Hugh's Newbie Blog

5 StepsTo Your Internet Business

2006-12-04T12:08:00.000+02:00

In browsing through all the information I’ve downloaded I’ve realized that there are 5 Steps you need to complete to have your own successful online business. There are no shortcuts to making untold wealth overnight – sorry!

The 5 steps you need to complete (in this order) are:
1. Build your Online Business
2. Build your Content Filled Website
3. Build Traffic to your Website
4. Build your Community
5. Monetize your Business.

You’ll see from the list that the money only starts being considered in the last step.

How long will it take? Like everything you’ve ever done it requires some effort on your part to create your online business, and, as with most things in life, the more you put in the more you get back. So, if you’re able to devote your full attention to this, you’ll probably be able to have something going within a month but for the rest of us 3-6 months will be more likely.

The aim of this site is to provide you with some guidelines and point you to some resources I’ve found useful. Hopefully, this will help you to get going faster.
How much will it cost? There’s plenty of free stuff on the Web and all it takes is finding where it is and the time to download.

Just a comment:
If you’re seriously considering an online business you need to invest in a Broadband Connection. Trying to do it all on Dial Up is likely to drive you nuts.

Just remember that “you get what you pay for” so you’ll be going through a lot of rubbish to find the gems in free stuff.

If you’re prepared to invest some money in developing your Internet Business then I’d recommend Internet Marketing Center’s “Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet”.Just click on this link to see what they offer http://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/871144. This is the course that set me on the path to success on the Internet and I cannot recommend the material too highly. It’s well worth your investment of $197.

If you don’t already have them you’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader, and WinZip almost every day that you’re online so download and install them today. Adobe Acrobat Reader is free just click on this link: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html and you can install an evaluation version of WinZip to get you started by clicking on this link: http://www.winzip.com/downwzeval.htm?wzdm.

Paying Money on the Internet

When you plan to start spending your money on the ‘Net you must be aware that there are plenty of scammers out there trying to get details like your Card Details so I recommend that you sign up with a reputable online transaction Company to handle that side. What this means is that you give your banking (card) details to the transaction company only once and then you use the link they give you to shop with. The largest company in this field is PayPal which is part of eBay. I use them and have had excellent service without a hitch right from the beginning. You can sign up with PayPal (free).

The value of JV Giveaways

2006-11-09T07:40:00.000+02:00

JV Giveaways are a popular way of list building. By offering visitors a gift in exchange for their Contact Details you're able to build your list of leads. By staying in touch with your leads you'll hopefully be able to convert them into customers down the line. On the basis of getting something for nothing (and not being sold to) visitors to Giveaways seem to be more willing to give up their contact details.

I started building my lists on a Giveaway and ever since then I've tried to participate in as many as I can.

You should remember 2 things - not all Giveaways are created equal, and disregard the promises of thousands of subscribers (hundreds, yes). The owner of the Giveaway can get the thousands because everyone has to sign up to join but once inside the effects are dissipated.

How Giveaways work - Typically someone will start a Giveaway around a Theme (Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Halloween.. ) and then recruit JV partners to take part. The partners provide Gifts (and a bit of a write up) which are then listed for the visitors to download after they've parted with their contact details. Most Giveaways last for a couple of weeks to a month but some are continuous.

What do you need - A Gift (of course) - Sometimes the Giveaway owner specifies a Value range of the Gifts but normally try to find something in the $35 to $55 range. (How you work out the value is a guess unless you actually paid for the gift).

You'll also need an autoresponder service to handle your (hundreds of) signups. Its important that you set these subscriptions up as DOUBLE Opt In to prevent accusations of spamming. If you don't have an autoresponder service already then Freeauatobot.com offers a "Free" autoresponder (a small advert is the price you pay). I've been using Freeautobot and have been happy with their service.

It's not necessary for you to have a website set up but it does make it easier to handle your gift downloads. Part of what we offer here at The e-Biz Forum is server space where you can store your Gifts in our download area. If you'd like to know more just ask.

Cheers
Hugh

Want to Build Your Own List?

2006-10-22T11:58:00.000+02:00

Building your own list is essential for the growth of your Internet Business. You need to be talking directly to people and not just hoping they'll miraculously find out about you.

One of the best ways of doing this is by participating in Joint Venture (JV) Giveaways where you offer visitors in return for their contact details.

Here are 2 Giveaways that are currently recruiting JV Partners:

http://www.toolbox4success.net/jv/go/227

http://www.the-random-jv.com/jv/go/233

Even if you're not ready for Joint Venturing yet, Giveaways offer great opportunities to pick up free stuff for your own use. They're also a reasonable source of gifts for your own list building activities. If you're just starting out then you can get some great tools at no cost, but be warned that there's lots of outdated stuff on offer as well.

