A Basic Analysis of the Free to Join Program

by Theresa Cahill
Copyright - All Rights Reserved


So you've just found that perfect program and you're all
fired up to join!

The greatest part (you say to yourself) is it's not going
to cost me a penny!

You just know in two-weeks time your total investment
of zero dollars is going to net you $1000, $2000, $5000
or more.

That's what the website said.

So great, so wonderful, so... insane.

I don't care what your level of education is, I can almost
guarantee that as early as kindergarten you learned:

Anything x zero = ZERO

Here it is again:

Anything multiplied by 0 equals 0

- zip, zilch, nada.

You cannot possibly hope to make money in return for
never putting any money up front.

Think about how many downlines you have filled to
overflowing with free-to-join memberships. And every one
of those free loaders (oh, I mean members) causes your
own (and their own) downline to sit dead in the water.
You've all missed the point.

The simple law of business says to make money you must
also be willing to spend money.

If you could make money on the net without ever parting
with a dime, don't you think - by now - we would all be
millionaires?

Stands to reason, doesn't it?

So take a good look around you. How many people do you
personally know - not some lame individual on a website
you've never met (or are likely to meet) - but how many
flesh and blood individuals do you know that actually have
become wealthy online BY NOT SPENDING ANY MONEY?

Think you know someone? Think I'm wrong? Then ask that
person... "Okay, so you're wealthy and it didn't 'cost you
a dime' to get that wealth... what did you do to advertise?
How did you find a perfectly free (no setup fees, etc.)
affiliate program? Where do you get your domain names,
web hosting, email accounts, internet connection... etc.,
etc., for absolutely free?"

[If you get a miracle answer... email me!]

Let's face it, we are all guilty. We've joined something
for nothing and that's what we've made... a big fat
nothing.

Repeat after me... "You cannot NOT spend money online
and expect to make money."

It is not possible.

So... the next time you're tempted to "join something
for nothing" (unless it's a free and okay-but-not-great
way to advertise) ask yourself if YOU are ever really
going to upgrade?

If you're not... step aside. Downlines are filled to
overflowing with those that join for the sake of joining
and do nothing. Sure the numbers look good. You've got
220 people under you in some program, and, in over a
year, not a single one of them has - or ever will - upgrade.

ALL programs designed with a join-for-free business
foundation can only exist (and stick around) if their
members get the point of upgrading.

That gets the ball rolling.

Money makes money.

Empty wallets stay empty.

0 x 0 = 0

It's Basic Arithmetic.

====================================
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!


Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

Should You Be Here?

by Theresa Cahill
Copyright - All Rights Reserved


If you follow any of my articles (and if you do a big thank
you!), you'll know much of my writing comes from business
situations or phone calls or emails or casual conversations.

This is one of those... It actually started as the ravings of
a mad woman, but numerous revisions later I believe I've
got a valid article to present. Something that needs to be
said. Something that must be said.

I started off sitting here pondering what makes people tick,
especially online.

I was muttering to myself, shaking my head... sending out
good thoughts, but mostly shaking my head.

The very first person who put the idea out there that riches
and wealth were just the click of a button away should be...
well it's not kisses and red roses I'm thinking at the moment.

Whoever that person is or was, he or she did one of the
greatest disservices to online mankind - probably the
number-one-of-all-times disservices.

I know the hope of instant wealth runs rampant in most
of our minds. You've probably got your reasons, be they
good reasons or greedy ones. Images of the Publisher's
Clearinghouse van pulling up to the door (even though
you've never entered and never will) dance the sugar-plum
fairy dance in many of our heads.

Most of us know that dreaming is good, but risking
everything is not. Sane people see much more clearly...
and they still dream. Grounded individuals (who can still
be dreamers, too) know the difference.

So what got my goat today?

Human nature and hard luck stories. Recalling the countless
number of times I've been told of the vast amounts of
money people have thrown away pursuing unattainable,
unrealistic (and they are unrealistic) dreams on the net.
People who tell me they are going to be evicted by the
end of the month. Others who are going to lose their
car, their house, their utilities if they "don't make it this
time."

Are you nuts?

I'm a really nice person, I swear to you I am, but I'm also
rational enough to think what in the world are you doing
plopping your buns in front of a computer, wasting even
more money on fruitless ventures, AND paying for an
internet connection if you can't afford to feed your kids
or yourself this month?!

