Archive for June, 2010
What is Windows Live?
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Windows Live is part business productivity tool and part social networking. The service seems to integrate the two seamlessly. What makes it even better is the fact that there are a number of ways you can utilize it, even if you don’t want to use it as another social network.
1. If you use MSN Messenger you already have “friends” who you can interact with using Windows Live. There are currently 299 MSN messenger users/accounts created, which means if you are an active user, it may behoove you to utilize the services of Windows Live.
2. In addition to being able to add your own original status updates, your Facebook feed can also be imported into Windows Live. This means that your status updates, photos, videos, etc. can be published to your Live account. This feature is also available for MySpace, Blogger, YouTube, Digg, StumbleUpon and soon, LinkedIn. You have the ability to comment on your friends updates in those networks directly from Windows Live.
3. One of the best features is free access to Microsoft Office online. Within Windows Live there is an Office tab and you are given a drop down where you can create Word, Excel, PowerPoint and One Note documents. The service is quite scaled down, but many of the basic and intermediate functions have been included. When you are finished, you can also share the documents with others. This would work very well in a team environment. The programs look almost the same as the ones installed on many computer systems, so if you like the feeling of familiar, you’re going to LOVE this feature.
4. Windows Live gives you the option to store your photos. Like many other social networking services , you can upload and store your photo files for quick retrieval. Plus you can also attach your Flickr, PhotoBucket and other accounts to the Windows Live platform.
5. Privacy seems to be of the utmost importance in Windows Live. When you first sign up you are placed in what seems like stealth mode, meaning you are the only with access to your account. You have to go through numerous steps under each individual piece of your profile to determine whether it will be public, shared with your friends or private. Unlike Facebook, Microsoft has made it clear that you own all of your data.
I know what you’re thinking, who needs another social network? But with the extra tools provided by Microsoft, Windows Live may bear some looking into.
Marketing Monday – Using Email Newsletters
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There are so many marketing tools to choose from. It can be difficult to know which will work best for your business. However, a weekly e-mail newsletter is an effective and easy marketing tool for any business owner. Here are a few reasons why you will benefit from publishing a weekly e-mail newsletter of your own.
Sending out an e-mail newsletter is inexpensive. There are no printing or mailing costs associated with contacting prospects via e-mail. You will need to use a newsletter management program to send out your newsletter, but you can look for one within your price range. Newsletter management programs allow subscribers to manage their own subscriptions, so you don’t need to pay anyone for that service. Some even offer templates for you to use so you won’t need to hire a designer either.
You can track your marketing. Many newsletter management programs offer tracking so you can see how many of your subscribers are opening your newsletter. You can also see which links in your newsletter they’re clicking on. This will tell you what it is about your newsletter that interests your readers the most, and you can make the appropriate changes.
You are marketing to people who are interested in what you sell. Your subscribers signed up for your newsletter because they were interested in the information you offer. This can make it easier for you to convert them into buyers.
Your subscribers will become familiar with your products or service. It’s said that people need to hear about your product or service at least seven times before they will think about purchasing it. If you send out a weekly newsletter, that’s a great way to tell them about your product, over and over again. Remember to include helpful information as well, so they won’t feel like you’re sending them a sales pitch every time.
You will become a reliable resource, not just a salesperson. If you regularly publish helpful information in your newsletter, you will become a trusted expert. Your subscribers will think of you as a helpful resource they can go to for advice. This means they will be more likely to purchase from you when they’re ready.
You will build relationships with your subscribers. People buy from people they know, like and trust. When your subscribers hear from you on a regular basis, you will become familiar to them. They will feel like they know you and get to like you. Because you’re consistently providing good information, they will come to trust you. When they’re ready to purchase, everything will be in place for them to buy from you.
An e-mail newsletter is a great marketing tool that any business owner can use. Not only is it simple to manage, it will help you turn more of your prospects into customers.
When Do You Need to Defragment?
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Computer maintenance is one way to keep your laptop or PC working like new five years from now. Many people don’t think about maintenance until something catastrophic happens, but you have the good fortune to be thinking about it now. One part of the maintenance process is keeping your computer running at tiptop speed.
There are many reasons that computers begin to run slow: viruses, not enough memory, too many applications (goes along with insufficient memory) or a lot of files. Whatever the reason, something needs to be done so you don’t have to work at a snail’s pace.
Behind the scenes on your computer, many things are going on. If you get on the Internet, your computer may be allowing “cookie” files to be stored to remember where you’ve been. We download any and everything from music to videos to eBooks from the Internet. There are temporary files created for some of your downloaded items that can accumulate over time.
Sometimes, the hard drive just needs to be cleaned up a bit. With the defrag process, the computer finds ways to free up space on your hard drive. This cleaning process ensures optimal performance from your computer when something else is not the problem. Defragmenting your computer is a good first step when performance is not at its best.
If you are having a hard time navigating the various files on your computer, the proper name of the process used to correct this is “Disk Defragmenter.” You can use your program search bar on the Start Menu to find it easily. The defragmenter takes fragmented files and consolidates them or gets rid of them completely depending on what they are and if they’re needed.
This is not something that you need to do every day. Remember, you are maintaining here. Performing the operation once a week is good for those who use their computer every day and create a lot of documents and files. The best thing about Windows is that these maintenance operations can be set up on a schedule so that they work behind the scenes like Santa at Christmas. Schedule maintenance operations at odd times like early in the morning or in the middle of the night, when you are not at work on your computer in order to keep them from slowing down your PC while you’re trying to work.
