inbox today and describes how real estate companies are utilizing new technology (streaming media) to showcase properties more effectively online and are giving themselves the advantage in a highly competitive market.

"Home sellers are starting to incorporate streaming videos in their promotional Web sites." CNNMoney.com

Article link: http://money.cnn.com/2007/03/01/real_estate/new_house_marketing_method

These are the Streaming video products that many companies are using and opportunity exists for business minded individuals who want to capitalize on this growing market.
Link: www.vmdirect.com

Advantage Processors credit card processing.

2007-03-14T18:05:00.000+09:00

Advantage Processors are one of a number of companies that provide the means for businesses to receive credit card payments from customers for goods and services.

From what I could see from their site there was the ability to process a number of cards such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, and Discover which pretty much has it covered.
This may be a solution if you are needing to reach people who possess cards other than Visa (which I have noticed may be the only option provided by some online businesses) which may exclude these potential customers who may be keen to buy, but go elsewhere simply because they don't have an accepted form of payment.

The company also claims to have some of the most competitive rates available and deals with a wide range of transactions from retail establishments and restaurants to mail order or online dating. They also seem to be well equipped to deal with home based businesses.
There is also an online tutorial to help their customers understand the ins and outs of Merchant accounts.
http://www.advantageprocessors.com

DiscountClick online marketing services.

2007-03-13T22:02:00.000+09:00

Website review:
DiscountClick offers SEO (search engine optimization) services so business owners can increase the amount of traffic (and therefore the increased probability of a sale) to their website.
For those of us who are not internet savvy when it comes to keywords, html, meta tags and the like, and how all this relates to getting customers, a marketing service may be the way to go.

Search engine promotion services that these guys provide includes pay per click management, link building, email list services and a suite of online tools to optimize your website and keep track of the results.
The site claims positive results in many cases, usually occurring within the first month.

DiscountClick bills on a monthly basis which means you are not locked in to a contract and you can test the service to see if it performs to your needs.
With packages starting at $50 per month it would be interesting to make some inquiries to find out how much "Bang you get for your buck".
Here's the link to www.discountclick.com

Paypal - an invaluable tool for business, buying and accepting payments.

2007-03-12T18:26:00.000+09:00

Anyone doing transactions online should add Paypal to their online "money processing toolbox".
I personally have been using this service for five years now and love the simplicity and the security of not exposing my credit card details every time I make a purchase.
It's also a nice simple way to receive payments without huge transaction fees.

As the world's number one online payment service, PayPal is the fastest way to open your doors to over 100 million member accounts worldwide. Best of all, it's completely free to sign up!
To sign up or learn more, click here

What are some of the key ingredients for success in business and questions you should be asking yourself.

2007-03-09T19:29:00.000+09:00

We live in a time where there are more opportunities available than there ever has been.
With a new business comes a lot of excitement, energy and buzz.
Also on the other hand starting a new business and actually making it work requires more than just declaring you are open for trade.
It requires time, money and commitment.
Below are a few tips to help you in your journey.

Identify a market.
What will you sell? Is it in demand or going to be?
Is the product or service original? Who will use it?
Is it consumable (ie like gasoline or electricity or paper or a regular service like lawn mowing? or just a one off purchase like a refrigerator?)
Are you going to develop your own product or service or perhaps identify one that is currently growing and become a part of it - this can be an excellent choice if you do your research.

Secondly, decide how much of your resources you can devote to your new business before you start (all businesses require time and money and you'll need to devote some to both get started and continue to build your business).
How much money are you willing to invest in your business?
Set clear boundaries on how much cash you are going to spend on getting started.
You have a couple of alternatives here - either have a buffer of cash saved to keep you going though the slower times when not a lot of income is flowing or operate your business part - time while you work a job to keep the bills paid.

I personally use the part - time model because it allows me to get well established first before launching everything.

Are you willing to give up some things now (like some TV for example) in order to build your "income generating machine"?
We all have the same amount of hours per day - the choice is how we use them.
(Do a quick calculation of how many hours of TV you watch per week - you may be amazed to find how many spare hours you can free up just by reducing this to direct to your business instead).

Do you have a vision of where you want to be in say 5 years time?
Goal setting is essential.
Set some goals and write them down and work out the steps you need to take in order to get there.
Having your vision in front of you will help you keep going when it's tough (there are moments when you may feel like giving in).
Determine to succeed and invest in yourself by developing good habits and reading quality books on marketing and good business practices.

I trust these tips will help you in your success.
More posts coming soon.
Mark.

The next online growth industry - how can you benefit?

2007-03-08T21:04:00.000+09:00

This is a must see video presentation about the next online growth industry and how you can benefit in several different ways with real life examples from real people.
Explained in simple easy to understand terms it demonstrates a number of powerful ways you can generate a growing monthly residual income, or enhance the earning power of the business you currently own. You can view the video footage here.

If you would like to know more, you can get in contact with me by dropping me a line here.

Linking and forming alliances to increase your flow of customers.

2007-03-05T11:23:00.000+09:00

It's a public holiday today so having some free time I decided to do some browsing online.
This is a habit I have found to be really useful since it does two things.
Firstly I keeps me up to date with online developments and gives me ideas for quality content for my blog.
Secondly if I find a site or blog that I think is going to be helpful to my readers I'll link to it.
This also increases my visibility on the web and increases my traffic.
I think it's also important to show some appreciation to those who have allowed me a link on their site to make sure I have a link back to them so we both benefit.
Just as in the offline world businesses will refer customers to other businesses, the same is true for those online.
I believe we are all in this together so it's important to help one another.
What goes around comes around.

Ebayers adding impact to your adverts and increasing your sales with video.

2007-02-26T21:34:00.000+09:00

Selling things on Ebay?
It's only customary for online auctions to offer photos of items put up for grabs. But replacing photos with video clips could boost credibility and add detail to your offerings -- and you may reap a nice reward from your efforts.
Why add video? Credibility, for one thing. Still pictures can be compelling and have done a decent job of showing shoppers what they are bidding on. Even so, shoppers understand that dishonest vendors can take advantage of the fact that pictures can be copied from other sources and used to represent items they don't actually have for sale.
Also the ability to demonstrate a product working.
I saw (and heard) this as an example done by a vendor offering a guitar for sale where he actually played the instrument (which was fantastic) - I was really impressed (suffice to say the guitar sold and the buyer and seller were both very happy).

The Tools:
For basic video posting on ebay, all you really need is webcam, an account with a video uploading and hosting service and a good internet connection (preferably broadband).
For uploading/hosting I use The Helloworld suite of products which allows me to upload, encode in different formats, store and stream my video with ease and create the HTML coding needed automatically so I can add this to my Ebay listing. (they even have lessons online to show you how to do this).

Another tip is to add text to your video using one of the free or low cost video editors available.
Use good lighting, in focus and in a quiet place so you can concentrate.
It's good to have written down or memorized what you are going to say on your recording and keep your time short - at a minute or less.
Monitor your video sound and play it back to make sure you have not got a distorted noise before you post it.
If you follow these simple guidelines you'll get a nice recording that will catch the attention of your shoppers and improve your chances of not only getting a sale, but also a higher bid.

So if you are selling something online via Ebay it's well worthwhile using video .
Ps: a great blog I found about ebay is here

Keeping a positive attitude and what can you learn today?

2007-02-14T21:01:00.000+09:00

The last couple of weeks has been incredibly busy hence the absence of posts, however things are back on track.
One thing I must make mention of is the value of surrounding yourself with people who can assist you in difficult times and help you to maintain a positive attitude.
I'm grateful to have joined a company with excellent support and team leaders who are willing to take the time to help their team members (even if it means them making a phonecall from the other side of the world).
Not quitting is the first ingredient of success.
In my previous post I mentioned I had lost a customer, however unknown to me they renewed their account and were once again active (I had not lost out as I had previously thought).
A good lesson in sticking with it.
Today I also wanted to mention the value of seeing a successful business run.
In my current day job I work in the electronics industry for a small company that has won business awards and is continuing to grow.
(In fact where I live the economic growth rate is higher than any other state in Australia and higher than China which is booming).
I make it a point to observe successful people and companies as a whole to glean as much information as possible that I know will help me and others in the future.
It's well worth keeping your eyes and ears open so you can pick up gems of helpful information.

Dealing with setbacks.

2007-01-28T19:51:00.000+09:00

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm"
- Sir Winston Churchill

Can you fail in MLM?
My experience is yes if you don't plan and manage your resources effectively (and if you choose the wrong product to market).
I personally have pulled the pin with a previous company and ended up with an oversupply of products I struggled to sell.
My experience with my current MLM has been a better story, though not without some setbacks.
Recently I faced a problem which made me think twice about what I was doing - Was I going to fail again?
I took a deep breath and thought for a moment - looked at my earning history and calculated where I was.
My commissions HAD been very modest but they WERE increasing and this setback (The loss of a customer at an important point) was going to hurt my income.
However looking at where I had been and how far I had progressed so far was enough to remind me of the value of staying focused.
Talking to an experienced MLM associate (who is also in my team) we agree that when you begin marketing a new product (such as one that is as cutting edge as ours) there will be teething problems.
This is something we all have to deal with and the best attitude to have is one of
looking ahead.
Mark's MLM

Building trust and reputation in a grey online world.