Here's a Giveaway if you're looking for some great gifts:

http://businessrite.com/go/451

Talk soon

Hugh

Cool "Find and Replace" Tool

2006-10-18T16:33:00.000+02:00

Have you ever had to do bulk "Find and Replace" on your files?

I recently got an AdSense template set that needed me to Find and Replace my AdSense publisher code.

The guy who supplied me with the Templates gave me a program to do the task for me. Only 1 problem - this little application required me to download DotNet from Microsoft. 20 meg on my dial up line - I don't think so!

A search for "find and replace" +free turned up ReplaceEm. What a great tool - 500K download - Installed in seconds and easy to use.

Just tell the software what replacements/changes you want to make (multiple changes possible) and which files to use.

That's it - and they give it away too!!

Get your own copy from http://www.orbit.org/replace/

While you're there why don't you pick up their cool Color Tool as well?

I really am impressed - Just done Find and Replace on over 16,000 files across about 50 sub-folders.

What’s Holding You Back

2006-10-12T11:28:00.000+02:00

In 1995 I was forced to sell the family farm. As if that wasn't bad enough I had to tell my father about the sale while he was terminally ill. For a long time after that I behaved as if I was a failure. Fortunately I came across a book, written by Steve Chandler, called "17 Lies That are Holding You Back and The Truth That Will Set You Free". Despite the rather daunting title the book takes a look at the excuses we commonly use. Examples are: I'm too old, He was born rich, It’s who you know, and the one I was carrying around I'm a failure. Do any of these ring a bell?

After reading the book I came to realise that I'm not a Failure but rather that I experienced an ACT of failure. I was dealt a hand and played it as I saw fit - unfortunately I made some mistakes and had to face the consequences. We all act on imperfect knowledge and roughly half our decisions will be wrong.

The point is that we cannot only make good decisions in our lives and we need to accept the consequences and move on. In business we admire people like Richard Branson who left school at 14 and built one of the world's great fortunes. The truth is that he too made bad decisions and was bankrupted a number of times.

In setting the record for the first mile run in less than 4 minutes Roger Bannister became a household name, but I'm sure we all realise that he didn't do it at the first attempt. He also experienced failure on many occasions.

Bill dropped out of Harvard in 1975. He then made a promise to IBM to deliver a product he didn't even own. Bill made some shrewd moves and now he's the richest man in the history of mankind. Bill's last name is "Gates" and is the founder of Microsoft.

Next time you "struggle" with something, ponder what Mr. Gates once said: "Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose."

What these people all have in common is that they didn't give up after experiencing failures, they persevered until they succeeded. They refused to believe that ACTS of failure defined them as failures.

We can use this in our lives when we realise that we don't learn from our successes but rather from our failures. Isn't that such a liberating thought? If I am released from the pressure of making the right decision - I can get on with the main challenge - just MAKE THE DAMN DECISION!

Starting Your Own Home Business?

2006-10-03T18:04:00.000+02:00

If you're thinking of starting your own Home Business I've got a Blog where I post tips and resources about Home Business.

Naturally different regions/states/countries have different laws controlling the Home Business environment but over many years I've collected general tips and resources about setting up and running a Home Business.

I hope that you'll find something useful at Kwik Info Articles - Home Business Blog

5 Steps to your online home based business

2006-07-20T18:15:00.000+02:00

There are lots of numbers thrown around about the size of the Internet and the number of users. We know it is huge, but how big is it really. Well the latest information that I have available is that about 75,000 new users and 100,000 websites are added to the ‘Net every DAY. I did a rough calculation a month or so ago and estimate that, if there was a Yellow Pages for the Internet, it would be about 20 miles thick. Doesn’t this make you feel small?

Having looked at the stats what is really important is that we have a worldwide opportunity to do business with more than 500 million people. Even though you and I are very small fish in a very large sea this is some potential market, isn’t it?
So how do we get ourselves heard? We need to become Large Fish in a Small Pond. How? Specialization and focus are the cornerstones of a successful Internet business.

In browsing through all the information I’ve downloaded I’ve realized that there are 5 Steps you need to complete to have your own successful online business. There are no shortcuts to making untold wealth overnight – sorry!

The 5 steps you need to complete (in this order) are:
1. Build your Online Business
2. Build your Content Filled Website
3. Build Traffic to your Website
4. Build your Community
5. Monetize your Business.

You’ll see from the list that the money only starts being considered in the last step.