In a nutshell, disk defragmentation is important for everyone. Scheduling the operation leaves your brain free to think about other things. If the defragmentation process does its job, your computer will continue working well for you without any hitches or glitches.
SEO & Traffic Generation Tips
Posted by: | CommentsSEO, or search engine optimization is the be-all-end-all of traffic generation. The two go hand in hand. This is because, in order to gain traffic to your site your articles, your advertisements and your website must all be search engine optimized. So, when it comes to SEO, make sure you target everything and anything around this incredibly important concept.
Essentially, there are three basic elements to SEO- keywording, linking and content. Consider keywording, linking and content the three musketeers to successful SEO. To get you started, we’ve offered the top ten tips to SEO. Keep these in mind for all your copy and content to ensure the maximum traffic generation results.
1. Choose good keywording phrases- instead of shaping words around articles, shape articles around words. Target your content around keywords or ideas. In order to find an angle for your article, consider using Google Adwords to see which keywords are most likely searched. Then, write an article around these key phrases and terms. This may seem like an odd concept, but as soon as your brain gets used to it, the writing will flow naturally.
2. Use keywords throughout your website, marketing and advertisement- use keywords in your title, your subheadings and in your links. If you can, even use your keyword in your URL.
3. Link away- it is okay to link to other sites. In fact, it’s a good idea, especially if these sites are highly respected and informative. Sites with .edu and .gov are often the best because they represent a highly regarded source.
4. Link to your heart’s content- When writing content for your website link to other relevant pages within your site. For example, if I tell you about Social Media Made Easy on this page, it would benefit both of us if I linked directly to the page. People are automatically drawn to links, so it makes your content stand out.
5. Use your anchor text in links- Make sure your link text features your keyword phrase. Links stand out on websites and most people will click through, especially if your keyword phrase is directed towards their interest.
6. Always add new content- are you constantly updating and adding new content to your website? Well you need to be to ensure SEO success! This cannot be stressed enough. Content is what will make or break your site so make sure your content is entertaining, up to date and informative. For more content tips, check out the Article Marketing section.
7. Be Bold- make use of Bold HTML tags and other HTML tags to make your website stand out. Bold is beautiful.
8. Use Alt Imaging- a picture is worth a thousand words, especially on the net. Putting alt attributes on your images can allow you to place relevant text around your image, better for search engine indexing. Keep in mind that images are searched just as much as content is.
9. Include a site map- a site map is a great way to navigate through your site and can also be submitted to Google with XML site map. Site maps help search engine robots find every page on your website in just two clicks. What this means is better search engine results for all your web pages. Make sure you link all pages properly for the best SEO results.
10. Follow the rules- SEO has a set of particular rules. You need to understand the legality of SEO so you don’t get banned from search engines. So how do you do this? You research. You study. You learn. Take some time and go through the basics of SEO on the main search engines. Understanding the do’s and don’ts of SEO is critical when it comes to generating traffic. After all, your SEO strategy can either make, or break your website.
Use Anti-Spyware Tools to Protect Your Computers
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It’s now well known that you need to protect yourself while on the computer. Criminals have found ways to steal your information especially when you thought that you were safe. One way to thwart them is to employ anti-spyware tools on your computer to protect yourself.
Today, we do everything from order pizza to shop for household appliances online. With that level of traffic and financial information floating around, it’s no wonder criminals have turned their attentions to the Internet. But, luckily for you, so have software manufacturers in order to protect you.
No one wants to be the victim of identity theft or fraud. Even though it is not your fault, the burden of proof is on you and the red tape is monstrous. So, do all that you can to protect yourself and your loved ones while online.
One way to do that is to arm your computer with anti-spyware tools. Spyware constitutes programs that hide within other programs, hence the name “spy.” Here’s how it works: You go to a site and download a program. The program may be hiding a second program within itself that will track how you use it. This is a non-lethal spyware program. It was probably employed by the site for statistical purposes.
Then, there are other spyware that, when downloaded, will go in and rewrite certain things on your computer without your consent. If you’ve ever downloaded something and then your home page changed, it was probably courtesy of a spyware program.
Both of these are mild examples compared to what usually happens. More lethal spyware will search your files and retrieve financial information. There can be disastrous results, but you don’t want even the the mild spyware on your machine. If someone has to do something behind your back to get you to try it, steer clear.
Anti-spyware tools and programs seek out these dastardly additions and eliminate them. A well-protected computer will have both antivirus and anti-spyware installed for a wider net of protection. Spyware tools, like antivirus can be obtained for free or purchased.
Shop Around
Know what you are buying. Be sure that free programs offer you adequate spyware protection. Sites like STOPzilla and pctools offer free spyware tools for you to use. These tools work behind the scenes in real-time and on schedules to detect spyware. They also clear your browsing history and prevent pop-ups all over your screen. Spyware also lets you know if a site in your search results is dangerous for you to visit.
Paid spyware offers a few more perks, but make sure that you actually need those perks for your system. If you choose to pay, find software with multiple user capabilities so you can arm all of the computers in your home.
Here a few free and paid anti-spyware tools that I recommend:
Free anti-spyware tools
Ad-Aware Free
Spybot Search and Destroy
Paid anti-spyware tools
Protect yourself from the beginning. Use anti-spyware tools to prevent and remove spyware that threatens your computer.