2007-01-28T14:10:00.000+09:00

In a world of online scammers and con-artists how does someone build trust and reputation in a virtual world?
Apart from the obvious of keeping your word, good old honesty and morals there are also some online essentials:

"You can get by on charm for about 5 minutes but after that you'd better know something".
Taking time to do research on your chosen subject is vital.

Get hold of articles, books, research papers etc from trusted sources and read them.
(readers are leaders).
Choose your statistics wisely and don't embelish, and when you create an article to market you product or service state where you got your information from so people can verify it if they want to.
Admit your mistakes and correct them.

If you don't know the answer say so (and make an effort to find out the answer and get back to the person as soon as you can).

I trust these tips will help you.

Vmdirect business opportunity

Free advertising links.

2007-01-21T16:21:00.000+09:00

You can place free ads on this website for business opportunities, services etc.
http://www.localgrunts.com
It's organized into regions of the US so that you can target your message. There is also no registration required though you'll need to suppy a valid email address so you can activate your advertisement. Your ads will last for 12 days and you can keep putting them up free.

Another place you can put free ads are on OnlineMLM.com's Free Ad Splurge at: http://www.onlinemlm.com/gbindex.php
Just scroll to the bottom to place your ad. You may have to register if you don't have an account. Once again it's free.

"Seed planting."

2007-01-20T18:37:00.000+09:00

I was wondering what to write this afternoon when I remembered a lesson I learnt by watching those who are successful. I call this the lesson of planting seeds. One common characteristic of successful individuals is the ability to "plant seeds". By seed planting I am refering to building relationships and contacts. These people build up their business by caring and effectively being the kind of characters you wanted to be around. Consequently when they had something to say - people listened. This is a good position to be in if you have a product or service you want to promote because seed planters get referals from other individuals who like them. Am I being simplistic? Yes, because sometimes it's good to get back to basics. Someone once told me "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". If you care about a person and you can find out their needs (by building relatinship) and supply a solution to solve that problem you are already possessing some of the "seeds" required to be successful.

Top 10 Sins of Blog Usability (and how you can brush up on getting more visitors who will eventually become customers).

2007-01-15T21:02:00.000+09:00

"Sinning" is an archery term, which literally means "to miss the mark." If you're blogging to establish a two-way dialogue with the world, the "mark" is the optimal reader experience.
I received this article in my inbox recently and decided to share it since we are about building an income online (and blogging is a great way to promote products and generate a steady flow of traffic to your business).
On reading this article it made me aware of areas I needed to brush up on - I trust it will help you too.
Here is the link - enjoy

Quote from Helen Keller and a lesson to learn.

2007-01-11T22:17:00.000+09:00

"No PESSIMIST ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit." -- Helen Keller

Avoid like the plague anyone that tells you that you can succeed with no investment, with no work or that their system will do everything for you at a click of a mouse.
The truth is whatever rewards we seek we need to put in some work - a harvest needs first to begin as seeds planted in a prepared soil, watered and tended before being picked.
That does not mean we say it's too hard and never try - it just means be prepared to sweat a little (or a lot) in order to get to where we want to go.
Can you get rich quick? Rarely.
Can you get rich slowly? Absolutely.

And the person of the year is You. (Time magazine article confirms a new growth industry).

2007-01-05T21:38:00.000+09:00

Time Magazine's recent cover story (December issue) confirms the Digital Revolution is here to stay, In a nod to the digital revolution which has spawned blogs and user content generated web sites like Helloworld, mySpace and Youtube, Time Magazine has decided to honor all of the web 2.0 content creators. (read the full article Here)
This is a strong indicator of where the money is - in tools, products and services that allow individuals to create their own content and publish it online.
I am personally taking advantage of this growth area which I believe will continue to pick up the pace in 2007 by marketing the helloworld suite of products produced by VMdirect

The essence of entrepeneurship.

2007-01-02T22:06:00.000+09:00

"The essence of entrepreneurship is the ability to spot an opportunity and the willingness to go after it despite the risks. "
Happy New Year for 2007 everyone.
This is just a brief post to encourage you all in your business ventures.
Dare to dream guys and gals, make plans, write your goals and break them down into bite sized chunks that are easy to swallow.
Do something - even if it's only small to take you closer to your goal.
Remember a small amount of progress is better than no progress.
Lots of small "progresses" amount to big progress and so on.
Don't be afraid of making a mistake (the person who never made a mistake never actually made anything).
It's a new year with new opportunities.
Go for it!

Mark.

Predictions for 2007 where the money is online.

2006-12-31T12:05:00.000+09:00

2007 is arriving fast (and may already be here if you have dropped by a couple of days after this posting).
As always the gurus of the internet world are making their predictions about what will be the next growth expansion area online and I'm keeping my eyes and ears open.
I received an article recently from a web marketing site which made a number of interesting comments about where things were headed.
One of the points presented was concerning multimedia - primarily streaming video and the associated areas of podcasting, live webcasts etc and how businesses would be "discovering" how they could use these tools to reach their market audience in a more effective way.
Once again content is what I believe will attract customers and online video is an area that I think will continue to grow and rival the traditional TV approach.
For those involved in marketing online and utilize streaming video as a tool to reach their customers this is good news.

As an example:
Today I tuned in to my first live webcast and was amazed.
Unlike traditional TV I was actually able to interact with the presenters via live chat at the same time I was receiving their broadcast which was excellent.
Customers were able to ask questions about the products the presenters were demonstrating (in this case fine china and ornamental gifts)and get feedback immediately.

Another area I'm looking at is in social networking.
Seeing the success of Myspace is enough to remind us all of the value of interaction and how this can be utilized to develop relationships with people who become customers.

For more information click the link below

Helloworld and VMdirect - live webcasting tools and business opportunity

Ps To everyone.
All the very best for a happy, safe and prosperous 2007.
Mark.
To inspire you, here's an example of how I'm using streaming video to promote my music.

Monitoring your site - what you don't want to happen.

2006-12-29T18:00:00.000+09:00

Today was my big launch of video on my music site so I made my way to my website and was horrified to discover my site was completely down (Domain name had expired).
I had paid my fees a month ago but somehow the hosting sevice had missed this.
A great way to miss sales is to have your site down like this.
I have emailed support and will be following up with a phonecall at midnight to make sure everything is fixed.
The lesson:
Check your website regularly at least weekly (or perhaps more often if you depend on it completely as an income source) to make sure you're online and your visitors can still find you.
Also it's worth adding a stats counter (I have one at the bottom of the page which is free for basic functionality) so you can monitor traffic and what effect changes you make to your site, advertising etc is having on the number of visitors coming to your website.
This will help you avoid shelling out time and money on those activities that will give you little in return.

Helloworld free trial CD codes have arrived.

2006-12-22T20:55:00.000+09:00

Hi everyone,
A couple of days before Christmas and I have some great news.
I have aquired a very limited supply of Helloworld codes from VMdirect.
These give you basic access to some of the most powerful online media tools on the net to promote your business for 30 days.
go to www.vmdirect.com/markspivey and visit the product overview and examples pages to see what I am talking about (the same tools I used to create the Christmas greeting video in the previous post).
To use these tools you'll need a decent pc with Windows 200 or XP and a broadband connection for best results (and a webcam or other video recording device to plug in via a usb cable).
Codes can be redeemed here cd.helloworld.com

Ok the codes (4) are below - (just copy one and go to the link above where you can paste it in the appropriate spot and activate your free trial).

55158905FF - Has now been taken.

79F40B1087

2B39D746BE

CE14035164

Go nuts guys and use the service to try out the capabilities of this incredible suite of products to promote your business and contact friends and family over Christmas and the new year.
Consider upgrading to a more comprehensive service level once your trial nears the end of it's 30 day period (and please tell others about what is available here).
Christmas and new year's greetings to everyone.

Mark.

Christmas greetings video from Mark.

2006-12-19T19:09:00.000+09:00

Click on the icon to view the video in a new window.

Keeping the dream alive and thinking big - in steps.

2006-12-16T01:11:00.000+09:00

It's after midnight on a friday when most people are asleep in my part of the world.
Times like these give me an opportunity to think, and go over some things without distraction.
What I wanted to share today (it's now early AM) was the idea of keeping the "Dream" alive.
Sure, we all want to increase our income and change our lifesyles - but how do we do this?
I believe one of the best ways to do this is to create a mission statement of what you are aiming for and write this down.
Next divide this up into a series of bite-sized goals that are easier to achieve in the short term and refer to these regularly to see where you are at.
Secondly it is a good idea to get around positive people who you know will encourage you - and you encourage them too.
Take time out by yourself and get away for a day or so (head for the hills) or somewhere quiet and take a pen and paper with you to jot down any thoughts you might have.
If you are creative (and even if you are not) take some time to discover something new and fresh - it may be just the thing to brighten you up if you feel a little stale in what you are currently doing.
You may be able to pick up some different ideas that will take your business to the next level.
I trust these tips will help you in keeping your goals focused and alive.

