Are You Ready For The EzineArticles HAHD Challenge?

EzineArticles is having their third HAHD (100 articles in 100 days) challenge. All you have to do is write and submit 100 articles between Jan. 1 and April 10. The articles have to be 400 words in length, and submitted under the same author name.

So why would you even enter into such a challenge? There are actually several reasons why we should all participate. Reason #1 is that we will get lots of back links to our site. Reason #2 is that it is a challenge which will help us to grow; we will develop writing skills which we didn't think we possessed, and we will learn more about the topic, market or niche which we are writing about. Thus we will build our credibility as well.

And if those reasons are not enough to get you to participate....there are more. EzineArticles is giving away a certificate to all those who participate. Plus you also receive an EzineArticles trophy mug, mouse pad, beach ball and hat.

Then you also have a chance to win 1 of 10 EzineArticles Premium Membership valued at $582.00. Now that is incredible!

There will be a webinar on January 8 to explain this event in more detail. For more information visit the EzineArticles Blog.

Win a Mug From EzineArticles

EzineArticles, the largest online article marketing site is giving away a free holiday mug to all who submit 25 articles before Jan.1. The articles need only be 250 words in length and can be on any given topic.

If you are not a member yet of EzineArticles you can still register, and I believe they will allow everyone to submit the articles, even if they have not yet reached 'Platinum Level' yet. You can read more about it here.

This will be my first time entering a contest at EzineArticles, and I'm looking forward to receiving a mug, so I can show off my reward for working hard in 2009.

Anyway I know there is not much time left, but if you hurry you can still get your articles in before the deadline. I know I will be working hard at them today...

Good Luck!

Make Money On Sites Like EBay and Etsy.

If you are an artist...any kind of artist; then you have the ability to make a living by doing what you love.

Perhaps you enjoy painting, woodworking, sculpting, pottery, sewing, needlecrafting, or any other kind of craft; if so, then you can sell those items for a profit online, and it doesn't have to cost you anything to get started.

Sites like eBay and Etsy will allow you to sell anything you can craft, or create. EBay is a more commercial site, but Etsy is very strict on the fact that it has to be hand-made, and cannot be produced in large quantities.

But if you have something which you enjoy, you'll be efficient enough to make a pile of money selling your handmade goods. If you're not that efficient yet, you will get there with more practice.

More and more people are taking part in this new venture, where people are looking for greener ways to shop, and to help preserve the environment. If enough people take part in this venture the industrialized world may wake up and start producing things in a greener fashion as well.

If its handmade, there was no machine used to pollute the air, or use up unnecessary energy. And people are waking up to this fact.

So if there is something you enjoy making, why not start selling it, and who knows eventually you might be able to quit your job!

Are you ready for 2010?

2009 has almost come to an end, and in 8 days we will be ushering in the new year 2010. But what does 2010 hold for the internet marketers...with all the changes coming it makes one wonder, will it be a year of growth, or a year of set-backs.

Personally I believe it will be a year of growth for those who are willing to make changes to the way they do business online.

The new rules of the FTC have already kicked in and every affiliate relationship needs to be disclosed, and testimonials need to be real. Those who do not adhere to these new rules will be taken to court.

Then there is Google coming out with personalized search and caffeine. Many are asking will this be the end of SEO? How will the now SEO dominating websites stay on top with the new changes. I don't have an answer, but I'm sure those who have quality content won't be affected much; as a matter of fact these sites might even see a jump in their numbers.

And as always, those who are too lazy to produce good content will find a way to get around it. Then they will most likely record their methods and create a course and make a pretty buck as a result of the new changes.

So my take on the new year is a positive one thus far...we just need to continue learning, work hard, and accept the new changes and we shall prosper.

So are you ready for 2010? You can be, all you need is a positive mind-set.

Cheers!

Fast Cash?

I just read an article entitled "8 Ways To Make Some Xmas Money-Fast" and while the tips are good, the average person might only be able to actually use half the tips to make a few extra bucks.

For example, I live in a small town, and for me to rent out a room is next to impossible. About a year ago I placed several ads in the paper...and nothing, I put up flyers everywhere around town...still nothing. Then I noticed that several others were trying to do the same thing without any luck; people were looking for room-mates, to rent out a room, to share a house...and I would see the same ads appear week after week after week...

And entering contests...well I'm just not a gambler...

Now I'm not trying to down the article, I'm already doing several things which the article recommends and they really do work great! Like getting rid of stuff which you no longer need...not that I have much...but it works when you do have stuff! Selling your stock photos, or your skills...great idea!