How long will it take? Like everything you’ve ever done it requires some effort on your part to create your online business, and, as with most things in life, the more you put in the more you get back. So, if you’re able to devote your full attention to this, you’ll probably be able to have something going within a month but for the rest of us 3-6 months will be more likely.

The aim of this book is to provide you with some guidelines and point you to some resources I’ve found useful. Hopefully, this will help you to get going faster.
How much will it cost? There’s plenty of free stuff on the Web and all it takes is finding where it is and the time to download.

Just a comment:
If you’re seriously considering an online business you need to invest in a Broadband Connection. Trying to do it all on Dial Up is likely to drive you nuts.

Just remember that “you get what you pay for” so you’ll be going through a lot of rubbish to find the gems in free stuff.
If you’re prepared to invest some money in developing your Internet Business then I’d recommend Internet Marketing Center’s “Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet”.Just click on this link
to see what they offer http://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/871144. This is the course that set me on the path to success on the Internet and I cannot recommend the material too highly. It’s well worth your investment of $197.

If you don’t already have them you’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader, and WinZip almost every day that you’re online so download and install them today. Adobe Acrobat Reader is free just click on this link: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html and you can install an evaluation version of WinZip to get you started by clicking on this link: http://www.winzip.com/downwzeval.htm?wzdm.

Paying Money on the Internet

When you plan to start spending your money on the ‘Net you must be aware that there are plenty of scammers out there trying to get details like your Card Details so I recommend that you sign up with a reputable online transaction Company to handle that side. What this means is that you give your banking (card) details to the transaction company only once and then you use the link they give you to shop with. The largest company in this field is PayPal which is part of eBay. I use them and have had excellent service without a hitch right from the beginning. You can sign up with PayPal (free).

This newsletter is also available on my Blog: http://hugh-newbie.blogspot.com/

Blogging 101

2006-07-16T14:54:00.000+02:00

If writing is an art, then, blogging is one way of using words to come up with an art. This is because people who are into blogging are the ones who are artistic on their own sense, carefully choosing words that would best describe their feelings, sentiments, wishes, desires, and everything.

Basically, blogs were first introduced as weblogs that refer to a “server’s log file.” It was created when web logging hit the virtual market. Since its inception in the mid-1990s, web logging gradually saturated the virtual community making the Internet a viable source of greater information.

However, with web logging, you still need a web site and domain names, but with blogging, you do not need anything just an account with blog providers. In most cases, these kinds of blogs are free of charge.

With the onset of blogging in the industry, personal journaling had been a common ground for people who wish to be known all over the world. However, not literally famous as this is not a case on being popular or well-known personality.

Generally, blogs are created for personal use. Like a journal, people can write their daily adventures, sentiments, and whatever ideas they want to express online.

Nevertheless, with the advent of the online businesses, blogs had gradually taken the limelight in providing businesses a chance to boost their productivity online. This is where the business blogs have taken the limelight.

Business blogs are, basically, created to advertise the services or products of a certain web site or online business in order to increase online sales.

Moreover, business blogs are also one way of promoting the company so that the other readers will know that a certain company exists online. With blogs, entrepreneurs are able to establish a name in the virtual market through articles that can be very useful in the reader’s life.

From there, you can make money out of blogs by simply syndicating it to your business’ web site. This can be done through the RSS technology.

So, if you are thinking to create a blog, whether for business or for pleasure, you need to know some tips that could help you get through and make your blog one of the interesting blogs online.

Here’s how:

1. Consider your audience

Even if your blog is generally personal, still, it would be better to consider the minds of your readers. You have to think of something that would interest them.

After all, most of the reasons of people who write blogs are not at all confined to their own personal motives. Most of them would love to be “heard” (or read) and would love to be known, in some way or another, even for just a minute. Hence, it is very important to come with a write up that everybody can understand, not necessarily that these people can relate to it but they can understand it.

2. Pictures speaks a thousand words

To make your blogging worth the browsing effort of your readers, it would be extremely nice if you will put some pictures in it. It does not necessarily mean you have to place a picture of yourself. Any photographs will do as long as it does not pose danger or insult to anyone who will be reading your blog.

3. Make constructive and beneficial blogs

Even if you are free to write anything you wan to say to the world, still, it would be better to create some write-ups that would be beneficial to your readers.

After all, its information technology that you have there so better be inclined to provide information rather than sheer quirky entertainment.

4. Avoid making multifaceted and complicated blogs

In order to have an interesting blogs, try not to use some highly technical and highfalutin words. After all, it is not a science discourse or a debate that you are making, so better stick to simple facts and short blogs.