Mark.

Mark's business opportunity and streaming media tools.
www.vmdirect.com/markspivey

Blogs and spiders.

2006-12-05T22:21:00.000+09:00

Talking with a web designer friend last night I decided to share a little bit of info you might find useful.
That is search engines love blogs.
Every time your blog is updated the search engine spiders that crawl around indexing pages are attracted to your blog.
The more regularly you update, then the more this happens and your rankings in the search engines increases.
I must admit I have been a little slack recently, however knowing this fact is enough to get me back up to speed.
So if you are wanting to build your online income and are using a blog to generate traffic, remember to add updates on a regular basis to increase your rankings and readership.
Have a great one.
Mark.

Mark's MLM business

ANOTHER ACADEMIC MLM EARNINGS STUDY

2006-11-19T20:07:00.000+08:00

Just the facts m'mam.
During my virtual online travels throughout the www world I often come across interesting articles, some are very encouraging and great in helping to seperate fact from fiction.
(There is also a truckload of misinformation and hype out there - particularly when it comes to operating a MLM).
To your success.
Mark
www.vmdirect.com/markspivey

ANOTHER ACADEMIC MLM EARNINGS STUDY
© Copyright Distributor Rights Association 2006
Another academic study of 362 recruits and 189 sponsors in a multilevel marketing organization found that the recruits sold an average of $682 worth of merchandise per month. This survey also found that most respondents worked from 10 to 20 hours per week on their distributorship.
The average age was 25 to 34 years old, and the vast majority were married women. It is also interesting to note that over 50% of respondents did not have any other employment, so this business opportunity represented their only source of direct income (of course, this would be in addition to any income earned by their spouse). Thus, the amount they made would be critical in helping to pay for basic living expenses.

This research abstract is property of theDistributor Rights Association (DRA). The complete research paper (with all documented references [#1above] plus more) is available from the Distributor Rights Association for $50 membership (company cost $500). Copy and use this abstract for free but include a This Notice and with the two following links to the DRA website http://www.mlm-dra.org and the http://www.mlmwatchdog.com If you don’t? Not Good!

Quotes for the week from billionaire Bill Gates and millionaire Corey Rudl

2006-11-13T20:28:00.000+08:00

"The Internet is the goldrush of the 21st Century." -- Billionaire Bill Gates

"An average person working smart on the Internet earns far more money than a gifted person working hard in the real world!" -- Millionaire Corey Rudl

"The art of using moderate abilities to advantage often brings greater results than actual brilliance." -- Francois de la Rochefoucauld

ACADEMIC RESEARCH ON HOURLY MLM EARNINGS = GOOD

2006-11-13T20:15:00.000+08:00

© Copyright Distributor Rights Association 2006
An independent, published research paper conducted a survey of network marketing organization presidents to determine the amount of money that distributors made. This independent survey revealed that, as might be expected, distributors earned a range of income. An average distributor earned $12 per hour, and worked an average of 34 hours a month. This resulted in earnings of $418 per month. An above-average distributor earned $33 per hour, and worked an average of 76 hours a month. This resulted in earnings of $2,523 per month. A top distributor earned $72 an hour, and worked an average of 169 hours a month. This resulted in earnings of $12,217 per month. Of course, it is also possible that below-average distributors earned nothing. Thus, distributors earned on average, anywhere between $0 per month to $12,217 per month, with an average earnings of $418 per month. Such supplemental income is vital to pay for such basic living expenses as food, transportation costs, housing, and child care expenses.

This research abstract is property of the Distributor Rights Association (DRA). The complete research paper (with all documented references [#1above] plus more) is available from the Distributor Rights Association for $50 membership (company cost $500). Copy and use this abstract for free but include This Notice and with the two following links to the DRA website http://www.mlm-dra.org and the http://www.mlmwatchdog.com If you don’t? Not Good!

Visit Mark's MLM opportunity VMdirect

Overseas phone calls and meetings.

2006-11-04T14:43:00.000+08:00

If you have ever needed to make a phone call to do business overseas, as I have done on several occasions, here is a site that I have found to be invaluable.
Timeanddate.com is a free site that will give you times around the world and tools such as a meeting planner (so you can plan catching up with your contact during office hours and not miss your appointments).
(Reminds me of those times when I have received calls during early hours in the morning here in Australia, to speak to friends in the US).

Quote for the week.

2006-11-04T09:58:00.000+08:00

Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn.

- Miguel de Cervantes

Ways to make money with your musical skills.

2006-11-02T20:20:00.000+08:00

I originally created this article for my musician's blog, however since it has to do with generating income, I thought It was appropriate to include the article here.
(Note you don't have to be a musician to make this work - just adopt the principles to whatever skills you may have - remember knowledge and skills is something people will gladly pay for if it will enrich their lives or solve a problem).

Ways to make money with your musical skills. Think outside the box.

Last week was a busy one (in fact the last 3 were a little crazy - hence the absence of posts).
My day jobs and weekend work got me thinking so I'll share a few thoughts here on how to use your musical skills to make a living - here's the tip for today:

There's money in kids.

If you enjoy working with children why not combine this with your musical talent and create a fun music class?
There are people out there who will throw money at you to do this (I personally have proven this to be true and run a couple of small classes at daycare centers and after school care which have been a hit with the kids and staff).
So get together with some likeminded individuals, do some research and get creative.

There's also money in adults.

I did some research on this and made some enquiries in my city and found it very easy to generate interest.
There are recreation community centres and similar that are always looking for fresh ideas - so if you are creative (which I assume you are, being musical) you may be able to create a music course of some kind.
Examples could be:
Teaching a musical instrument
Recording music
Songwriting
(or if you have recording equipment you could hire out yourself to assist people who may want to record a couple of songs for their own personal enjoyment).
If you build up a large client base (and think outside the gigs and CD sales "box" as the only way you can make a living from music) you can literally end up replacing your day job.

So there's a few ideas that if done right, can help you earn cash from your musical talents.

The integration of social networking, blogs, and search will be paramount to survival in the ecommerce future.

2006-10-27T09:34:00.000+08:00

Here's an article I received from my subscription to Webproworld's newsletter.
Here's a brief preamble:

"The integration of social networking, blogs, and search will be paramount to survival in the ecommerce future.Bloggers drive more and more qualified traffic than major news sites. That's because of the relationship. Find a way to harness those relationships and you're sitting pretty."

To read the full story visit the link here to the forum at Webproworld

The new look of VMdirect version 5 is here

2006-10-21T17:57:00.000+08:00

After a long wait, VMdirect has begun rolling out version 5 of their incredible suite of digital media products and the associated opportunity that goes along with this.
Most of this site is now functional and the technicians have been working overtime to implement the remaining features.
Today was my first opportunity to take a good look at what was new after having been offline for a week or so during upgrades.
I had my fifth check arrive in the mail last week from this company which continues to grow steadily each month.

So what is VMdirect for those that don't yet know?

The website explains it well (in crystal clear streaming video I might add) but here is some text I grabbed from the site:

The digital problem:
Today, our digital lives are scattered. You have music on CDs, MP3s and iPods. Your photos may be on your hard drive, on a photo storage website, or still on your digital camera. Your movies are on DVDs, saved as files on your computer, or still in your camcorder. And, you may be using one service for plain text email, a different service for IM, and yet another one for blogging.

The VMdirect solution:
VMdirect’s exclusive web-based products are designed to help you manage your digital life. With so many ways to record our lives digitally, people need to manage their digital content from one easy to use application. helloWorld, available only through a VMdirect affiliate, is that application! Finally, it’s easy for all of us to create, publish, store and share our digital lives.

In a nutshell, VMdirect's suite of products are designed to solve a number of problems associated with digital media and creative, powerful ways for businesses to advertise their products or services without breaking the budget.
Streaming media is currently a 2 billion dollar industry, but that figure is expected to rise to 12 billion by 2008, so you can see there is a huge market waiting for those wanting to market these products.
This is what gives their affiliates the edge - having something that will provide effective solutions at an affordable price with a large growth industry.

If a MLM business is something you are wanting to become involved in, then I can recommend VMdirect as a company that has the goods and the vision.
Visit my VMdirect affiliate site

Ways to make money from your online business model

2006-10-20T11:11:00.000+08:00

By Evelyn Lim

If you are convinced by now that you wish to do an online business and would like to find out which business models are available, this article is written specially for you.