... Sigh

Please be reasonable.

The magic fairy of wealth and happiness is not going to
visit your house before the roof falls in... not this month.
She's personally told me she's too busy to see you.

She does, however, suggest you sell your computer,
disconnect AOL, and get a job.

She also suggests that after your life has settled down,
and you really can afford the internet connection, that
you take a deep breath and enter virtual reality again
with your eyes wide open.

Clear your mind and set yourself some attainable and
realistic goals.

That's the best advice she's got...

Even at this point, will you become the next Bill Gates?
Who knows... I sure don't (and I can tell by her expression
she hasn't a clue either).

But we're both willing to venture that when you put your heart
and soul (and not your last drop of cash) into an endeavor
anything is possible.

But re-enter slowly... cautiously...

Find something that can initially "keep you amused," and
then with luck and hard work you just might turn it into
a profitable business.

Set goals and then take your internet life one day at a time.
Effort and persistence. Start with an initial thought that
paying the water bill this month "will be enough." Work up to
buying your kid a new bike. Plan for a vacation, contribute
to charity... set attainable, happy goals for yourself.
Expand slowly.

Plan, work, plan. Work your plan. Then work some more.

There's nothing wrong with "dreaming big" as long as you
know the difference between dreaming and hurting yourself
or your family pursuing the wrong dream.

Be smart. The net isn't going any place, it will still be here
when you are ready to come back. You'll be happier, and
you and your family will be a whole lot safer.

====================================

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Theresa Cahill is the owner of
My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising
Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for
ezine ad advertising, solo ads,
targeted traffic, and more!

Categories: mywizardads, classifieds, marketing, advertising, ezine, directory, web, internet, pr, media

Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds, making money

Social Bookmarking... Confused? You're Not Alone

by Theresa Cahill
Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved


The word is out that social bookmarking is the thing, that
special flavor of the month (or year or decade?), but only
by taking it in small steps have I been able to figure out
some of its ins and outs.

The long and short of social bookmarking is, it is a way to save
your Favorites folder (or portions thereof) online. This
means no matter where in the world you happen to be,
as long as you've got a connection to the internet,
you just log into your social bookmarking account and
voila! at your fingertips are all of the important urls you
might find yourself needing - but without access to -
since your computer is sitting home and you're not.

Now that is a good idea! Saves uploading a bunch of
urls to your domain, or remembering to send them to
your Aunt Sally before you visit, on the off chance you'll
need to remember that special something while you're
away.

(By the by, it's also a quick way to actually use your
home computer. I don't know about you, but my Favorites
folder is virtually useless at this point.)

But, there's even more to social bookmarking then easy
access. You can also share this information with others.
Your friends, family, co-workers, subscribers, whoever,
can easily see what you've been uncovering on the
web and decide, at that point, if it's something so useful
and/or interesting that they, too, would like to access it
easily through their own social bookmarking account.

The logical step from there (since I'm assuming that you
are reading this because you, too, are interested in
new ways to market on the net) is to find a way to tie
bookmarking to your service and/or website.

Personally, I'm starting small. I've created my own account:
http://del.icio.us/tdgac

It wasn't hard to signup. Nothing tricky there.

After logging in, I began adding specific pages with specific
tags to the "post" field inside my own account.

The description, tags, url... all make sense. Sure enough
when I hit save, there it is... in my "your favorites" area.

My next step was to make a quick check using the
"recent" url at the upper right hand corner of my own
account. Since I'd only just added my page, I was
anticipating the joy of seeing it posted at the top of
this huge, huge list. Seemed reasonable, right?
Wrong!

Either billions of people are hitting the "save" key at
the very moment I am or I'm sorely missing something.

Hmmmm... definitely confused now.

[I'm positive that at this moment some of you are just
shaking your heads at my extreme ignorance. I can just
picture, too, many more thinking "yipee! I just might
be getting this right now!"

You see there are all sorts of people at all sorts of
stages of understanding - all online at this same
point in time.

Bless those that "get it" right away! And thank heavens
there are a few (like I'm demonstrating right now), that
basically fumble their way around for a bit before it
all starts to "sink in!"

For those of you way ahead of me, thanks for reading!
For those who would like a bit of guidance to get started,
I'm here to help... I hope. We'll fumble along together.]