Bear in mind that most people who use the Internet usually do more scanning than scrutinizing each site word for word. Therefore, it would be better to come with blogs that will not bore your readers just because you have these lengthy articles.

5. Make it interactive

As much as possible and if your capacity will allow it, make your blog interactive. Yu can do this by placing some video or audio clips in your blog.

You can even place an area for comments or for some feedbacks. In this way, you can get some impressions or reactions of other people. Who knows, you might even gain some friends just by making them feel at home in your blog site.

Indeed, blogs are not created just for the mere fun of it. It also has its own purpose in the world of the Internet.
Therefore, for people who wish to harness their craft, as far as writing is concerned, blogs are the best way to do it.

As they say, blogging is the contemporary term of creative and commercial writing.

Copyright 2006 Hugh Goble

3 Reasons Why Adsense Is Essential For Content Sites

2006-04-23T08:30:00.000+02:00

To know why AdSense is essential for your content sites you need to know how it works.
The concept is simple, the website publisher(you) inserts a java script into the web page. Each time the page is accessed, the java script will pull advertisements from the AdSense program. The ads that are targeted should therefore be related to the content that is contained on the page serving the ad. If a visitor clicks on an advertisement, the website serving the ad earns a portion of the money that Google charges the advertiser. There are two parts to the advertizing cycle - AdSense covers the publishing or display of the ads, while AdWords covers the keywords under which the advertisers want their ads displayed.

Google handles all the tracking and payments, providing an easy way for webmasters to display content-sensitive and targeted ads without having to solicit advertisers, collect funds, monitor the clicks and statistics which can be a time-consuming task in itself. currently there does not appear to be a shortage of advertisers in the program from which the Adsense ads are drawn. The first reason why Adsense is essential for content sites is because it allows webmasters to incorporate a revenue generating source onto pages which may not otherwise earn money. Developments within the AdSense program allow a wide choice of formats so that the ads can be simply incorporated into pages.

Different formatting enables the ads to be placed in the best position to maximise click through from visitors who may or may not be aware that they are clicking on an ad. AdSense ads can also appeal to visitors looking for information as they provide more sources of this information.
The second reason is the ability of the AdSense publishers to track the progress of their sites and also their AdSense earnings based on the webmaster-defined channels. The recent improvements in the Google AdSense program gives publishers the ability to monitor their ads using customizable reports that have the capacity to detail page impressions, clicks and click-through rates. Webmasters and publishers can now track specific ad formats, colors and pages within a website. Trends are also easily spotted.

With real-time reporting, the effectiveness of changes made can be assessed quickly. Publishers are able to select the formats with the most clicks and optimize their sites using these formats. The flexible tools also allow publishers to group web pages by URL, domain, ad type or category, and these can provide them with accurate insight on which pages, ads, and domains are performing best.

The third and final reason is that advertisers have realized the benefits associated having their ads served on targeted websites. Generally the use of keywords increases the possibility that a visitor will have an interest in the products and services being advertised on a related site.
AdSense is all about targeted content, the more targeted your content is, the more targeted the AdSense ads will be. It has been found that AdSense ads are more effective where publishers focus more on site content than the cash that the ads will generate.

By using high paying AdSense keywords in your content you can attract the most rewarding ads and create some income for yourself.

3 Quick And Easy Ways To Build A Profitable Opt In List

2006-03-09T21:40:00.000+02:00

The first thing you learn as a 'Newbie' is '..the money's in the List'. This is so true. You've built your website and now you need traffic and, more importantly, the names of all your prospective clients who come to visit your site. This means a good opt-in list. After reading countless articles and success stories of people making a small fortune with opt-in lists you to develop one your own. But then reality bites - it's extremely difficult to build a list. Even if you've followed all the advice that you've tracked down on the Net you still don't have a profitable list. Before you give up let me remind you that nobody said it would be easy - otherwise everyone would be doing it - Right?

So what can you do? Why do some succeed and not others. The most common mistake that Newbies make is to dive right in and expect instant returns. Like all business ventures it takes time. Time to build your list , and most importantly, time to build the trust of the folks on your list. Most people will not buy from stranger and need to be convinced that you're going to give them what you promise. (By the way - would be eBay resellers face the same problem - lack of credibility) Just because you write to people on your list doesn�t mean they are going to buy instantly.