The different avenues that you can make money are:

1. E-bay model.

Got junk to get rid of? No problem! Just go to http://www.e-bay.com. There are millions and millions of visitors each day to the site. Just create a free account and you are ready to start. If you wish to earn a full time income from this source, do check out best seller book that teaches you the nuts and bolts of doing this seriously.

2. E-Affiliate/network marketing programs.

You earn a commission if you are successful in promoting affiliate books, programs or network marketing programs. This business model has advantages in that you do not have to create your own product or write your own sales letter. You also get a replicated website as an affiliate. All you need to do is to actively refer your friends and market the product or program.
If you decide to go for this model, an excellent book to read is Rosalind Gardner's Super Affiliate Handbook. This book has been on the best seller list due to its catchy tittle and content on "How I made $436,797 in One Year selling other people's stuff online".

3. E-Shopping model.

In this model, you are interested to sell your goodies online. Here, your website will feature pictures and clear descriptions, shopping cart and a payment processor. However, if you are selling physical products, you have to be address issues like warehousing and delivery.

On the other hand, there is no need to create a product yourself, if you do not have one onhand. Simply go to directories such as http://www.mydssd.com , http://ww.ownawebstore.com and http://www.bizwarehouse.com . These sites will even handle the shipping and delivery for you.

4. E-directory model.

Here you create a free directory of various resources and links. Your job is to drive traffic to this site. You make a revenue from businesses who wish to advertise on your website. Earn additional adsense revenue by applying for a google adsense account. A good example of this model? http://www.ArticleMap.com

5. E-Create-a-product Model

This can be in the form of either a digital book or software product. There are lots of advantages of doing an e-book. An e-book is low cost to produce as you just need to write it once and update the contents as and when necessary. You also get to keep all the profits as there is no need to go through a publishing house

Similar advantages also exist for producing a software product. One difference between producing an e-book and a downloadable software product is that you can charge more for the lattar due its higher perceived value and thus earn a higher profit.

6. E-Membership Model

In this business model, you create a high quality, content-rich site and charge your members a subscription every month in order to use your site's resources. This is a good business model to follow as it helps you earn a recurring income. However, you must be able to continually update its content; otherwise, your members have no incentive to stay.

7. E-Professional Services Model

Here, you offer your skills to people who are looking for solutions to their problems via the internet. For instance, if you are a graphic designer, you can offer to design other people's websites for a fee. If you intend to freelance, you can advertise your expertise at http://www.elance.com.

8. E-Zine Model

In this model, you are publishing a content rich newsletter for your subscribers in a particular market. You either earn revenue from promoting on the products advertised in your newsletter or charging your members a subscription fee.

The models mentioned above depict the main ways that you can earn money. However, they are not the only ones available. It is good to spend some time researching on how you would like to make an online living. Happy hunting!

Would you like to receive an Online Marketing Map?
Evelyn Lim publishes a newsletter on article marketing and other business tips. She also discusses about different ways of making money online. To subscribe, please visit
www.e-BizMap.com.

Refer a friend:
If you found the above article useful, please forward it to a friend
who could use some help. Your friend can subscribe at
http://www.e-BizMap.com .

Make it a goal to do good.

2006-10-16T17:12:00.000+08:00

"Do all the good you can, by all means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can."
By John Wesley.

I really like the above quote.
In a world of scratch and bite it's refreshing to see business people who are genuine in their work and desire to help others.
I personally get inspired when I meet individuals such as this - these are the kinds of people I want to link with, to learn from and grow so that I might also be part of the solution and not the problem.

While we are in business to make money, this should not be our focus above all else.
Life is too short and there is no point becoming financially rich if we cannot balance this with the richness of relationships, family and helping those in genuine need.

Let's go for it people and make our lives count for more than a bank check with lots of zeros.

Mark.

7 Ways to Spot a Brokeback Entrepreneur (And How To Avoid Them)

2006-10-10T21:03:00.000+08:00

Are you bitter that your network isn’t producing results? Angry that the people you’ve been networking with isn’t sending business your way? Tired of working long hours on your business only to see your bank account almost empty and your bills piling up?

The problem lies with you – yes, you. You have been giving too much away for too long and you’re now attracting brokeback entrepreneurs.

Who’s a brokeback entrepreneur? This is someone who operates using a frugal mentality, but refuses to spend any money to operate their business.

You’re a smart entrepreneur with an awesome product or great services. However, the only way you can start to reap the financial rewards you deserve is to rid your life of these brokeback entrepreneurs.

First, you need to spot them. Then, you need a strategy to avoid them, or if they’re infiltrating your life already, you need a plan to get rid of them. Here are my 7 tips based on what my friends tell me.

1. Brokeback entrepreneurs always pick your brain. They will email or call you everytime they encounter a problem that you have the expertise to solve.

How to avoid them: Draft up an email that lists all the freebies you offer on your website. This will include links to your blog, articles on your website, your podcast and any other advice you freely offer online. Then end the email by saying, “If after reviewing my free resources you still have questions, you can rent my brain at $200 per hour.” You’ll never hear from the brokeback entrepreneur again.

2. Brokeback entrepreneurs copy from you instead of thinking of fresh, new ideas. They will plagiarize your content, copy your website design and use your trademarked name in their marketing materials.

How to avoid them: Use a website such as copyscape.com to monitor who’s copying your website content. Being proactive in protecting yourself will prevent the brokeback entrepreneurs from messing with you in the first place.

3. Brokeback entrepreneurs attend every free event you offer. They live for the $0, no cost teleclass, webinar or workshop. They will never, ever pay for any of your events, preferring to listen to the same free one over and over again. Then, they’ll approach you at every break or dominate every Q&A session to get free advice.

How to avoid them: You can’t. Instead, cut off the questions being asked by the the brokeback entrepreneur (without being rude of course) and invite him or her to contact you via email. When he or she does, follow my advice in #1 above.

4. Brokeback entrepreneurs are uncomfortable when you upsell your products or services. They will email you after your teleclass or approach you after your speech and scold you about how wrong it is to use 2-minutes at the end of your 50-minute information share to sell them anything.

How to avoid them: Keep your cool. Remember, price is to a brokeback entrepreneur as billions are to Trump, so they’ll never be your customer since they’ll never spend money with you. Instead, thank the brokeback entrepreneur for their advice, then move on to the next person. Don’t get into an argument with the brokeback entrepreneur. Chances are, when the brokeback entrepreneur complains to her or his colleagues that you actually tried to sell something, the brokeback entrepreneur will have egg on her or his face.

5. Brokeback entrepreneurs will seek to barter their services with you. They never want to spend money on anyone’s services simply because no one is spending money with him or her.

How to avoid them: Not all bartering relationships are bad. Instead, define the arrangement up front by writing up a statement of work. Detail the start and end dates, what’s included and excluded in the project, plus a timeline. Also, issue an invoice that shows the value of the work you’re providing, but has a $0 for the amount owing. Chances are, the brokeback entrepreneur will find someone else who isn’t taking the bartering relationship that seriously.

6. Brokeback entrepreneurs expect you to drop everything for them. Because she or he is sitting in their home office twiddling their thumbs, the brokeback entrepreneur expects that you are as well. The reason why she or he has so much time on their hands is because they aren’t making money. So, when they leave you a voicemail or send you an email, they expect to see a response within the hour.

How to avoid them: Update your voicemail greeting to let people know when you typically return greetings. A typical turnaround time is 24-hours. A rule of thumb is to respond to your clients and prospects inquiring about your product or service that same business day. Typically, a brokeback entrepreneur is neither, so get into the habit of responding to networking contacts within 3-business days.

7. Brokeback entrepreneurs hang out together. Those who feel they shouldn’t spend money for anything beyond registering a domain name hang out with those of the same mentality.

How to avoid them: If you want to be a millionaire, hang out with millionaires. If you want to have a successful business, hang out with people who have a successful business. If you want to be broke, hang out with broke people. It’s just that simple.

Leesa Barnes is a networking expert who helps coaches,
consultants and solopreneurs avoid cold calling by
developing a fearless networking plan. Leesa is author
of "Schmooze Your Way to Success: 9 Fearless Networking
Tips for the Shy, Timid, Introverted & Just Plain Clueless."
Visit Schmooze your way to success to discover
how to use networking to increase sales and avoid cold
calling.

Building your business with an important human attribute.

2006-10-08T15:21:00.000+08:00

I wanted to talk today about building a business with an attribute all people should have.
It's called generosity.
I personally don't believe a business should do everything for free (otherwise you go broke very rapidly). However it makes good business sense to offer some of your products and services to worthy causes - even the big companies realise this principle - that as you "sow" into "good soil", there is always a good "harvest" later down the track.

To prove my point ask yourself - would you be more likely to become a customer to a "mean or stingy" business or a generous one that gives back into the community?

So how does a business demonstrate this if it is just trying to get by and does not have a lot of cash?
Generosity needn't be money.
Offer some time and skills instead and do something to help out.