That said... If this is all new to you, too, head here:
http://del.icio.us/tdgac

You'll see a few urls under the "All tdgac's items."
Beside each of these web page entries are the faint
words "save this."

Put your mouse over the "save this" and click.
If you have an existing del.icio.us account, it will take
you to the log in page for your account (for you
smart ones!). If you don't have an account yet, you'll
be given the opportunity to create one now.

[BTW, give a lot of thought to your username... that's
where the "tdgac" part came from mine LOL, so think
it through first. You'll be stuck with it unless you delete
and recreate your account.]

After creating your account and logging in, you'll see
an area on your screen where http://del.icio.us/tdgac
is shown. There's also a description box, a notes box,
and a "tags" area.

Give yourself something descriptive so you'll remember
who in the world tdgac is... My Wizard Ads or Theresa
Cahill might make a good description.

Hit the save button and voila! You've got the beginnings
of your social bookmarking!

At this point, under your "settings" area (upper right
hand of screen in del.icio.us) you can do any number
of things. Importing your current Favorites folder (or
portions thereof) is available. Explore!

Now that you're on the road to social bookmarking
comes the fun part... telling others what you're doing.

If you have a website, you can easily add (assuming
you do your own webmastering or know the rudiments
of copying and pasting) a "save this page" to any and
all of your important webpages within your site. Use the
"help" link, then read "For Publishers" under the Feeds
and Tools section. That's where you'll find the code.

In addition, you'll want to share you're newly found method
of communication with others. Get your family, friends,
subscribers, mailing list involved in bookmarking your
small chunk (del.icio.us listing) of the social bookmarking
web.

Then, make use of it! Don't just load it up with junk.
If you're a writer and find interesting writer's resources
add them to your account. If you're a news junkie and
track particular newsworthy items, post those!

As you get more and more familiar with social bookmarking,
you'll understand the importance of "tagging" your
information correctly. According to del.icio.us, your
page goes on the front page (I've yet to see any of
mine though) and also is filed away under sub-indexing
using those all-important tags.

I'll admit, I've only just scratched the surface so far.
I don't claim to be an expert (that's obvious), but I
do know that with further education and implementation,
social bookmarking as a marketing tool is definitely worth
the effort.

And... like all new things takes a bit of fumbling around
before we get it right.

So ahead! Get started! See where it leads you - the
next brainstorm idea is only a few minutes (okay
maybe hours or days) away! :)


====================================

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!

Reference: social bookmarking

YOU HAVE TO THINK LIKE THEM

by Theresa Cahill
Copyright - All Rights Reserved


Target your traffic. Sounds easy doesn't it? Well, think
again.

Just as your text ads and solo advertising must be written
from the other guy's point of view, your selection of
targeted traffic needs this very same attention.

Let's say you've joined a program where the thrust of the
website is marketing tools. You may or may not have joined
because of those tools, but the $100 commission per sale
sure caught your eye.

You sign up and then go looking for targeted traffic.

Your first choice, since you're looking to make money, is
"Income Opportunities." What's wrong with that you ask?
Nothing, for starters, but are you going to leave it at
that?

My question is... What's inside? What incentive does that
person have for joining? What about going after the traffic
in the places where people needing the products and
services reside? What about...

Whoa, let me slow down. The fastest and easiest way I can
make my point is by illustration. So... let's pretend:

You own a website catering to children. You decide now is
the time to target your market. You head for targeted
website visitors. You select, to begin with, Children's
Products.

A good start... but is that it? No!

You could also target:

* Babies
* Clothes
* Crafts & Craft Making
* Costumes & Uniforms
* Family
* Gifts
* Kids Activities, and
* Shopping

to name a few.

But WHY you ask when it's obvious that you sell "Children's
Products?"

The answer is very simple. Your AUDIENCE is the moms and
dads of the world, the grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts
and uncles, cousins, neighbors, godparents, etc.

And what are THEY searching for when they go online? I'm
fairly sure they are also typing in "family gifts," "crafts
for children," "baby clothes," etc.

Targeted website traffic points heavily trafficked expired
domain names in YOUR direction. IF you choose wisely and
choose a broad-range of possibilities, your stream of
traffic can be endless.

Imagine, someone at some time went to a lot of trouble to
get their domain into the search engines, get listed, get
traffic rolling and then, for whatever reason, let it slip
through their fingers.

With the right targeted website traffic service, these
traffic-rich sites can be redirected to point to YOUR
website. You gain all the benefits of someone else's hard
work.