Here are some tips to get a profitable list started or even to rejuvenate a list that's gone a bit stale.
1) Get your customers to trust you and your products first. Just launching your opt-in list would not make you an expert and a believable seller. Publish a few articles first before you start an opt-in list. Write about the topic you've selected and start getting your name out there a being knowledgeable"

How To Get Your Subscribers Begging For More

2006-03-09T21:35:00.000+02:00

Just as an experiment, a friend of mine subscribed to ten different opt-in e-mail marketing lists to see which ones were effective. Many websites and online businesses have resorted to sending promotional materials to people who have subscribed to them in an effort to boost their sales or traffic. Opt-in email marketing sends newsletters, catalog updates and many more promotional materials to website visitors who have agreed to be updated.

Through e-mail, an internet user that is on the list will receive their updates through email. If promotional material piques their interest they will go to the site to learn more or to purchase outright. For the website operators or owners, this is a chance to remind their list of their existence and display their wares. With the numerous sites in the internet that offer the same products or services in one way or the other, the competition can get pretty tight and it is easy to be forgotten.

Back to my experimenting friend, he tried to find out which opt-in marketing strategies got a subscriber begging for more. Some would send in very simple fashion, some would very outlandish while there are some that would just lie in between. The differences could easily be noticed and some have gotten the idea of an effective opt-in marketing strategy. He dubbed them effective because he felt like he just couldn�t wait to go their site and learn more, the more persuasive ones even got him halfway to reaching for his wallet and to his credit card before he realized this was only an experiment.

Many companies and site present their promotional materials in a wide variety of concepts. Each has their own distinctive style and designs, but more than the outline and the presentation, th"

5 Things To Consider When Publishing A Newsletter

2006-03-07T21:49:00.000+02:00

5 Things To Consider When Publishing A Newsletter: "5 Things To Consider When Publishing A Newsletter
By: Hugh Goble
Providing a newsletter for your opt-in list subscribers provides many benefits in terms of driving traffic into your site as well as boosting the sales and profits of your site and company. This is a marketing ploy that will not hugely dent your marketing budget and will not also require too much time to develop.

With a newsletter, you can inform subscribers about your business, and its products and services. You can keep them posted and updated about what�s going-on as well details of your promotions and offerings. Newsletters also allow you to win over your subscribers. They can show your knowledge about the topic at hand and the many benefits you can offer them. Most people do not buy on the first contact but need to be made comfortable before committing to a purchase. Newsletters can also be forwarded to friends, colleagues and family. All of them could very well become customers in the future.

If you do not have a newsletter for your business, then you need to research how to publish one. It is not as easy as it seems but if and when you get the right idea and process, it will be smooth sailing from there on. Try to take the time to learn what you need to learn and get that newsletter ready to attract subscribers to your newsletter as well as traffic to your site.

In the next few paragraphs, I will provide you with some things to reflect on when you decide to start your own newsletter for your site. Here are five things to consider when publishing a newsletter.

1) Make sure that the content of your newsletter pertains to and closely associated with your business or the theme of your business. You have started a business and your theme for your newsletter will always be based on this"

How To Build A List Of Eager Subscribers

2006-03-07T21:41:00.000+02:00

How To Build A List Of Eager Subscribers: "How To Build A List Of Eager Subscribers
By: Hugh Goble
Every online business strives to provide great service to create satisfaction among their customers. Each satisfied customer means a greater chance that they will become a return customer and buy again. Better yet, they will most likely recommend you to other people that could generate more business for you and your site.

As more traffic is driven to your site, you can encourage visitors to subscribe to your mailing list or opt-in list. This is a list where visitors agree to be sent promotional materials such as newsletters, catalogs and such that could keep them updated about your site or the niche of your site. These promotional materials are sent via e-mail to the members of the list at different intervals.

Email marketing is relatively cheap and you can save a bundle by building an opt in list of loyal subscribers who have agreed to receive your promotional material in this way. With an opt-in subscribers list, you are pretty sure that what you are sending out is received, viewed and read by the subscribers and not simply being deleted.

This means that there are constant reminders to your subscribers about all your products, new products and services as well as any promotions and special deals you are having. There is also the chance that they can be forwarded to other potential customers as they tell their friends and families about you and your site.

Of course you should be also aware that a subscriber may unsubscribe if they feel that they are not getting what they expected. Make sure that they are satisfied with your opt-in marketing strategies and keep them interested in receiving your newsletters and catalogs. Here are some tips that can help you build a list of eager subscribers.

Make your prom"

Welcome to Hugh's Newbie Blog

2006-03-07T20:28:00.000+02:00

Hi my name is Hugh Goble and I'm a Newbie. I live in South Africa and I'm trying to build an internet business that'll provide for my retirement (whenever that happens).

I've decided to keep this blog to (a) amuse people as I stumble though the maze and (b) (hopefully) provide some of those who come after me with some shortcuts.

Let's take the journey together and see where it leads.