I personally have found that this opens doors to further opportunities and contacts.
Granted there are times when you will have to say "no", but if you are willing to give a little of yourself, whether it be advice, a product or service to a worthy cause you will find that this will create goodwill and generate more customers in the long run.

Investigate Mark's business opportunity

How to Write Persuasively

2006-10-02T17:47:00.000+08:00

By Jennifer Stewart

When writing an advertisement, your aim is to persuade your readers to follow a particular course of action - willingly.

There are three elements in this process:

1. you must win the trust of your audience

2. you must appeal to their emotions (rather than to their intellect)

3. you must rationalise their decision for them, so that they feel comfortable in making it

If you succeed in all three areas, you will have engineered their consent to buy your product or service.

Here are some tips to help you to achieve this desirable state of affairs:

1. Win the Trust of Your Audience

The first step is to show that you are a person who can be trusted - so try to give your audience something of value - advice, interesting "inside" information or helpful tips. Indicate why your opinion here should be valued - give a little detail about your background and your credentials.

To win their trust, you must know something about your audience:

* What sort of people are they?
* How old are they?
* What are their special interests?

You must also try to find some common ground with your audience:

* Begin with a point of common interest e.g. "I'm sure we all want to give our kids the best start possible..."
* Anticipate their responses by using rhetorical questions e.g. "You're probably wondering where you'll find the time to ..."

Use generalisations to persuade your audience to agree with you - people feel more comfortable when they know that, "80% of families use ..." or that "8 out of 10 teachers state that parental interest improves student grades ..."

2. Appeal to the Emotions

We all know that people respond to emotional appeals more readily than to intellectual appeals, so utilise this in your advertising. There are three steps to follow:

First, arouse an emotion - anger, fear, resentment, envy, greed, sympathy.

Second, give a reason for the emotion - "your children are precious to you, don't risk their future by ..."

Third, give your audience an appropriate course of action to follow - "Call now to ensure your place in this new ..."

When appealing to the emotions, your most powerful tools are words - learn to use them to create the desired effect on your readers.

* Words can have literal meanings (denotation) and emotional meanings (connotation) e.g. a 'house' is a building where people live, but a 'home' is much more
* Some words have strong emotive appeals 'built-in' e.g. 'chaos' implies something much stronger than 'disruption'
* Select your facts carefully - choose only those that support your point of view

3. Rationalise

This is giving people good reasons to believe what you're telling them. We all do this to ourselves everyday. How many times have you said something like this to yourself, "My old car is going to start costing me money soon; I'd be better off buying a new one now"?

Tell your would-be customers that they'll save money in the long run by spending it now and you've given them a reason to act immediately.

Summary

* Emphasise and repeat your key points - use logic and reasoning only when necessary
* Be convincing in your presentation, so that your audience forgets to ask about the points you skip over
* Use plenty of emotional words and focus on the audience.

Consider how you can use these persuasive techniques to sell your products or services.

________________________

Jennifer Stewart offers professional writing services for web pages, press releases, advertising material, business reports, content for autoresponders, technical booklets and articles for newsletters. For those who want their own writing double-checked for accuracy, Jennifer offers proof reading or full editing. Website: http://www.write101.com

For your protection - worth reading if you have ever been ripped off or better still, before you do business.

2006-09-29T22:08:00.000+08:00

I received this link from a well respected newsletter I subscribe to.
As always, there are always a few bad apples in the barrel - this is a site that significantly decreases your chances of finding a rotten one (and what to do if you were unfortunate enough to pick one).
Here is some of the information I grabbed from their site below (which perfectly describes all that we as businesspeople should NOT be).

Search the Rip-off Report™ before you do business with retail stores with bad return policies, checking & credit theft, rebate fraud or other unscrupulous business policies such as phony auto repairs, auto dealer bait-and-switch tactics, restaurants with bad service or food, corrupt government employees & politicians, police corruption, home builders, contractors, unethical doctors & lawyers, online stores that sell non-existent products, dead beat dads & moms, landlords & tenants, fraudulent employment & business opportunities, and individual con artists who scam consumers. These are just a few of the countless topics available, and the list is continually modified as new categories emerge.

Here is the link: http://ripoffreport.com

Inspiration for the week from Albert.

2006-09-26T11:44:00.000+08:00

"No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."

- Albert Einstein

How to Generate Traffic Through Article Marketing

2006-09-25T23:35:00.000+08:00

By: Evelyn Lim

Writing articles for article marketing is a good way to get traffic to your website. Articles provide information to your audience and allow you to show your expertise. By posting your articles in article directories, you can generate traffic to your site and also help create back links to it. The main keys to article marketing are to write a high quality content article, create a good authors resource box to highlight you and your site and to submit it to several article directories for maximum publicity.

A good targeted article will get read with many page views. So write an article that will be read by many. Here are 5 important factors to consider when writing an article:

1) Writing on what you know is a pre-requisite to good quality content. If you don’t know enough about a particular topic, please do more research.

2) If you want people to read your article, make sure that it is interesting. Best is to write about something your target audience wants to know to guarantee article viewership. If there is a question that you are often asked or something that is often misunderstood in your field, then that makes a great topic. Solve a problem your target audience has through your article.

3) Be specific and informative. Provide easy to follow pointers. Presentation styles to achieve this is with a “Top 7 or Top 10 tips” or a “How to” article with bulleted steps.

4) Make your article keyword rich. This does not mean you load it with keywords, but rather that you try to use keywords naturally throughout the article. Most search engines now avoid listing pages with unnatural keyword use, but they still reward good keyword usage. So it is important that you define some keywords and make sure they are used regularly throughout your article. Keywords are important as they will be exactly how your target audience is going to search and find your article.

5) Don’t put readers off with bad English, grammer or spelling. This may sound basic, but there are many articles that do not even fulfill this requirement.

Once you have written your article, focus on the author’s resource box. This is the area at the bottom where you tell about you and you advertise your site. Use short sentences that grab attention. Do not sell here – your site will do the sales pitch. The author’s resource box is meant to entice your readers for the click through to your site.

Lastly, you need to give your article high visibility by publishing your article on your site and also, submitting it to various article directory sites. For article marketing to produce good results, try to focus on newsletters or directory sites that will reach your target audience. Look into the content before submitting. As article submission to directories can be time consuming, it is best to either use a software to help automate or to use article submission services for this process. Compared to manual submissions, these will ensure that your articles get posted on hundreds to thousands of sites automatically, with the least amount of time wasted.

In no time, after posting a highly targeted content article, you will find that there are many sites linking back to your site or article page. Through article marketing, you have not only generated traffic to your site via the resource box, but created links back to your site for higher ranking on the search engines.

Article Source: http://www.articlemap.com

Evelyn Lim is a writer, a market strategist and an online business entrepreneur. She also owns and manages an article directory site, with more than 100 topic categories. To submit your articles or if you are a publisher looking for reprint articles, please visit www.ArticleMap.com.

Quote for the week - Targets

2006-09-21T05:18:00.000+08:00

Aim for the moon -
Even if you miss you'll be amoung the stars.

Eleven Practical Reasons Why Streaming Video is a Vital Marketing Tool for your Website.

2006-09-13T23:38:00.000+08:00

By Mark Spivey.

Below are 11 practical reasons why streaming video should be considered as a vital marketing tool to add to a business website.

1. Limited Screen Space.

Computer screens have increased in size over the years but webmasters still have to deal with the problem getting all a client's information presented above the bottom of the screen.
It's difficult enough to get prospects or customers to read anything without them having to scroll lengthy pages of text.
Placing a prominent link to video content greatly reduces the amount of reading and web space needed (A lot can be said in a minute of video, 100 words or more).

2. Computer Screen Readability

Computer monitors have never particularly easy on the eyes.
Screen LCDs are brighter and display more contrast than CRT (which is great for graphics but again not ideal for reading). So instead of giving your potential clients eyestrain and a headache, deliver the information using video, a much more user-friendly experience.

3. Scanning habits of visitors.

A large number of net users (around 70 percent) tend to scan and skim over material, rather than actually read it.
Having a well presented streaming video that loads and begins playing quickly is a powerful way to encapsulate the main points of your business and transmit them in a memorable way.

4.Retention.

Studies have shown that only a small amount of read text (around 10 percent) is easily recalled by a reader.
Audio is slightly better (20 percent), whereas Video, being both visual and audible has the highest ranking in memory retention studies (around 50 percent or higher).
(If this is combined with actual interactive activity - ie doing, the result rises to around 80 percent).

Also consider the following facts:

55% of a message meaning is derived from facial expression

38% of a message meaning is derived from gestures, body language, etc.

From the above we can see it simply makes sense to add video to a business site.

5. Consistency of Message Delivery.

Because text is skimmed your overall message may not come across in a consistent way from one visitor to the next.
When clients are left on their own to browse you really don't know how much of your message they are getting.

By presenting information in video, you deliver a consistent, error-free message without anything left out. The human voice, music and visual cues breaks through the concentration barrier and leaves a lasting impression of who you are and why your visitors should be customers.