So, just imagine the possibilities! Stop thinking from a
"What can I get out of it" perspective to a "Where are they
hanging out?" point of view.

The list of possibilities is endless when it comes to
traffic.

Stretch your imagination! Come on... you can do it!

====================================

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!


Keywords: marketing, advertising, traffic, classifieds

Why Call?

by Theresa Cahill
Copyright - All rights reserved

This morning my father asked me, "Do people really call you?" and "Why would they call you?"

First, you need to know what I do online, and that is I help connect advertisers with the right advertising choices.

However, he just seemed sort of amazed that someone would pick up the phone to discuss advertising online.

For my part, I can think of several very good reasons why you would – and more importantly should – make that call.

Both new marketers and veteran marketers alike have very good reasons for calling any service first. In order of my personal importance, I would list them as:

1. Where should I start?

2. What should I do to get the most bang from my advertising dollar?

3. What are the benefits to advertising online?

4. Are you a real person or am I throwing my money down the toilet?

I'm sure there are more reasons for calling, but this makes a good starting point.

WHERE SHOULD I START?

If you've never advertised online or have had disappointments advertising online, my suggestion is to always start "small." Funny enough, starting "small" is a very strong way to begin. Lots of people who do call, call about solo advertising when, in fact, they aren't really ready to take that plunge yet (unless you're advertising a great affiliate program with an exceptional solo ad already written for you in your back office).

Classified ads are a great place to begin. Inexpensive, if you shop around, they give you an edge in multiple ways. By limiting your spending, and getting a good "run for your money," classifieds allow you to take your time to test and tweak your message. Through a co-op, sent to a selection or two of ezines at a time, for the right price, you can afford to spend these slight amounts of money to develop your award-winning text.

In addition, more often than not, ezine publishers now archive their issues online. This means after your initial showing in xyz issue, your ad is also archived on their website. Weeks, months, sometimes for years!

HOW TO GET THE BIGGEST BANG FOR THE LEAST AMOUNT?

Take the information in the above section, and combine it with real traffic (visitors not hits), and you've got yourself a winner. This can be done for very little and has a good 30 day run for your money.

Some people like to read ads. Some people really want to see the website. Some do both. By combining your text and visuals, you've accomplished it all.

BENEFITS OF ADVERTISING

This one is pretty basic. If you're marketing online, you've got to advertise - simple. No visitors, no potential customers. You cannot sign up for something or develop something and not tell anyone - not if you hope to make even a tiny living online.

ARE YOU A REAL PERSON

Ah! Now we've reached my most favorite reason for picking up the phone!

Are you for real? This should be the uppermost question in your mind when you're heading toward the "pull out the wallet and buy" aspect to anything online.

We know when we enter the doors of Walmart that Walmart exists. Buying online gives us no such guarantee. However, there are basic things to look for and do prior to spending.

Check the website. Look for addresses, phone numbers, copyright dates (to some extent), ways to get in touch other than just an email address.

Check out the domain using any lookup service - it's free. My personal favorite is www.betterwhois.com. With luck, and assuming the owner of the site hasn't made the information "private" (a very popular thing to do nowadays), you'll glean lots of information from taking those three seconds to check into any particular company.

Then - if you're still in doubt - pick up the phone AFTER checking the website for the location of that company.

On the east coast of the U.S.? Calling the west coast? Subtract three hours. World clocks abound on the net to give you the precise time it is anywhere in the world.

Also, do keep in mind that, like you, many businesses online are run by individuals. While their email is available 24/7, they'd probably appreciate not getting a phone call at 2 a.m. (again use those world clocks).

I just love the convenience being online provides - from banking, to purchases, to starting up a business. It can't be beat! But doing your homework - first - is always the best place to begin.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads. Her job is to make your online advertising experience as effective and effortless as possible!
My Wizard Ads - Online Advertising

Articles also listed at:
EzineArticles.com

Reference:
Marketing
Advertising

Do You Think for Yourself or Do You Just Think You Do?

by Theresa Cahill
Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved


I just got off the phone and, as often happens, theurge to write was like a tidal wave. I get my best inspiration that way :)

Due to this conversation, I'm about to touch onsomething that I did not think I would ever put into print. It just may do one of three things:

1. Inflame you
2. Make you curious
3. Not make a bit of difference to you.

I hope it gets you thinking.