Now those are great ideas for fast cash, but what about the long run? If we can find a way to make lots of money all the time, we won't have a need for fast cash...right?

So what else can you do? Well I'm an artist and I sell my finished designs online, it's a great way to earn extra money by doing what you love.

If you love to write you can write for sites like Hubpages.com, RedGage.com, and Squidoo, and you get paid. Now this will take a while for you to make any money, but it is a residual income which will continue to pay even when you stop writing.

Set up a blog and start blogging about your favorite things to do, and in the process refer others to books which you may have read, or want to read. Amazon and EBay have great affiliate programs for you to join and start making money.

Write an e-book sharing your tips and strategies on a specific topic, people are hungry for information these days and will read just about anything they can get their hands on.

There are many more things which you can do, but these will get the ball rolling. For tips on how to make money online check out this site, and be sure to check out the above mentioned article as well.

Clean Up Your Computer With Advanced System Care

My computer had been running extremely slow for quite some time. I basically tried everything to make it go faster, but nothing seemed to work. I even tried free registry cleaners but they didn't work either.

Then I heard about Advanced System Care, and it changed the life of my computer...it now moves faster than ever before...well you know what I mean.

At first I only tried the free version, and it worked great, but every time I used it, it would always tell me that I still had some 400 errors on my computer. And I still had a need for greater speed, so I upgraded to the paid version and did a scan and it found over 11oo errors!

Advanced System Care removed all those errors along with spyware, and cleaned the registry.

My computer now works much, much faster and I'm so thankful I found a solution to my problem before my system crashed completely.

Create a free website with Yola

When I began learning about making money online I wasn't sure if it was for real. Everyone around me seemed so negative about it and so I was hesitant when it came to investing into a hosting account or domain name.

I set up blogs, and a few free websites and then when I was convinced that making money online was for real I purchased my very own domain and hosting account.

I didn't delete the free blogs or sites, instead I used them to drive traffic to my new site. So really I didn't waste any time by creating the free sites, and am still using them today.

So where can you go to create a free site? Click here to find out more...

A Blog Or A Website?

If you are new to online marketing then you are probably wondering whether you should start a blog or a website. The truth is, it really does not matter which one you start with, because your end goal should be to have multiple websites and blogs.

Why? Because you will need to build backlinks to your site in order to rank high in the search engines. The more backlinks that you have the better your site will do. Now you should try and get some backlinks from other high ranking websites, but you cannot solely depend on other people to link back to your site, you also have to do your own hard work.

There are many sites, and blogging platforms that allow you to create websites and blogs for free. For more information click here.

The New FTC Rules

There is much confusion going on regarding the new FTC rules. They are not very specific as to what is expected of bloggers and affiliate marketers.

I took the time to read the 81 page pdf file, but many questions were still left unanswered. I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to put a little not beside each affiliate link stating that it is such, or if I can simply create a disclosure page and list my affiliate relations there. The rules are very unclear on this.

But perhaps the rules have nothing to do with this...because they focus a lot on paid reviews, and those using testimonies. The rules are quite clear on how to disclose a paid review...it has to be done within each review. Also they are clear on how to use testimonies and disclaimers...stating that they will have to be specific and give a general impression on the consumer.

So perhaps those are the only two major focuses of where they expect to see some change? At this point what I will do is create a disclosure page, and if I see others labeling each affiliate link, then maybe I'll follow suit, but for now I think that is just silly.

How To Thank Those Who Link To You Without Doing a Link Exchange

When someone links to one of my sites, this first thing I want to do is link back to them. But I realized that when I do that, any value that is placed on that link by Google will automatically drop, because as soon as I link back, Google sees that as a link exchange.

Link exchanges are not bad to help increase the traffic to your site, but they will not help you in the search engine rankings.

I thought of a great way to return the favor...and I'm sure I'm not the first one to think about this, but I think it is a great idea!

With all the social media, and social networking sites there are plenty of ways to return the favor and send some traffic to the sites that link to you. Another thing that you can do, is blog about the other site, or add a link back from your blog. This way, they are getting traffic which they otherwise would not get, and the link on their site back to yours will be valued in the eyes of Google.

Google Adsense

Google Adsense is a great way to earn extra money online. Some people even make a living with just Adsense! You can always count on Adsense to be there to help you along when all else fails.