Content is King - Presentation is Queen.

6.The Phenomenon of Multitasking.

Time is vital in business and so most of us try and cram as much into the day as possible - doing several things at once (multitasking).

Most of us are answering the phone, reading documents, creating reports etc etc. People want it short, and to the point (and we want to be able to grab their attention while they are doing other things!) If TV advertisers can effectively promote their products in thirty-second commercials during dinner, imagine what you can deliver in the same amount of professionally created video online.

7. Branding - Creating a Personality.

Successful businesses all have an image and personality and there is no better way to transmit that personality to your prospective clients than with video. Companies spend thousands of dollars on logos, slogans, printed material and website design.
Using video is a powerful tool that effectively "glues" all these elements together.
You see it, hear it and interact with it, creating a memory and a feel associated with that business.
TV commercials have given Fast food chains, Banks and consumer electronics a corporate image.
Online video can do exactly the same (at a tiny fraction of the cost of TV airtime 24hrs a day 7 days a week, worldwide).

8. Cost Effectiveness and ease of use.

Many business people make the assumption that multimedia solutions like video are expensive - but that is no longer the case.
Recent developments have made streaming video tools accessible to even small budget companies with the flexibility not available in flash presentations which can be extremely labour intensive and cannot be viewed without the correct player.
It is possible to create, adjust and present your video message with minimal equipment and low overheads and obtain a professional result.
Further developments have made video viewable without the need of downloading and installing additional software (which by the way, is a guaranteed way to lose visitors).

9 Trust and association.

Video gives the visitor a picture of who you are.
TV commercials that feature a celebrity or (even just the man or woman who runs the store) create trust - that is one reason why they sell.
Buyers like to associate a name with a face and video does this better than any other medium available.
To be able to see something "real" in a virtual world helps to solidify the viewer's perception (hopefully positive) of you and your product or service.

10 It's a well known medium that is still unique enough to attract attention.

While text, plain pictures (and even flash to a degree) have become commonplace and "ho hum" in the net, online video still attracts significant attention (who can resist opening a link "Watch Video"?)
There is still a fascination with this media which works in the advertiser's favor.

11 And finally... You can effectively demonstrate your product.

Ever try to describe to a customer how your product works, how easy it is to use, special features, etc with just text? - it can often be very difficult.
Nothing beats a customer seeing a product or service they are interested in going through it's paces.
Video is the only medium that gives the prospective customer a real life illustration of the what, how and why operations of your goods and services.
When a customer understands a product and how it will benefit them, they are more inclined to purchase.

About The Author
Mark Spivey is a Helloworld independent affiliate with experience in the music, radio multimedia and online sales industry.
His business offers powerful, advanced, online multimedia and communication tools that are user friendly, affordable and highly effective.

For more information visit:

http://www.helloworld.com/communicate

http://www.getworldpassport.com/communicate

Add some humor to your life and make selling a joy.

2006-09-11T22:22:00.000+08:00

Humor is a great tool in breaking down barriers and sharing your message.
My experience in selling is that it has to be fun both for you and the client.
After all, buying should be an enjoyable experience -(If it wasn't the shopping malls would be empty!)
Everyone but the most miserable individual enjoys a good laugh.
Add some depth and connectedness to your conversation, be in touch and dare to do something silly once in a while.
Break out of the box!

It's all about character.

2006-09-09T12:45:00.000+08:00

An important part of business is not chasing money but rather becoming the type of person that attracts wealth, in attitude, positive outlook, friendliness and sincerity.
Become the kind of person that you would be happy to associate with and you'll attract the right kind of people and the right kind of income.

Keeping it simple.

2006-09-07T22:13:00.000+08:00

There is nothing more annoying in advertising than a sales pitch that is full of hot air and fluff.
Want to get someone's attention (and keep it)?
Tell the facts.
What the problem is and how your product or service can solve the problem and meet the need.
Tell the facts
How your product does this.
How your product is a better choice.
Your promise to your customer (don't just say good service since good service is something all customers expect).

Facts are better than fluff.

Serious entrepeneurs need only apply.

2006-09-04T20:26:00.000+08:00

Here's a tip to save a lot of heartache and problems in the future with people dropping out of your business (regardless of what it is).
A lot of individuals make a serious mistake when joining a MLM (network marketing) business - they go nuts recruiting anything that moves and then wonder why people lose interest and drop out.
With any business it's all about quality, not quantity - it is better to have just a few really committed people than it is to have hundreds of individuals join with you because their friends did or they felt sorry for you (because if their heart is not in it - they won't be either).
It's a good idea to share the vision and the real commitment required that will make it work.
(Most businesses need to run a couple of years before they make serious money - MLM is no different).
Be truthful - Yes you can make very good money
BUT no it will not happen in a week or even a few months (This is simply not true) but it will happen if you put the time and work in over a few years.
This is a principle that applies to anything in life - rewards are the result of work.

I was speaking to a friend of mine today in the UK who is doing very well in MLM (he started out with very little) His secret? Committment and seeing the vision of where he wanted to go and then following this through with daily steps towards his goal.

Blogging - a great way to build income

2006-09-02T11:19:00.000+08:00

Blogging is no longer the domain of computer teckkies and university students.
There is a wide diversity of people that read blogs and so creating a blog about something that interests you (and of course your visitors) creates a platform from which you can launch related advertising for products and services.
Here's an example below:
(Like cooking? Then blog about it! add your favourite recipies, stories and tips and then seek out affiliate programs and google adwords which will generate income for you).
I came across Problogger recently which has some excellent tips and articles about how to generate income from your blog.
(The author, Darren is a fellow Australian who makes a living by blogging - and he's a nice person too).

Here's an exciting development to keep tabs on

2006-09-01T12:57:00.000+08:00

Here's an update on the business opportunity offered by VMdirect as sent to me recently.
I have personally joined this business as an independant afilliate and received my fourth check in the mail just a week ago.
(It's very exciting and encouraging to see what is planned for release very soon - Version 5 of their product will be out this month and they are offering a number of ways for an individual to make a substantial income).
Do read on...

Version 5.0 of Helloworld will revolutionise communication and social networking
Over the internet Forever.

Here’s some further information to whet your appetite for what’s about to happen.

There’s truly never been a better time to be in this business than now.
Top Secret New Products and Technologies launching September.

Due to the obvious reasons of wanting to be first to market, we cannot go into too much detail about what will be launched in 2006, 2007, and beyond. However, we think that we are safe by telling you a little about the future. If you are considering joining this program, it's important to really understand the direction that they are moving towards in the months and years to come.

Creative Partnerships to Help Make This Company A Household Name. Most of the partnerships will be kept under the radar until they make the announcement. But, one of which we can tell you is with Artemis Records. They are the largest Independent Recording Label in North America. They have produced many Grammy Award winning artists and are very respected in the recording industry. What will we be doing with them a few months down the road? Think about TV shows "American Idol" and “The X Factor”, and then combine that with the Internet and these video streaming products. Then combine that with every person that owns a computer in the WORLD. Then combine that with a website that was popular a few years back called "HotorNot" where people could vote on how good-looking someone was. (Sounds crazy, but MILLIONS of people a day were going to that site.) Then combine all of that with prizes, a recording contract and massive press on TV, the radio, newspapers, and one of the biggest word of mouth buzzes you have ever seen.

Enough about this one for now. More information about the above and the other partnerships that they have created to help you explode your business coming soon... And Much Much More! One thing that you may not know is that the owners' and their product developers have been working on creating new products for the streaming media (Video over Internet) industry for almost TEN years. Yes, TEN years! As you can imagine, they have developed some truly amazing never before seen products that we'll see over the next few months and years. To say that they are light years ahead of any current or future competition is a complete understatement. Several Fortune 100 companies have offered to buy several of the products and technologies from them already. They offered more money than you and I can even comprehend. Management told them that nothing is, nor will it ever be, for sale. The founders of this company are not here to make a quick buck or create something and then sell it off. Their passion for the streaming media industry and to become the global leader is like nothing we have ever seen in our lives.

The founders and their employees are on a very big mission. It's to become the Global Leader in Online Streaming Media and to change the lives of millions of people through the products and the opportunity. There is no doubt that we are on track especially since we are growing faster than anyone had expected. Month after month, we bring in considerably more affiliates and customers than the month prior.

New Enhancements - Every single product that you see right now (Video Mail, Video IM, Webcasting) will be completely enhanced and expanded over the next few months. They are always working on developing new product features to make their service better and to remain light-years ahead of any competition. In fact, they're already working on 6.0! You will see some incredible new features added to all of the products as well as the Webcasting and Video Mail products being bundled together.

The new Video Mail Product Will Give You a MINIMUM 5 GB of Storage to store all of your content including your email, videos, documents, photos, and more! You’ll never have to delete any emails or worry about them being purged by your email provider again or worry about space! Guess what, you won't have to navigate around pop up advertising either!