Our topic of conversation initially began abouthealth, swung to marketing, and ended up "saving humanity from itself."

I found myself, to my surprise, on the "odd end" ofthe argument. A stance I never thought I'd take...

The thing is... for years, okay most of my life, I'velived under the shadow that we are destroying the planet we live on and ourselves.

I've heard all the disaster warnings... melting icecaps, air population, ra.ping the land. I believed just like you probably do that we're dooming ourselvesthrough our greed and/or ignorance.

I've read great scientific articles (by great I meaneasy to read and compelling) in various publications that I'd deem overall "trustworthy." The theme is thesame over and over... we're killing ourselves.

However, recently I received an eye opener and it camethrough an unlikely, and probably overlooked, source... a fiction novel.

This work of fiction was just that, pure fiction. Theauthor did not lay claim to presenting anything other than an entertaining story.

Frankly, I struggled with this story for more than7/8th's of the plot. Not because it wasn't gripping enough... it was... but because the evidence providedwent against every grain in my body. My own belief system stood on its head.

And while I desperately wanted to poo-poo the wholething as just a story, the author's researched sources for the varies pieces of "scientific proof" were realand undeniably first rate.
Authentic sources. Real research by real scientists.

I struggled. I just knew that...

“Global warming" is real... right?

You'd be a lunatic not to believe everything that's been thrown at you... right?

I mean big names, big businesses are all telling usthere's a reason for huge concern, why would they steer us wrong... right?

Hmmm...

"Global warming," as it is currently being sold to us, is nothing more than another big business, only this one is cloaked in goodness and light.

Did you know...

For every one person claiming the "sky is falling,"there is a small tidal wave of scientists saying,"Hey, we REALLY DON'T KNOW and "the other side" knows it!"

Do you realize...

That more often than not small "qualifying" statements are inserted into "official" reports - sort of a "just in case all the experiments we ran are faulty (which they aren't) we might be wrong" disclaimers. And these are often picked up as "fact" when the rest of theresearch is more or less thrown out the window.

Anything for a "good cause" right?

Hey, let's face facts. If you want continued funding, and the guys with the checks have a certain viewpoint, doesn't it stand to reason that someone(s) somewhere just might "help" support these preconceived viewpoints? Right or wrong?

I'm not naive. But (duh) it just never occurred to me that people would lie about such a thing. (Okay, yeah I'm naive!)

I tracked down and read many of the "other side"reports. I verified for myself that these sources are as legitimate as the author stated them to be. At this point, science cannot - without a shadow of a doubt -make the claim of global warming.

Definitive proof cannot be produced.

Yikes... My world was extremely shaken, I’ll admit.

Don’t I need a “side” to be on? Won’t I sound like a nut case if I don’t “go with the flow?” Won’t it seem like I don’t care about the planet?

Then I thought… to heck with that!

My conclusion? Think for yourself! Every movement on the face of the planet, regardless of its theme, is motivated more often than not by... money and power(real shocker there, isn't it [sarcasm implied])

It's unfortunate but the way to hold the masses together (read under someone or someone(s) thumb) is through fear. It's quick, gets immediate attention, and almost guarantees compliance.
There's also a HUGE amount of money to be made even under the seemingly "goodness" side of any faction.
Don't get me wrong. I recycle. I don't use fluoride. I take care of myself and my family. I do care about the planet we live on. I think over-fishing the oceans is criminal, etc., etc.

What I've also come to understand is that if I'm willing to "lay claim" to the beliefs of other people without really investigating both sides to an issue, I'm doing a disservice to that very thing I hold dear.

I've abdicated my god-given right to THINK FOR MYSELF. Played right into the hands of those just waiting for a sucker like me.

Causes are good. Good causes are the best. Intelligently participating in any "good cause" is wisest and healthiest. My advice... Don't be a sheep.
======================================
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Theresa Cahill is the owner of MyWizard Ads.
Her job is to make your online advertising experience
as effective and effortless as possible.
http://www.mywizardads.com
ezine ads, solo ads, target traffic and more

(P.S. Curious? Get Michael Crichton's "State ofFear.")

(P.S.S. For those waiting for my advertising & marketing implication I don’t want to disappoint you. That great program you just have to join could also fall under the “Causes” heading. Research and make informed decisions. Thanks for reading!)

advertising
politics