But as good as it is it can be a hindrance to a new site. When you have Adsense on your blog or website the Google search engine will take longer to index your site as when you don’t have Adsense. So it’s a good idea to put up your site, wait till you’re ranked by Google and then put up those wonderful ads.

A lot of people like to just put up a site and stick Google ads on there and Google doesn’t like that. The ultimate goal of Google is to send people to reliable websites which will help them find what they are looking for. If Google senses that you only have ads or that your content is not rich it will not send visitors.

So the key is to be patient and fill your site with valuable content before putting up any ads.

E-Books

E-books have become increasingly popular overtime and are in my opinion the easiest and cheapest way to deliver or receive information.

I love them because I can read them online without having to leave my home to go to the bookstore or library. Plus they are environmentally friendly and save a lot of trees.

E-books have eliminated the barrier between the author and publisher. Since e-books are so cheap and easy to create, anyone can do it and you don't need anyone else's permission to publish it. If you have an e-book that you want to write, there is nothing stopping you anymore...you are the master of your universe.

You can write them for fun or for money, and you can write about anything that you want. You can entertain, inform or instruct, and people will love and thank you for it.

You can buy expensive software to help you to create these books or you can download a free program called OpenOffice and it allows you to create professional looking e-books with pictures, hyperlinks and more.

How Not to Get Scammed

As you probably already know there are many, many scams online today, and it's hard sometimes just by looking at the claim to distinguish whether its a scam or something legitimate. But if you educate yourself a little, you don't have to be a victim to any of these.

Rule #1 is to never, never rush into anything! If its legitimate, it'll still be there waiting for you tomorrow, or the day after, or a week after. Many scammers will use the time is running out tactic to get people to sign up. This is very clever because no one has the time to do a thorough search before the time runs out on whatever scam they're pulling.

Every legit business should have a phone number where you can reach them at. Call this number and see if anyone picks up. If there is someone there have them explain to you how the system works, and ask any questions you may have. If there is no number or no one picks up when you call, then you can be most certain that it is not legitimate.

You always want to ask around. Poke around in marketing forums, or google the keywords used in the title of the opportunity. You'd be surprised at how many honest people there are who will tell you the truth. If it's a scam, someone out there who has been scammed will be more than happy to prevent others from being scammed.

Last but not least, keep in mind that what worked for one person may not work for you and vice versa. Read other people's success stories and find out how the system worked for them. That will give you an idea on whether it will be something that you will enjoy doing, or whether you will succeed as well.

So really it boils down to two things, do your research and then use your common sense to see whether it is something you want to do.

Make a Living Doing What You Love

John Chow is a famous blogger. This is how he makes his living. When he started out he wasn't in it for the money at all. He just wanted to keep an online journal where he could talk about whatever.

Today he's making a living doing what he loves to do...and a fine living I might add. Personally I think it should be everyones goal to make a living doing what we love.

Now some may ask if we all did what we loved would the world still go around? I say "Of course it would!" There are millions of different people all over the world and they all have different interests. I have a friend who loves working in a factory and she will never quit till the day she retires. I've said many times to her, "There has to be something that you'd rather be doing." And she simply says she can't think of anything else.

Another friend loves to clean and cleans for other people...think about it...she loves to scrub toilets for other people! YUCK!!!! Okay maybe she doesn't care for the toilets, but she's a very social person and this gives her a flexible schedule to come and go as she pleases, and she loves it.

Still other people I know love construction. I know one guy who loves the thrill of working on trusses...it's a dangerous job but he loves it.

So how do you go about making a living doing what you love? It may be easier said than done, but just do it. The internet has made a way for anyone in any niche to make a living online. Honest, it doesn't matter what it is you love to do, there is a market for it online.

If you like construction...start a blog and start writing about it. Share with people what it's like from day to day in the construction world. Then learn to monetize your site with relevant affiliate links or ads. This method can work in any niche that you have an interest in.

Obviously it won't happen overnight, but if you work hard and stick it out it will work. I'm still fairly new to the internet but I got my first paycheck from google about a month ago. I'm still not making my living doing what I love, but I'm well on my way. I encourage you to do the same.

John Chow has a lot of valuable information on his site on how to make money online. He's giving away a free e-book in which he shares his techniques on how he makes money online. I would encourage you to check it out. His site is at: http://www.johnchow.com. This is not an affiliate link, I have nothing gain whether anyone visits his site or gets his book. But because there is so much valuable information I want to let others know about it so they too can get their hands on it.