The World’s First And ONLY Media Transcoder. This allows us to transcribe media into any format. This means that when Version 5.0 officially launches, every video that you create or upload will be automatically stored in your video vault in: Windows Media Player, Flash, QuickTime, Real Player, the player for iPods (and other portable media players), and the players for cell phones. You will be able to store ALL of your media in ONE VAULT. This is amazing. This includes ALL of your Digital Photos. Videos, Music, (Yes, MUSIC!), Documents-- And more! This company is not just about video e-mail any more. We will now be a full media company. The CEO said that the new products are much more like a complete “studio”. The new video products that you’ll be learning about in a moment are out of this world. But the new things that you will be able to do WILL change everything for millions of people.

The New Video Mail will give you the ability to not only transcode any video into any format, but they have developed the technology to transcode documents as well, like Adobe PDF’s into Microsoft Word. How cool is that?

This New Video Mail Product is much more powerful than any other email application on the planet including Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express, Yahoo, Google, AOL, Comcast, Virgin, this, that, or any other email service provider in the world. It has a totally new look and feel. It’s so clean. There’s the ability to share your calendar/ schedule with others. You can “drag and drop” anything – like a message from your inbox to another folder. The mail search features are unlike anything in the world. Another feature is that if someone sends you an email with an address, all you’ll have to do is click on the address and it will give you a pop up map & directions (AJAX technology). If someone sends you a FedEx or UPS tracking number, just click on it, and it’ll show you where your package is located. There are 100’s of new features that we have that no one else does.

Another Incredible Mail Feature that few in the world have is that if someone sends you an attachment all you have to do is put your mouse over the file and you’ll be able to view it in a new window instantly! No need to download attachments to see what they are ever again!

The New Business Accounts Will Be Launching HOT-HOT-HOT! Management knows that businesses will be tearing down the walls to get their hands on these products. Business accounts will now have everyone private labelled to their own business, under their own domain. No mentions of this company. If any business is not using these products within the next 6 months, they will be left behind because their competitors will be all over this.

AJAX Enabled - If someone sends you an email to your video mail account and they put their or someone else’s phone number, all you have to do is click on the phone number and the number will be called for you. The new video mail product is fully integrated with Skype and any other VOIP phone service.

The Video Mail Product is Now Web-Based, meaning that you will never have to worry about travelling and not being able to access the files on your computer you left home ever again! You will be able to access your photos, videos, documents, files, audios, calendar, e-mail, and more from any computer in the world! You can't do this with Outlook! With this capability you may not even have to lug your laptop around the world again. Simply go to any workstation and access your private-labelled business account and you can effectively do your business from anywhere in the world. The new spell check program that the Video Mail product will have is amazing and unlike any other in the world! Your Video Vault has many new enhancements that you’ll love. For example, you will now see a graphic of the videos that you create AND you’ll be able to label every video you create so you can easily find them in the future. If you lose your PC or MAC or if it gets corrupted, all of your information will be saved and you won't have to worry about losing a thing!

Today, When We Send a Video Email, the recipient sees a filmstrip of the video you created that they click on to view the video. Well, with the new product, you will have full control of that. With 5.0 you'll be able to send a link, or the full strip, or even just one graphic. Amazing! All Of Our Video Products Will Reach 100% Of The Internet Users In The World. It doesn't matter if they have Windows, Mac, etc. The products will also work on ALL browsers, including Firefox.

Top Secret Product - We can't even tell you the name of it! They will be launching a set top box that you will be able to hook up to your television. This box has more patented and patent-pending technology than most companies involved in protecting their crown jewels... but just know that there are many patents!) With this box, people will be able to access ALL of the company's video streaming products from their television or PC. You will also have access to movies on demand, music videos on demand, and you will be able to put your interests into this box and then be notified when there are videos to view that YOU may want to watch! The above is just scratching the surface as to what this box will do. It's crazy. We are still in awe when we think about it. By the way, this isn't something that was created yesterday. Their programmers have been working on this for MANY YEARS... way before the company even launched.

At the May Event in Las Vegas the CEO showed the new box, that contains a webcam and microphone, and will hook up to your television and internet to access all of video streaming products and video content. This box is going to change the world. You will be able to access everything on your TV plus you will be able to: send video email, live video chat, video broadcast, pay-per-view video broadcast, access millions of videos in categories (like TV channels today) that others people have created. Cooking shows. Auto shows. Marketing shows. Fitness shows. Golf shows. You name it- it’ll be there. The box is expected to retail for only £199($299)! You will earn a £30($50) commission for every box you sell. By the way, you may be wondering about the video quality. Its 30 frames per second – and the videos on your TV will be DVD quality! Company branded TV will have contests in many different categories where winners will get their video seen on NATIONAL TELEVISION. Talk about a way to get famous fast! All you’ll have to do is hook it up to your TV, plug in your Internet access, and you are ready to go! This new product is set to launch January 1, 2007. The Company will Be Giving Away thousands and thousands of boxes to deserving families and children that cannot afford the box or a computer as part of a new Charity that they will be starting.

Video Blogging; The company will be launching a full video blogging service with full integration with their products and services. They will also be diving head-first into the Social Networking side of the Internet. Users from all over the world will be able to access and manage their own content from anywhere at anytime. You will see several new technologies that you have never ever seen or heard about that will allow you to share information and even make money in very unique ways. Video blogs will be the future of blogging on the Internet. Watch! Pay Per View Video Broadcasting will be huge. They will be launching a full service pay-per-video video broadcasting service soon. This will allow anyone to make money hosting their own live video broadcasts from their home or office! This is a service that teachers, consultants, coaches, marketers, and really anyone can make money with. In our opinion, pay per view video broadcasting will create another profitable industry on the Internet. Selling information is a multi-multi billion dollar a year business. Just think... If you know how to bake the best apple pie in the world, you could make money teaching others how to do it, while they watch you live! The “look and feel” of the pages are very clean and has all of the features that sites like Blogger.com has, plus many, many new features that no other Blogging software or website in the world offers. One example is that you will have the ability to control what content that you want public and what content that you want private so only people that you allow to view content can view it.

Your Blog Will Have RSS. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication. This is an incredible feature that will allow all of your friends, businesses, and anyone that subscribes to your blog to be instantly notified that you posted new content to your website. No more worrying about email and wondering if someone received or opened your email. With the new RSS feature, everyone who subscribes to your blog or your “TV Channel” will be notified when you post a new video or content.

Videos on Cell Phones You read that right. You will have the ability to create a video from your camcorder or computer (w/webcam) and send it to any Internet enabled device like Palm Pilots and cell phones. Think about this one for a minute. This New Cell Phone Technology will also be rolling out from several cell phone vendors shortly. You will be able to record videos from your cell phones, add some text, and post it onto your blog with one touch of a button! How incredible is that! The college market is going to LOVE this!

Version 5.0 will allow Podcasting from PCs! Podcasting is extremely popular online in the MAC world. Helloworld is going to make Podcasting available to PC users! MAC users command 3% of the workstation marketplace, while PC users command 97%. Here’s how it works: There are millions of people who record their broadcasts, much like a radio show. You then go online and download the audio (which is called a Pod Cast) onto your ipod or any other MP3 device. You can then listen to the recording at any time. Any subject you can think of – there are thousands and thousands of people doing “Pod Casts”. There is also Video Podcasting that is really starting to get popular, with people creating mini-shows or movies. People watch them online or download them onto their ipod and watch the video anywhere they go. With 5.0, you can record your own videos, put them on your new program Social Network website, and people will be able to download your Pod Casts, much like having your own TV show!

The New Live Video Instant Message (IM) Product Is Incredible. You’ll have a ton of new features that are all mind-blowing. There’s even a new technology that allows you to do a video chat with four people at the same time. The new screen where you can text chat and video chat with four people is so futuristic-looking. You are going to love this. And yes, the live video chat product will still be free to all customers and Affiliates. The new live video chat product will be integrated into your new 5.0 website and blog. When you are on your page, you’ll automatically see a list of who’s online. You can even separate everyone from Friends, Family, Affiliates, Customers, etc! This product and the new enhancements are amazing!

The Webcasting- Broadcasting Video Product has many new enhancements. A ton! One of the great features is that when you are hosting a live video broadcast, it will be connected to your video vault, so any time you want to play a video in your vault during a live broadcast, you can! You will also have the ability to host pay-per-view broadcasts and have people pay you to access live or recorded video content.

Launching Another New Product! Video Surveillance! Because of the many requests that have come in, They developed a camera and service where you will be able to hook up an 802.11 LAN-Based Camera anywhere there is an Internet connection. You will then be able to access that camera anywhere in the world 24 hours a day 7 days a week! This can be used for home or business use anywhere in the World. This product alone will create frenzy out there because our pricing is fractions of a penny to a dollar compared to what other companies charge for 24/7 video surveillance.

Very Aggressive Global Expansion. They will be launching into many countries all over the world - both with the products and the business opportunity. You will have access to all of the pre-launch websites, live video broadcasts, conference calls, and more that we will be sharing for each country that we launch into. The corporate goal is to get these products and the opportunity to every country as fast as possible. Being an Internet company, you may be wondering why they are not in every country already? This company's management does everything by the books. They are getting the approvals first, setting up banking, offices if needed, work with the government, lawyers, etc. first and then launching into a country. While many companies launch into an area first and then try to get the approval and file all of the needed documents.

COMPANY IS GOING WORLD WIDE RIGHT AWAY! Customers from every country around the world will be able to enrol as customers and begin using the products. This is huge and opens the doors for millions and millions of new customers to come in. They will then start to open the doors for the Affiliate business opportunity in the countries with the most customers.

The Compensation Plan Has Been Enhanced To Pay Us More! Management added more percentages that we are paid in our Matrix. They have also added two new bonuses called the “Personally Enrolled Rank Bonus” which pays you bonuses for people that you have enrolled that reach higher titles. There is another bonus called “Title Achievement Bonus” has also been added.

A New Zero Down Program. We will be launching a New “Webmaster Affiliate Program” That Costs ZERO To Enrol. As a webmaster affiliate, they can sell all of the products from a website and earn a 20% commission every month from their customers anywhere in the world. The ONLY place someone can enrol for this Affiliate Program is from YOU. Those Affiliates will go into your Matrix and you will earn money from all of their customers every month. AND… any of those customers that the webmaster affiliates bring in that enrol as an Affiliate will go directly to YOU. This new program will create countless full-time incomes for us alone. This is massive and will attract some BIG webmaster affiliates. Any website on the Internet can enrol for the webmaster affiliate program at no cost. They will simply send out emails to their lists and advertise on their websites – and you get the commissions from customers and when many of those customers enrol to become Affiliates for the business opportunity. WOW.

COMPANY HAS GONE PUBLIC When management announced this at the event in May; hundreds of balloons fell down onto the stage and were all throughout the crowd. Music started, and everyone went crazy for a good five minutes or more. People were dancing, running around, hugging each other, even some tears were seen. Several months ago, They purchased a company that was public already. They then closed the doors on that company, which has made going public a lot easier than using the traditional IPO methods. The company that management is using to go public is the same company that MySpace.com used to go public. What we do know is that management will be retaining 96% of the shares and only 4% of the available shares will be going public. It was mentioned that within the next few months, the goal is to be traded on the NASDAQ. And much, much more! There are several other new products, technologies, and partnerships that they will be launching between now and the next event in Las Vegas in October 2006.

Some of these things are VERY exciting so be prepared to lose some sleep! Keep in mind that some of these products are still six months away or more, however the people who have built five, six and seven figure incomes today with this company have done it with the current product line. At least you now know what you are working towards and why getting involved with this program right now is the best time that you can become involved, whether from a retail or business opportunity standpoint.

As you can see this is a huge market that is available to be filled with the right products. If this interests you, then you are invited to investigate this further. www.getworldpassport.com/communicate

Product review- breakthrough Money Making Secrets Revealed.

2006-08-18T21:40:00.000+08:00

Just occasionally it is possible to find a quality book that actually provides workable solutions to producing an income online.
Such is with Holly Mann's Ebook "Breakthrough Money Making Secrets Revealed".
I originally purchased this Ebook 3 months ago after buying a previous publication that had disappointed.
After reading the short introduction I soon discovered an absolute treasury of tips and step by step articles that not only tell you where to go to find the right items to promote but also how and where to get your customers.
So after starting from absolute scratch I began to build my little income empire.
Within just a couple of months I had developed an effective strategy, identified a market and began to see sales.
I can honestly say this book truly does deliver - just put the work in and you will see rewards.
I'm currently going through the chapters again to put into place more of the steps detailed in her book as I believe I have just scratched the surface in regards to what is achievable with the right advice.

Don't throw away your friendships.

2006-08-06T14:56:00.000+08:00

This is the worst mistake you can make.
You present your business opportunity to a possible prospect or friend.
They are not interested so you drop them like a hot potato and move on like you never knew them.
Keep your friends and build relationships regardless as to if they want to join your business or not.
People are valuable not just a commodity or resource that you can get something from.
Maybe they will join later - maybe not (it really does not matter in the scheme of things).
I personally would rather have a few committed team players than a crowd of upset people who are that way because of my own self-focussed attempt to get everything I can.
Make it a goal to build relationships.

My personal experience with MLM.

2006-08-05T12:52:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,
It is said you can ony possess what you experience so I thought I'd share a brief story about where I have been and where I'm going as an encouragement to others.
My first experience with network marketing was not a good one whereas my second attempt and a different company is proving to be the opposite, so I can say I have seen both sides and learnt from both experiences.
I first joined a MLM back in the late 90's and didn't do well, making a number of mistakes.
Firstly I joined a company in a saturated market (supplements) so there was just too much competition.
Secondly I had to keep an inventory and ended up with lots of bottles of product which never sold.
The end result was disappointment and losing income instead of building it.
In retrospect I should have done a few things differently.
Late last year I investigated another MLM company (It was a more cautious choice this time).
I had always known it was possible to earn a good income with network marketing but knew there was more to it than what I had seen.
So after a lot of consideration and weighing up the facts I decided to give my best shot at this new opportunity before me.
The results since then have been much more profitable, having learnt from prevous mistakes I was able to pick out something that was going to - and is working (and I was able to see something actually happening on a weekly basis).
My advice to anyone is to do your homework first,
Don't join on a whim, but make an informed choice.
For the record, here is the link to my current MLM which I can unashamedly say does work. www.getworldpassport.com/communicate

An excellent resource for promoting MLM

2006-07-29T22:25:00.000+08:00

Blog Your MLM - MLM Blogging Resource - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About MLM Blogging.

I discovered this site through a visitor and was really impressed by the articles so decided this would be an excellent addition.
The author, Carl Sorensen has done an excellent job here and certainly has many noteworthy tips and pieces of good advice that we all can use.

Quote for the week

2006-07-24T11:42:00.000+08:00

Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life is: could have, might have, and should have.

-Louis E. Boone

Content is king. Adding quality material to your site to increase your sales.

2006-07-03T20:45:00.000+08:00

Adding useful, interesting material related to your product or service is one powerful way to encourage a flow of visitors to your site.
It is a known fact that online customers will often visit a site more than once before making a purchase.
If you are supplying quality content that is going to inform and assist your visitor in some way then you are more likely to gain them as a customer if not now, then at a later date.

Content can take the form of written articles, diagrams, photos, audio or video footage.
But whatever the form, it has to be relevant.
Remember you need material that is targeted towards your visitor who is going to become a buying customer and your website needs to reflect this. (so add your content with your customers in mind).
Treat your website as a dynamic thing, "growing" it with fresh material on a regular basis so it never becomes stale.

Ways to add quality content for your website Audience.
Below is a list of items you can create that are effective ways to add interesting and informative material to your site.

A calendar of events or activities regarding your business.(new products launches etc).

A community noticeboard (If your site is a local one) where your visitors can post details about events.
(Adding a community feel to your site will encourage regular vists to see "what's on" and creates goodwill).

Maps and diagrams related to your product or service.

Tutorials and "How to's" (People love to read "how to" guides.)
Video tutorials are a great way to do this and there are excellent products available to do this.

Testimonies from customers with before and after footage.

Customer photos where past customers could post their pictures and journal entries on your site. This is ideal for vacation sites, recreational sites, wedding sites, baby sites, photography studios, etc

Competitions.(Post your winner's photo on your site).

Blogs and forums.

An advice column (Dear Abby...note it needn't be about personal problems, but could be tailored to your readership, ie a technical issue, whatever relates to your site.)

Articles of interest (aim to add new material once or twice a week).
If your product is seasonal then here is also another excellent opportunity to post appropriate articles for those times of the year..

A questions and answers page where people can have their questions answered by an expert.
(also a FAQ page).

Product reviews.

Short tips and tricks on how to get the most from your product.

Solutions to problems.
(Use this as a launching pad to describe how your product or service has been able to provide an effective solution).

Record an interview with an expert in your field either in written, audio or video format and post this on your site.

Statistics- either your own or from another source (Indicate where they are from).

These are just a few ideas.
Don't be afraid to be creative and brainstorm some of your own.
Also note that having quality content will also increase your supply of quality links because you will be providing information that people are looking for.

Ebay - an excellent tool for buying and selling online

2006-06-25T22:17:00.000+08:00

Ebay has long been considered a respected place to purchase bargains but more recently it has gained worldwide recognition as one of the best sites to generate income online.
You can use it to "test the waters" with a product you are trying to promote for example (or offload some goods you no longer use in exchange for cash that you can put towards building your business).
Joining up is free of course, advertising is affordable (and your market can be international if you so desire).
Definitely put it on your "list" as an effective "business tool".
Click on the link below to visit.