Enjoy the blog.
http://www.johnchow.com

The Power Of Intention

I just watched the most amazing video called "The Power of Intention" by Dr Wayne Dyer. While I may not agree with everything which he says, I do believe that he has a lot of valuable information which I believe we can all benefit from.

He talks about a source (which I believe is God) but he says it can be anything which you believe it is. The source walks beside us and helps us and is always on our side. And if we work together with this source we can do just about anything we intend to do.

Everything was intended, even things which we don't like, and we need to become one with the source and accept everything from a positive perspective and work with the source...not against it.

All the problems which we face are within us...whether it be with people, our job, or any situation which may arise. We have the power within us to solve the problem whether we believe it or not. We can't expect people or situations to change around us...but we need to change from within.

If you're in a financial rut, you need to focus on your positive intentions to get out of it and it will happen. It almost sounds like magic but really its not. How it works is that if you focus on a positive outcome in any sticky situation...your actions will be positive and productive and eventually you will work your way out of that situation.

I would really encourage you to watch this video even if you don't agree with everything he says...I truly believe it can change your life if you adapt to some of his strategies.

Learn Afflilate Marketing Strategies at Affiliate Summit

Affiliate Summit was founded in 2003 and is growing fast. Twice a year they hold a conference to help educate affiliate marketers, merchants, agents and networks about affiliate marketing.

The conference is split into sessions and each session has its own topic and different speakers. The speakers are well educated and experienced in the field which they are in. Also a lot of these sessions are Q&A in which the audience may ask any questions they may have.

To go to one of these conferences you have to register and you can do that right on their site. They have 3 levels of passes which you can get and the lowest one is only $79.00. For more information and the location visit Affiliate Summit.

And if you don't feel like going they make the videos available to the public afterwards which are then free for everyone. The only downfall is you don't get to participate in asking questions, but nevertheless you can still learn lots.

Right now they have the videos available from the last couple of years, and if you're not sure whether you would want to attend a conference check out some of the videos and go from there.

What You Should Know Before Buying a Web-Hosting Plan

If you're planning on purchasing a web-hosting account there's a few things you should know before you actually make the purchase. Go ahead and get your domain name before its gone, but hold off just a little on the hosting...unless you know and understand what it is all about.

When I purchased my hosting account I had no idea what it was all about! I managed to figure it out...and still figuring stuff out...but I had days when I just wanted to pull out my hair.

The biggest stress factor was that I had made the purchase with money which I didn't have and now I had no idea how to set it up. I was in a hurry to get it up and going, because I was already paying for it, so naturally I want to get the most for my hard-earned $$$. Because I was in such a hurry I didn't take the time to fully read the owners manual; had I done so I would have saved a lot of time.

But not just that...when I finally dove in it was like an information overload. Here I was over at www.w3schools.com learning html and css. When I got tired of reading I went over to youtube.com to learn in a more relaxed fashion which also allowed me to do other things in between, thus saving me some time.

I learned the most from Asib12, he deserves a pat on the back for creating such wonderful step-by-step tutorials. He shows you from the very basic html coding to css, javascript and even shows you how to set up a website from scratch.

So what exactly is it that you should know before buying a web-hosting plan?

Simple, head over to www.w3schools.com and start studying the free tutorials. Start with the basic html tutorials and work your way up to xml, css, javascript and more! You will find tutorials on every kind of coding which you'll need to set up you site. What I like most about learning at w3schools is the try it yourself editor in which you can put what you have learned to test. Plus at the end of each tutorial you have to option to quiz yourself to see how you're doing.

Next I would also recommend you watch the videos done by Asib12, this isn't necessary, but it does help to better understand when you actually see someone doing it.

Once you have the basics down, you should start planning your site and creating files or pages for your site and saving them in a new folder. Then as you learn more you can add more to each file or page and you don't need any expensive web page editor. All this can be done in note-pad!

Once you are confident that you have mastered the basics you can go ahead and get your web-hosting. I went with godaddy simply because I had heard a lot of good things about them, and they have proven themselves to be a leader in providing reliable and affordable webhosting.

I purchased both my domain and webhosting with them and thus far I am very satisfied with their services. After I had made the purchase they sent a link via e-mail to an e-book which has all the information you need to help you get started. (But you have to read it to benefit from it! lol)

I have also called in several times to ask questions which I should have figured out on my own, but they were more than willing to help me with my problems. They have a 24/7 support line, so you're never alone when help is needed!

It may seem a little scary and overwhelming, but once you have the basics down, although it does get complicated, anyone can learn and set up a web-site from scratch.