http://johndilbeck.com/news/The latest news from John Dilbeck Ramblings.en-us27 Dec 03 5:45 AMCopyright John Dilbeck Ramblings25 Nov 08 8:00 AM This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site.http://johndilbeck.com/news/1227621641.htmlToday, instead of talking about business or marketing, I'm going to tell you a brief story about a woman I admired a great deal, my Mom. After fighting against a long illness, Mom died on Friday, November 21, 2008. I wrote a little about her this morning: In Memory of Mattie Lee Dilbeck. I'm going to miss her. ... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1225491123.htmlDILLSBORO, NC 28725 - The Western North Carolina Pottery Festival hosts its fourth edition in downtown Dillsboro Saturday, November 1, with three dozen master potters demonstrating on the streets of this walkabout mountain village. Festival hours are 10 am to 4 pm, rain or shine, November 1, 2008. Admission is $2 per person and includes a ticket for a day-long raffle. Children under 12 are admitted free. The juried festival... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1223039093.htmlJohn C. Campbell Folk School, October 4 and 5, 2008, Saturday and Sunday, 10 am - 5 pm. Admission: $5.00 Adults, $3.00 children ages 12-17, children under 12 admitted free with an adult. Celebrate the rich heritage of Appalachia at the 35th annual Fall Festival, featuring over 200 juried and non-juried craftspeople. Handcrafted items for sale include jewelry, woodturning, pottery, weaving, ironwork, photography, rugs, woodcarvings,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1218802873.htmlIf you don't already know it, I'm a huge fan of Site Build It!, Ken Evoy, and their 5 Pillar Affiliate Program. I've joined and tested hundreds of affiliate programs, and the 5 Pillar Affiliate Program remains at the top of the list. You can earn generous commissions from each sale, and recurring commissions from each annual renewal. This is true lifetime commissions, and the folks at SiteSell go out of their way to make sure you are... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1206506317.htmlUntil now, Site Build It! was for the "Do it yourself" crowd. I'm part of that demographic and I love building websites of all sorts, but that's what I do. There are many thousands of us who want to learn all the skills that are necessary to build a successful, profit-making website around which we can build our business. But, there are many millions... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1200917977.htmlHealthy Coffee House (Murphy, NC US) Come visit the Healthy Coffee House, Bed & Breakfast, and Bakery. Have a drink on us! Buy one, get one free any drink in the Healthy Coffee House. Stay one night, second night half price. Free wireless internet service. Expires: This coupon expires on January 24, 2009. Restrictions:... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1199713033.htmlI've been working over the last few days to create a new social networking site for SFI Marketing Group affiliates, and I'm announcing its presence to the world today. If you are an existing SFI affiliate, or would like to learn how to join SFI, I hope you will join us at the <a href="http://sfimarketinggroup.ning.com/"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1199695074.htmlI earn, you earn, WeAllEarn.com (tm). The EyeEarn co-op is active and already producing new affiliates. So far, I've had 9 new sign-ups through EyeEarn. You can tell they come through EyeEarn by selecting the Key Codes format of your genealogy report. They will have a code of 1100 (which was also the code of the discontinued Eagle Co-Op). I received my start up kit a couple... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1199261369.htmlIn late December 2007, I created a new social networking site for Murphy NC 28906 on Ning.com. If you live in, visit, or want to know more about Murphy, NC, come join us at the Murphy NC 28906 social networking site. You can customize your profile, write a blog, discuss topics related to Murphy, NC in... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1193239996.htmlIt's scary trying to build a successful online business when the great majority of websites do not succeed in attracting new visitors and making the sales you need for your business to grow. Site Build It! offers the tools you need and a proven step-by-step process for building an online business that offers a much better probability of succeeding. During the special offer, instead of paying $299 to subscribe to Site Build It! for a... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1191424366.htmlIf your business is located in one of the major metropolitan areas of the United States, you may want to try the new Shop For Ethernet service offered by Telarus and Cognigen. Why is Ethernet the future? Ethernet is a matter of plugging your network directly into a telecom provider's network and bypassing... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1191424227.htmlUse It Before You Lose It Protect your valuables (and your identity) with Worldwide Lost & Found Return Stickers. Give lost gadgets a greater chance of returning to you--without losing your privacy! Register... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1191424089.htmlThere are several ways you can promote your business on Merchant Circle: the contents of your basic listing, any items you post to your blog, coupons you create, photos you upload, and the bulletins posted on your directory listing page. I just learned about Merchant Circle a few days ago and I've jumped all over using their system. You can see the profile I've created for <a href="http://member.merchantcircle.com/dilbeckmarketing" target="_blank"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1191423962.htmlSo, once you get your listing set up on Merchant Circle, what else can you do to increase the likelihood of being found by a potential customer? (Is your business listed at Merchant Circle? If not, you can create a professional looking online listing for your business with our easy to use tools. Free! - MerchantCircle.com.) <img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-902142-10449960"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1191423803.htmlFirst, if you're not listing your business on MerchantCircle, why not? Create a professional looking online listing for your... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1191423646.htmlPresident Clinton recently announced MyCommitment.org and urges you to pledge to make a difference. Make a commitment to change something - big or small - and connect with others who share your vision for change. I have been inspired by all the things President Clinton and Vice-President Gore have been doing to help our world after they left office and I am happy to pass along the word about the latest iniative of the Clinton Global Iniative,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1191423535.htmlAs you know, the 2008 elections are heating up much earlier than normal and this should provide you a real opportunity for selling your designs through CafePress if you reach an audience who is politically motivated to campaign for their favorites. CafePress recently announced the upcoming availability - on or around October 10, 2007 - of <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/cp/community/smart_merchandise_update091907"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1190435963.htmlCome see the newest project in Cherokee County, NC - the grand opening of the Mountain Morning retail store on Saturday, September 22, 2007 from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. Mountain morning products were established with the belief that the old crafts and unique skills that have been handed down through the generations are still in the hearts and hands of our people. Weekly classes offered in a variety of areas Over 600... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1189699676.htmlBrainstorm It! is a powerful niche brainstorming and keyword analyzer module that is only one of the tools included in your Site Build It! annual subscription. Here is some information from a recent announcement from Ken Evoy (Who is Ken Evoy?): "Yes. Brainstorm It! *V2* is now live! Both... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1189699622.htmlSitesell, Inc. recently updated the results page for websites built by their customers using Site Build It! From a recent announcement by Ken Evoy: "Results.sitesell.com is becoming a mini-directory of some of the most well-done,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1189544488.htmlKen Evoy and Sitesell recently announced the release of Content 2.0, an optional add-on module for Site Build It! Here is a copy of their press release: Montreal, Quebec, Canada (PRWEB) August 30 2007 -- Sitesell.com, the originator of Site Build It! and champion of using quality content to drive small business sites, today takes Web 2.0 to new heights. For the first time,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1189394290.htmlAfter a very long hiatus, while I was trying to decide on a new approach, I have published the latest issue of the Act On Your Dream! newsletter. It is archived at Act On Your Dream! -- Issue #6 -- Getting back on track If you would like, you can <a href="http://www.ayearfromnow.com/act-on-your-dream-ezine-subscription.html"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1182327437.htmlNow that I have a modern web browser, having just received the new Macintosh I bought, I've been looking at some things I wasn't able to do previously. One of those things is viewing something called Plexo, which is available as one of the modules for building lenses at Squidoo.com. Plexo lets you create lists of pretty much anything and then let others vote for what they like the most (by clicking the up arrow next to the item) or for... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1181122501.htmlIn 1982, Mary Ricketson, Sheryl Young, Robin Mauney, Eleanor MacCorkle, and Eleanor Wilson focused their talents and passion for helping abused women and formed the Task Force on Family Violence. A quarter of a century later, and now commonly known as REACH, Inc., the organization has grown to have 10 employees, many volunteers, hundreds of clients, and has handled thousands of support and crisis... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1181122390.htmlNancy Williams, a resident of Graham County, North Carolina, announces the publication of her new book, A Matter of Destiny. If you are interested in a fast-paced story that combines UFOs, aliens, government conspiracies, and political intrigue, this book may be right for you. Her background in the US Air Force and knowledge of ham radios, combined with an actual incident that occurred in Brookhaven, NY in 1992, make the fictional... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1180182460.htmlI want to thank my friend, Jerry Chautin, for alerting me to an article in the New York Times, A Basket Case in North Carolina, written by David Rakoff, and published on May 20, 2007. In this article, the author talks about taking a week-long class at the John C Campbell Folk School, in Brasstown, NC. Originally, like most men, he wanted... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1180086326.html(From the Folk School Website:) The new Blacksmith studio fundraising campaign has begun! Timber framers from all over will gather at the Folk School for an old fashioned barn raising! The John C. Campbell Folk School is proud to announce plans for an annex to the historic Blacksmith Shop, originally dedicated to... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1180083138.htmlI watched Sing Behind The Plow last evening and enjoyed it greatly. It is an outstanding production and anyone who loves the Folk School and what people have been doing there for decades should get a copy of this DVD. Hopefully, it will be rebroadcast on UNC-TV and other public stations in the future. It was nice to see old friends and familiar places and to learn more about the early history of the school. The... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1179733927.htmlAdvertise Free; Pay Only For Results - In association with Nice Offers, I am helping merchants in western North Carolina promote their services and products by syndicating their Nice Offers coupons on a variety of my websites, blogs, forums, and other sites. Unlike other forms of advertising, we take all the risk. You can... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1178275434.htmlMountain Brew Coffee House (Murphy, NC 28906) has a nice offers coupon for new and loyal returning customers for their specialty drinks. The offer will expire on December 31, 2007. Buy One Specialty Drink and Get One 50 Percent Off. Click the link to get the details and to have the coupon... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1178023320.html"Funding Secrets to Start, Expand, or Buy a Business," a free workshop, will be presented on 5/21/07 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM in the Patterson Building at the Tri-County Community College's main campus in Murphy. The instructor is volunteer SCORE business counselor Jerry Chautin. He has over 30-years business lending and commercial real estate financing experience. You can e-mail him for details at JKChautin@aol.com. Pre-registration is... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1176948003.htmlJohnDilbeck.com and several of my other sites have been moved to a new webhosting service and are now running a faster server with more features. Over the next several weeks, I will refocus and rebuild this site. I look forward to providing interesting information on a variety of topics related to Internet marketing and promoting businesses, organizations, and events in Cherokee County, NC. Thank you for visiting and I hope you... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1175338559.htmlIt has been a very long time since I have posted here. 2006 was a very complicated and difficult year, and I'm afraid I got sidetracked from what had been a successful online marketing business. It started when I wanted to know if it would be better to have one primary blog where I could talk about multiple subjects or to have multiple blogs, each of which concentrated on one topic. To test this, I created about 24 blogs on Blogger.com.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1154001112.htmlWhat Are You Waiting For? By Dr. Robert Anthony Are You Putting Off Your Dreams? Or have things slowed down recently? Is your life visibly changing the way you want it to? Or are you still stuck with the same problems? I woke up today thinking about three people who contacted me this week concerning the progress they were making reaching their goals. They each said the same thing in a different way. Although... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1149241547.htmlIf you are interested in building multiple streams of residual income from your own online marketing business, I urge you to visit Ultimate Rep to learn how you can have your own home business. You can read more about why I recommend becoming an Ultimate Rep. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1149241367.htmlIf you do any type of online marketing, or if you are interested in getting more visitors to your websites or blogs, you should get your own Linkscout Marketing Suite. You can read more about why I recommend getting your free Linkscout Marketing Suite on my new <a href="http://johndilbeck.com/recommends/"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1147978315.htmlEarlier in the month, on John Dilbeck and Friends, I recommended LinkScout, and it is becoming one of the central hubs of my affiliate marketing efforts. I upgraded to the pro version and I'm already seeing some results. Not bad for such a small investment. Today, I want to recommend a new form of advertising I've adopted... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1147184277.htmlAre you forgetting to take the simple steps that immediately enhance your websites, improve your income and enrich your life? You need ZipSense, today Yesterday, May 8, 2006, Dan Nickerson released ZipSense, an eBook that offers much more than just information, including: 100's of Rapid Fire Tips to help you Earn More... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1144231946.html Context: Michael Lemm, Distinguished Expert Author, 21st Century Articles, business, communications, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/technology"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1144231748.html Context: Chris Bryant, Distinguished Expert Author, 21st Century Articles, business, communications, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/technology"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1142832540.html2006 Multi-cultural Women's Development Conference April 7th and 8th, 2006, Hinton Rural Life Center, Hayesville, NC 28904. You asked, and we listened! This year's conference features both one and two hour sessions! You wanted an outdoor event! We have that, too! And take a look at this year's slate of dynamic presenters. From California, Cherokee, Atlanta and Asheville. Nationally known authors, news columnists,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1139387898.htmlJanuary 15, 2006 – (Baltimore, MD) HandMade in America and Haywood Community College partner with the Arts Business Institute (ABI) to present an art business boot camp March 3-5, 2006 in Clyde, North Carolina. Returning for a fourth consecutive year, Haywood ABI brings fresh faculty and a new perspective this year. Nancy Markoe will lead the weekend with an inspiring keynote address, sharing her lessons learned as a successful art potter... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1139387155.htmlAsheville, North Carolina (PRWEB) February 1, 2006 -- The Asheville art scene is booming. Each year, more galleries and art shows appear. Artists continue to flock to this area, and it’s now has one of the largest concentration of artists in the United States. The top 2006 events to see regional arts and crafts have been named by RomanticAsheville.com, an online guide to Asheville in the Blue Ridge Mountains. For all the details, go to <a href="http://www.romanticasheville.com"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1136103882.htmlIf you own a business, you already know that all businesses need new customers. Two months ago, a new online service was introduced with the purpose of making it easy for merchants and business owners to offer special discount offers to attract new customers (or reward existing customers). Not only is it easy to do, but it costs absolutely nothing to register your business and create your special offers. You, as a business... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1136092887.htmlMay you have health, happiness, prosperity, love and friendship in 2006! http://johndilbeck.com/news/1135916832.htmlI just realized, while in the process of completely overhauling my blogging and blog feed syndication infrastructure, that the blog feeds in my Syndicated News section were not being shown. Instead, all you could see were errors. Apparently this had been going on since December 8, 2005, or thereabouts. I was unaware of it until earlier today. The problem has been corrected,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1135690368.htmlI uploaded several photos I made on Christmas Day, 2005 to Flickr.com. First, I visited Mom in the nursing home where she's recovering from a broken leg. Second, I visited Dena at her home. She was feeling rather poorly and napped on the couch most of the afternoon. I had a blast playing with the grandkids and catching up with family and friends. It was a great day and I hope... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1135685452.htmlI've just now posted several announcements about the Nice Offers coupon distribution system at SFIsalesteam.com. If you own a business and want to advertise free (and pay only for results), you may be interested in these announcements. If you are a shopper looking to save money, you may want to see the syndicated ads organized by expiration date, country,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1135330976.html(Asheville, North Carolina) (Context Tag: Western North Carolina, Women for Women) Almost one year ago, they began coming together, a group of women who wanted to create positive change for women and girls in western North Carolina. They formed Women for Women and now have more than $185,000 to grant... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1135169101.htmlToday is the winter solstice, Yule Day, and winter arrives where I live early this afternoon. If you hate winter, it's only three months until spring. Think warm thoughts. For those of us who love winter, it's time to sleep bundled under comforters and quilts; to make snowmen, snow angels, and have snowball fights until we can't even feel our fingers; to try catching snowflakes on our tongues; to skate on frozen water; to sip hot cocoa... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1135169025.htmlI'm busily posting new discount offers at SyndicateYourAd.com. A new feature starting today -- most discount offers will now be categorized by country, and by state in the United States and by province in Canada. You can register your business for free and start advertising your special offers in only minutes. Advertise... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1134811220.htmlFeedBurner recently added their new FeedFlare service under the Optimize tag for your feed(s). It is designed to add more interactivity by your readers, and adds links to your news feed items that enable readers to: Email this - send a link to your item to someone via email Email author - allow subscribers to email you directly Technorati Cosmos - displays the number... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1134810024.htmlHere's why you should consider becoming one. Squidoo opened their public beta testing a few days ago, and during this period, you can become a lensmaster and claim up to 20 lenses of your very own. What's a lens? Basically, it's an outpointing web page on a particular topic. What topic? That's up to you. What do you know about and love to write about. See if the topic is available. If not,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1134209766.htmlI don't know who you are; I only know you called me on the phone and I was rude. I'm sorry. You see, I answered pleasantly enough, and told you that you called at a very bad time. You asked, "When would be a better time," pleasantly enough. I said, "Not today!" Then, you started to tell me who you were and I cut you off and said, "I can't talk to you right now," and hung up the phone. It would not have caused... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1133094197.htmlNice Offers, which was introduced on October 31, 2005, has registered over 200 businesses in less than its first month of operation. During this first month, several new features were added to make it easier to find coupons for the products and services you want. You can select from online offers, offline offers, or both. If you are looking for local offers, you can search by... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1133094092.htmlMy oldest blog, at johndilbeck.editthispage.com, will be discontinued on December 1, 2005. I want to thank the folks at UserLand for hosting it for several years. This was where I learned all about blogging, XML, RSS, news feeds, aggregators, and much more. It was a valuable learning experience. I appreciate all the work Dave Winer and the rest of the UserLand crew put into developing Clay Basket, Manilla, and Radio Userland. A... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1130873593.htmlMerchants -- either online or offline -- how would you like to advertise your service or products for free and only pay when someone actually redeems your coupon? Well, now you can. NiceOffers helps you do just that. You can register your business for free, create coupons online offering discounted offers to attract new customers or to reward your preferred, repeat customers. You decide... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1130248403.html(Context Tag: Site Build It!, web hosting, online business, create your own website, sell stuff online) Buy It If You Dare... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1130244197.html(Context Tag: quotations, favorite quotes, success quotes, motivational quotations, inspirational quotations) Do you have a favorite inspirational quotation... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1129574910.html(Context Tag: Cherokee County NC, Murphy NC, top websites, radio stations, WKRK, Tim Radford, John... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1128945103.html(Context Tag: holiday cards, greeting cards, Christmas cards, Thanksgiving cards, personalized cards) The next ten weeks, or so, is a great time to reconnect... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1128841016.html(Context Tag: Traditional Artists, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, western North Carolina, North Carolina Folklife Institute, online... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1125259784.html(Context Tag: Site Build It, sale, webhosting, website, online business) Ken Evoy, President of Sitesell, says: "This year, let's set folks on the path to independence.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1124964832.html(Context Tag: Murphy NC, Appalachian Heritage Crafters, artisans, painting, floral arrangements) <a href="http://AHCcrafts.com/" target="new" title="Appalachian Heritage... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1124790531.htmlGeorgiaDragRacing.com has opened a new official online store for products offering drag racing photos and the GeorgiaDragRacing.com logo. Now, you can buy calendars, clothing, hats, stickers, and other products -- with more coming soon. Every purchase helps GeorgiaDragRacing.com, and we appreciate it. Buy for yourself or give great Georgia drag racing gifts to your friends and family. And,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1124370474.htmlWho was Napoleon Hill? -- Think and Grow Rich -- The Law of Success Napoleon Hill is widely recognized as the founder of modern personal success literature. His most famous work, Think and Grow Rich, is one of the best-selling books of all time. Learn more about Napolean Hill... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1124290619.htmlContext Tag: Darren Rowse, blog, blogging, Problogger Darren Rowse is doing something very interesting and helpful... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1122993552.html(Context Tag: Murphy NC, Heritage Walk and Festival, Heritage Partners) The 5th Annual Heritage Walk and Festival will be held Labor Day weekend on Saturday, September 3, 2005 in downtown Murphy, NC. Come celebrate the history, artistry, craftsmanship, music... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1122992759.html(Context Tag: Brasstown NC, Campbell Folk School, auction) On Friday, August 19, 2005, auctioneers Tim Ryan and Bob Grove will sell off hand-crafted items donated by instructors, students and friends of the John C. Campbell Folk School.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1122987593.html(Context Tag: Cherokee County NC, Calendar of Events) I've decided to post a monthly reminder that I maintain a public Calendar of Events for Cherokee County, NC. You will see this reminder there on the... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1122982348.htmlContext Tag: shirts, mugs, hats, CafePress, John Dilbeck July 4, 2005 marked the fifth anniversary of JohnDilbeck.com,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1122280498.htmlContext Tag: Google Adsense I'm a bit late letting you know about this webinar that was held about a month ago by the Google Adsense Optimization team. You may find information here to help you earn more money by publishing Adsense ads on your website or blog. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1122133758.htmlContext Tag: t-shirts, mugs, hats, CafePress, American flag, patriotic shirts The... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1121863334.htmlContext Tag: t-shirts, mugs, hats, CafePress, sale, coupon From July 14, 2005 until July 26, 2005,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1121863184.htmlContext Tag: t-shirts, mugs, hats, CafePress, Harry Potter, wizard I can admit it, now.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1121863075.htmlContext Tag: t-shirts, mugs, hats, CafePress, John Dilbeck July 4, 2005 marked the fifth anniversary of JohnDilbeck.com,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1120235063.html(Context Tag: Murphy NC) There will be a Crafters' Showcase at Appalachian Heritage Crafters, located at 2016 US 64 about two miles west of Murphy (across from Rib Country). The Showcase will be held from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm on Saturday, July 2, 2005. The Crafters' Showcase will feature the finest in locally handmade craft, art and home... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1120210168.html(Context Tag: Cherokee NC) Individuals and groups trying to preserve the language of the Cherokee are "the last warriors of the language," and if the ancient speech does live on through the coming years it will be because of their efforts. That was the message delivered by Harry Oosahwee, language project supervisor for the Cherokee Nation of... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1119743409.htmlA few months ago, I ran across the eaziGOAL.com website that has been built by Colin Dunbar. I found the site because it was built by Site Build It! and because Colin had built a website from scratch to being well placed within the top 1% of all websites worldwide. You can read about some of his experiences with this project... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1119611829.html(Context Tag: Act On Your Dream) Sometimes it gets so discouraging that quitting -- not usually an option -- seems like the best way to deal with a setback. Normally, I'm highly-motivated and don't let setbacks get me down. However, in mid-May, 2005, after spending about nine months building A Portal For Cherokee County, NC,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1117770426.html(Context Tag: western North Carolina) A group of regional representatives from the Far West Mountain Economic Partners attended the Balancing Nature and Commerce in the Gateway Communities of Western North Carolina leadership conference on May 3-6, 2005. The conference was the next step in the strategic heritage development plan written last year by a committee of... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1117718424.html(Context Tag: Cherokee NC) The 31st Annual North Carolina State Bluegrass Festival will be held in Cherokee, North Carolina, from June 16-18, 2005, at the Happy Holiday Campground, located four miles east of Cherokee on US 19 North. (Don't miss Earl Scruggs on Friday, June 17, 2005.) Performers... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1115486192.html(Context Tag: Brasstown NC) In conjunction with the 50th anniversary celebration of the Kelischek Workshop for Historical Instruments, the John C. Campbell Folk School will feature a free concert mini-series this weekend. Artists featured include the Brasstown Ringers at... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1115485510.html(Context Tag: Hayesville NC) Nationally known glass artist David Goldhagen will give a special demonstration at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at Goldhagen Studio. This demonstration, sponsored by the Mountain Arts Association, will feature Goldhagen using traditional techniques... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1115485282.html(Context Tag: Brasstown NC) John C. Campbell Folk School will offer 14 classes celebrating the history and creativity of the Appalachian region from Sunday, May 29, 2005, through Saturday, June 4, 2005. Coinciding with the Folk School's Appalachian Heritage Week is its inclusion in National Geographic's Map Guide to... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1115481830.html(Context Tag: western North Carolina) John Dilbeck, owner of Dilbeck Marketing, in his quest to help promote as many people, organizations, businesses, schools, teams, and other groups in Cherokee County, NC, has founded the Western North Carolina Forum... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1115480752.html(Context Tag: western North Carolina) Every day in the 30th Judicial District, a child is abused or neglected in one form or another. For that child, the world is often a dark place, and the innocence of childhood is shattered. Concerned citizens often ask what they can do to help the community and children in it, and what impact they can make. The... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1115468090.html(Context Tag: Murphy NC) A yard and bake sale will be held from 7:00 am to noon on Saturday, May 7, 2005, in front of Macon Bank. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Everyone is urged to come by and join in the effort... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1115466434.html(Context Tag: Murphy NC) Join us on Saturday, May 7, 2005, during the Murphy SpringFest for book signings. See the following authors: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm: Elizabeth Dulemba, Illustrator of a new children's book, The Prince's Diary 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Wilma McCann, Author of The Home Back by popular demand: (Call store... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1115465802.html(Context Tag: Murphy NC) Murphy's eighth annual Spring Festival begins at 10:00 am and continues until 4:00 pm in downtown Murphy on Saturday, May 7, 2005. In case of rain, the festival will move to Sunday, May 8, 2005. For more information, call 828-837-9636. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1114890361.htmlYou are invited to join the discussion at my new Residual Income Forum. If you're an affiliate or network marketer, come on over and tell us about yourself, your products and your company. Context Tag: residual income http://johndilbeck.com/news/1114723845.htmlHow to get a Small Business Loan to start, expand or buy your own business Find lenders for your deal Discover secrets of borrowing Learn if venture capital is possible Negotiate your best deal Find your best funding source Make an awesome presentation! How others benefited from this workshop: "Very good!..(liked) group... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1114598826.htmlAppalachian Heritage Crafters will hold their semi-annual yard sale - Saturday, April 30, 2005 in front of their crafts store located at 2016 Highway 64 West about two miles west of MacDonalds. Context Tag: Murphy NC Arts Crafts http://johndilbeck.com/news/1114445019.htmlThat's a very good question and I think I should tell you some of my reasons. I sell the services that I use and I think it is incumbent upon me to know what I'm offering to you so that I am aware of both the strengths and weaknesses of the products. A long time ago, I learned that price should not be the reason to make a purchase for business services. Quality, reliability, and support are much more important. If the difference between... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1114435762.htmlOver the last few weeks, I've been doing a lot of work testing blogs and RSS feeds. As part of that research, I've been building some test websites to see how the tools work together. At 21st Century Small Business, I've been experimenting with the Webmax Studio site builder and I like it a lot. Even on this old slow Macintosh, it works great. I believe that even a beginner can... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1114431881.htmlA free business workshop, How to Get a Small Business Loan, will meet from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm on Monday, May 9, 2005, in the Patterson Building at Tri-County Community College's main campus in the Peachtree community of Cherokee County, NC. The workshop will be facilitated by Jerry Chautin, a SCORE volunteer business counselor. He retired from a mortgage and business-lending firm he... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1113897123.htmlYahoo! Inc. a leading global Internet company, today announced a new feature on Yahoo! Local that provides free Web sites for small businesses. This free and easy-to-use feature builds upon Yahoo!'s leadership position as the number one online destination for local information and small business services. Small businesses can quickly and easily establish an online presence and connect with the increasing number of consumers using the Internet to find... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1112904832.html(Andrews, NC) Far West Mountain Economic Partners, a regional non-profit economic development agency serving Cherokee, Clay, Graham, and Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary, has received a $150,000 funding grant as a Program for the Rural Carolinas site from the Duke Endowment. The grant represents the third year of funding from the Duke Endowment, totaling $450,000 for Partners to... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1112863280.htmlYou are cordially invited to attend the i7 Futures Forum to be held on Wednesday, April 13, 2005, at the Ramsey Center on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC. There are many concurrent sessions. Get more information and/or register online at www.wcu.edu/crd or call Nell Leatherwood at 828-227-3445. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1112543956.htmlI have just created a new website at 21stCenturyWebhosting.com and you are invited to visit. The site is less than a week old and there is a lot of empty space as I build the framework and then start adding the content. The goal of this site is to teach small business owners why a website is necessary, how to build your site to get the best return on your investment, and how... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1112434692.htmlI just realized that one of the pages on my website was totally out of date so I took a few minutes to update it. Before you decide on how you're going to present your business or organization to the world, think a moment about whether you want your website -- and by extension, your business -- to just exist or whether you want it to succeed. Many people have thanked me for introducing them to <a href="http://johndilbeck.com/sbi-reference-center.html"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1112200287.htmlThe blog for my SFI Sales Team has been updated. Context Tag: SFI Marketing Group http://johndilbeck.com/news/1112129463.htmlThe list of websites owned, managed, and/or recommended by John L. Dilbeck has been updated. Context Tag: websites http://johndilbeck.com/news/1111860984.htmlSmall non-profit start-up, Oaktree.org, has launched an online exchange that facilitates financial help, prayers and encouragement between those in need and those willing to help. In short, they facilitate the exchange of hope for individuals. (PRWEB) March 23, 2005 -- The sleepy coastal town of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, would be the last place you might look for the next big thing on the internet. Within the last week, a non-profit... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1111693065.htmlTopix.Net, a site designed to offer local area news from thousands of feeds has included the Cherokee County NC Blog as one of the news feeds for their page on Murphy, NC. Context Tag: Murphy NC See also: <a href="http://feedster.com/search.php?hl=&ie=UTF-8&limit=15&q=%2Bmurphy+%2Bnc&sort=date"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1111691272.htmlIs your home in need of repair and you cannot afford it? World Changers is now looking for homes to work on this summer. If your home is in need of repairs such as... Insulation and weatherization Roofing Upgrades to handicap accessibility ... you may qualify. For more information, or to fill out an application, call your local... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1111681713.htmlCongratulations to Bill Grove, his wife, Beth, Betsy Henn Bailey, and everyone else who participated in all the hard work to get the Henn Theater ready for reopening last Friday. P. J. Henn founded the theater in 1935 and this center of entertainment for our area will turn 70 years old this year. Bill has announced that he wants the theater to have a classy feel to reflect its past,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1111678285.htmlThe Cherokee County Crime Commission will grant a non-refundable scholarship up to $500 to an area student. Any graduating high school senior living in Cherokee County, NC, who plans to continue their education in the criminal justice field, or any individual who is in criminal justice, is eligible... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1111435336.htmlCognigen recently announced a new webbuilding and hosting service called WebMax Studio. Whether you are a beginner or a professional webmaster, or somewhere in between, you can build professional-looking websites in days using WebMax Studio to design, build, and host your personal or business website, all for the price... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1111323602.htmlAndrews High School Interact is sponsored by the Murphy Rotary Club, which offers support and guidance, but is self-governing and self-supporting. Interact is Rotary International's service club for young people ages 14-18. Each year, Interact clubs are required to complete at least two community service projects -- one... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1111322505.htmlTen free white flowering dogwood trees will be given to each person who joins The National Arbor Day Foundation during March 2005. The free trees are part of the nonprofit foundation's Trees for America campaign. "White flowering dogwoods will add year-round beauty to your home and neighborhood," John Rosenow, the foundation's president, said. "Dogwoods have showy spring flowers,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1111317523.htmlThe North Carolina Department of Transportation recently launched a new website highlighting the state's rest area system and providing an easy link to information about rest areas throughout North Carolina. The website includes a map that shows all 62 of North Carolina's rest areas and links... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110901030.htmlI just modified the Movie Listings page on CherokeeCountyNC.com and added the websites for Andrews Cinema and the Henn Theater. You can view both websites -- as well as Yahoo's listings for our area -- or click the link below any of the sites to open the site in its own window. I'd like to welcome both sites to our portal. I'm particularly... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110896370.htmlMurphy Rotary Club members and guests celebrated 100 Years of Rotary on February 28, 2005, by presenting Cherokee County Sheriff Keith Lovin with a $4,000 check to be used for shelter and safe keeping of the new police dog. A longtime Rotary member, Jay Gernert, presented a brief history of the Rotary Club. Rotary... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110890646.htmlSCORE, one of the top volunteer business organizations in North Carolina has opened a new office at Tri-County Community College's Business Center. "Our chapter was named the Outstanding SCORE chapter in the state of North Carolina for 2004, which is the second such award it has received in the past three years," said James R. Ballard, administrator of SCORE Association's Western North Carolina... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110560896.htmlEarlier today, I wrote an article about using blogging to help bring more visitors to your website -- for free. I'm sure that's something that everyone with a website would like. Follow the steps in the article: How to get more visitors to your website for free If you are technically inclined, it will take less than an hour to do this... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110299028.htmlAre you getting as much traffic to your website as you want? Chances are, you aren't. In the movies, maybe, if you build it they will come, but that certainly isn't true when it comes to websites. Anyone can build a website and there are estimates that there are over 56 million sites that are being maintained on a regular basis. With that many sites, how is anyone supposed to find yours? One way is to pay for every visitor,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110297289.htmlAppalachian Heritage Crafters, a nonprofit crafts cooperative, is gearing up for its fifth year of operation in 2005. The idea of this cooperative, made up of local artists and crafters, was born when the local Levi's plant closed, leaving several people out of work. The Levi's ladies, along with local woodworkers, potters, painters, and other artisans, formulated a dream -- a way to preserve... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110296878.htmlThe Far West Mountain Economic Partners Heritage Tourism group is putting together their first "Far West Visitor's Guide" for the Far Western Counties of North Carolina. This guide will consist of: * Accommodations * Things to See and Do * Historical Sites and Facts * County information for Clay, Cherokee, Graham and Swain counties * Information about the Cherokee Qualla Boundary (sometimes called the Cherokee... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110109800.htmlA new one plus long distance has been added to our family of products and services featuring interstate rates from 2.7 cents/minute anytime and ultra-low international rates. For more information, see Pioneer Telephone. As always, Dilbeck Communications and Cognigen strive to provide outstanding service for you at the best price. Don't forget that you can compare rates... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110108856.htmlAbsolutelly great VoIP product - unlimited calls anywhere within USA and Canada for only $24.99 per month. For more information, see MyPhoneCompany. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110107775.htmlFree installation and free hardware, most plans are only $29.95 per month... For more information, see Great Alarms HomeSecurity. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110106946.htmlWorld Verge Internet service was established to provide low cost Internet service with reliable connections and superior customer service. With World Verge ISP, you will have incredible service at your fingertips, while paying only $9.95 a month - about half the cost of big name providers like EarthLink and AOL. Not only are we more affordable, 9 out of 10 of our Internet service customers experience a faster connection speed with World Verge Internet... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1110105249.htmlGet all of the features and pricing of post paid cellular service in a pay as you go platform. No contract, no credit check, no deposit, no worries! Wide selection of phones, and plans with unlimited nights and weekends starting at only $29.95 a month. Now, you don't have to sign a long-term contract to get your cell phone service. For more information, see Cognigen Wireless. ... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1109763224.htmlHello, March 11 - 13 will find artists from across the country gathering at Haywood Community College, outside of Asheville, North Carolina. Handmade in America and the college are sponsoring "Arts Business Institute Workshop, 2005", a 3 day intensive for beginning and experienced artists, gallery owners and businesses related to the arts. The topics include marketing, salesmanship, managing your finances, creating new product lines, applying... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1109650414.htmlUSDA Rural Development offers home ownership loans and home improvement loans and grants designed to help rural Americans improve the quality of their lives. The Section 502 Rural Housing Loans may be used by moderate-, low-, and very-low-income families to buy, build, improve, or repair rural homes. Eligible applicants must be without decent, safe and sanitary housing, unable to obtain necessary credit from other sources, have a good credit... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1109649603.htmlThe Office of Economic Opportunity of Catholic Social Services is accepting applications for its Growing Opportunities Small Grants Program. Grants are awarded from $500 - $3000 for the purpose of supporting sustainable economic development and/or systemic change. Grants are available to community-based groups, non-profits, church groups, and organizations supporting business development in Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain counties. The... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1109648651.htmlOne Dozen Who Care, Inc., a community development corporation in Andrews, NC, will sponsor the sixth annual Multi-cultural Women's Development Conference on Friday and Saturday, April 8-9, 2005, at the Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville, NC 28904. The conference is an opportunity for a diverse group of women from far western North Carolina and adjoining mountain states to discuss issues of concern to mountain women, including health and... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1109647748.htmlThe Valley River Humane Society recognized Bruce Moore and Joe Walp on February 2, 2005, with an engraved plaque that reads, "In honor of your hard work in replacing all the fencing material on the kennel doors. We love you, The Shelter Animals." Moore and Walp worked hard on the task of replacing the fencing material on the kennel doors at the shelter. These upgrades were important to ensure the safety of small puppies. They were dedicated... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1109647119.htmlDr. Jan Davidson, director of John C. Campbell Folk School, will present the special feature at the upcoming "A Folk Experience" luncheon from noon until 1:45 pm on Thursday, March 3, 2005, in the fellowship hall of Murphy First Baptist Church. The luncheon is sponsored by Tri-County Christian Women's Club. Davidson, a native of Murphy, has a doctorate in history and folklore. He will tell about the work and history of the Folk School... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1109642009.htmlThe Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) is planning a first annual Heritage Festival on Saturday and Sunday May 28th and 29th, 2005 in Asheville. The Heritage Alive 2005 Festival will feature regional traditions, history, and culture from the 19th Century and will take place in and around the Smith-McDowell House Museum on the campus of Asheville-Buncombe Community College. Parking and admission will be free to the public,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1109312026.htmlI just added a link to a marketing site on the Marketing Resources page in my directory. In the Niche Marketing section, I added: NicheHunt.com -- Make More Money Marketing to Niches - Niche marketing strategies for small and home-based businesses. Succeed online by finding and marketing to a small, prosperous... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1109308978.htmlI just added links to two sites related to working at home on the Small Business page in my directory. In the Home Business section, I added: Work at Home -- Biz-whiz.com is a community website for work at home related information and resources. Includes articles, directory, a very busy forum, and more. <a href="http://21stCenturySales.com/"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1109305468.htmlI just added links to three sites I've recently discovered that are related to writing, publishing and self-publishing on the books page in my directory. In the Blogs about Writing section, I added the following: Learning About Writing is a blog written by Dennis Mellersh. This is a new blog,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1108825122.htmlOn January 8, 2005, in Charlotte, NC, Noble David Sumpter, III, was appointed Oasis Outer Guard by Illustrious Sir Rolla Rogers at the 110th Oasis installation of officers. An attorney, David Sumpter practices in the area of real estate, criminal, civil, and family law in Murphy, NC. He is a member and Past Master of Cherokee Lodge No. 146 and president of the Western North Carolina Shrine Club. He is also on the ethics committee and authorized... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1108825012.htmlThe Community Foundation of Western North Carolina is offering "Summertime Kids" grants of up to $2,000 for nonprofit organizations to provide programs for children in need this summer. Nonprofit organizations in the 18-county mountain region are encouraged to apply for 2005 Summertime Kids grants before the Monday, March 14, 2005. deadline. The Community Foundation is interested in funding creative summer programs with an emphasis on... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1108824897.htmlLulu.com offers a way to self-publish your work in printed format using their print on demand service. You can also publish downloadable publications, if you want. They offer a complete set of step-by-step directions on how to get started. If you offer electronic downloads of your work, you can choose to offer it for free or to get paid a royalty (that you select) for your work. Lulu.com... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1108173265.htmlOrders are being taken for the Angel Food Ministries' menu for February, 2005. The cost for each box is $25. The deadline to place an order and make payment is Monday, February, 14, 2005. Distribution of the food will take place on Saturday, February 26, 2005. If you are picking up food orders, please bring a large box with you. Send checks for February food items to: First United Methodist Church Attention:... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1108173073.htmlA blood drive will be in progress from 11:30 am until 4:00 pm on Thursday, February 17, 2005, at Tri-County Community College. To make an appointment, call 828-837-6810. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1108080688.htmlThe N.C. Department of Transportation's official 2005 State Transportation Map is available. The map is larger this year and features more information to help improve motorist safety in North Carolina, including 511, the state's new toll-free travel information system. To order a free copy of the state map, call the NCDOT Customer Service Office toll-free at 1-877-DOT-4YOU from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Maps... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1108080202.htmlThe Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce is expanding its offices and visitors' center -- its first facelift in almost 30 years. Chamber board members have already raised $13,000 towards the estimated price tag of $60,000 - $70,000 for the project. Plans are to add a conference room, office, restroom, and kitchennete to the existing building. The conference room will be used for meetings, seminars, and educational programs for chamber members. Along... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1108079373.htmlAndrews, NC, resident Pam Carman is the keeper of the Disabled American Veterans van that carries anywhere from one to a half-dozen veterans back and forth the 100 miles or so to Asheville, NC, about 15 times per month. For more information on the veterans van service to Asheville or how to become a driver, call 828-321-4172. For more information about Disabled American Veterans volunteer services, visit the web site at <a href="http://www.dav.org"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1107942308.htmlThe North Carolina Peace Corps Association will present its eighth annual North Carolina Peace Prize to the Center for Participatory Change of Asheville. The award will be given on Saturday, February 5, 2005 at the Sheraton Capital Center Hotel (421 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh, 919-834-9900). A reception will start at 7:00 PM with the presentation to follow. Sarah Parker, Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and returned Peace... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1107940155.htmlThe Murphy River Walk -- Murphy, NC 28906 Phase 2 of the Murphy River Walk was completed last week, extending from the pedestrian bridge at Konehete Park to the Cherokee County Health Department.  Having obtained the necessary clearances from TVA and the Town of Murphy in January, Heritage Partners' project officer Edwin Manchester wasted no time in organizing volunteers and other contributors to complete construction. Phase 2 adds another... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1106783872.htmlChuck Huckaby writes The Work at Home Secrets BLOG! and regularly posts interesting articles and links. Recently, he wrote about a study written by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. The study is available in PDF format and is 3.2 megabytes in size. (I'm downloading the report as I'm writing this.) This article, Rural... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1106781049.htmlIn his Second income Ideas blog, Dennis Mellersh offers ideas and information about earning extra income. In his article, Why you should start your own blog, Dennis offers seven common-sense reasons for creating your own blog. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1106780578.htmlFor years, I've been interested in archaeology and the work done by scientists and volunteers to expand our knowledge of what has gone before us. Lately, I've been reading Paul McLerran's new blog to see what's available in dig opportunities. He says: Archaeological digs have become an increasingly popular way for retired individuals, students, and others... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1106148027.htmlIn a three part series of postings in his blog, A Fine Kettle of Fish, Bob Cargill lists 10 reasons why blogging is becoming more important for people in our industry. See Part One, Part Two, and <a href="http://afinekettleoffish.blogspot.com/2004/12/why-advertising-marketing-and-pr-pros_21.html"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1106147071.htmlI'm going to be writing a series of articles about what I've come to call customized replicated websites, for lack of a better term. I'm sure there is a particular name for this, but I'm not aware of it at this time. An example of this kind of site is Affiliate Showcase. I've been a free member of this site for a couple of years and I'm just now coming to understand how these... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1105735611.htmlThe Cherokee County Mountain Lions will be selling candy at the Murphy Wal*Mart on Saturday, January 15, 2005 from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. Please help us help others see. Your support is greatly appreciated. For more information, call Evelyn at 828-837-8808. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1105695193.htmlThe Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce is expanding its offices and visitors' center -- its first facelift in almost 30 years. Chamber board members have already raised $9,000 towards the estimated price tag of $60,000 - $70,000 for the project. An auction of donated items to help raise funds will be held at the Ballroom in downtown Murphy on Thursday, February 24, 2005 (time unknown). Admission is $15 per person or $20 per couple. For... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1105693805.htmlMartin Luther King, Jr. will be remembered at the annual breakfast at the Texana Community Center on Monday, January 17, 2005 starting at 8:00 am. At the 13th annual remembrance breakfast, there will be singing, fellowship, and a message from guest speaker Claude Stewart, interim pastor at Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Murphy. The founder and organizer of the event, Ella Jackson, invites people to come and talk about Dr. King and... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1105394736.htmlTruett Baptist Association of Churches is sponsoring a dental clinic to be available for working people who are not eligible for Medicaid or who do not have dental insurance. This clinic will be staffed by volunteer dentists, assistants, nurses, and clerical personnel. The start-up date will be February-March, 2005. The fully-equipped dental office is being donated by Murphy Medical Center and the Clay County Health Department. So the... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1105092330.htmlIf not, stop reading. I'm looking for serious people who are willing to spend at least one hour per day marketing their home-based business and at least one dollar per day investing in it. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1105090870.htmlThe deadline for placing your order for Angel Food Ministries January delivery is Monday, January 10, 2005. The cost for each box is $25. All orders must be in the office of First United Methodist Church in Murphy, NC, no later than noon on Monday, January 10, 2005. The distribution day for your order is Saturday, January 22, 2005. If you are picking up an order, please bring a large box for the food. Send checks for January menu... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1104944674.htmlI published several new articles on A Year From Now this morning. Romeo Downer tells us it is never too late to achieve those dreams of our childhood. Learn from his tale of becoming a Caribbean Artist. R. G. Srinivasan urges us to dream big. Don't let others kill your dreams and rob you of achieving what... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1104921222.htmlIt looks like I picked the right year to focus on adding more blogs and more RSS (also known as XML) feeds to my sites! From the Pew Internet & American Life Project site: By the end of 2004 blogs had established themselves as a key part of online culture. Two surveys by the <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/144/report_display.asp"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1104767548.htmlGery Carson, founder and president of SFI Marketing group, announced many new changes to the company this weekend. I won't go over all of them here, however. You can see some of the changes in my SFI Blog. Here are the headlines: New Spanish Gateway And More <a... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1104703529.htmlI don't know how long my Forum has been unable to display any of the topics in the various boards, but I just tracked down the bug and stomped it. The forum should be working again. If you encounter an error, please let me know. My contact info is on the privacy page. You're invited to join and participate. If you don't see a discussion for something you're very interested in, let... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1104334364.htmlFor months, I've been building sites that make posting news easy. It has actually taken away from posting news, but that's how it is when I am in development mode. I'm using Coranto to build this news page and it is capable of creating RSS feeds. The feed has been turned on for months, but I'm just now getting around to showing you how to subscribe to it. If what I just did works, you should see the orange XML graphic at the top of... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1104144172.htmlThere will be a Seed Savers Winter Workshop with Dr. David Bradshaw from Clemson University on Saturday, January 22, 2005 from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm at the Brasstown Community Center on Settawig Road in Brasstown, NC, near the John C. Campbell Folk School. The registration fee is $10 and space is limited. The registration deadline is January 15, 2005. Come learn about the art and science of seeds, heirloom plant varieties, and growing... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1103983775.htmlAll of the members of Appalachian Heritage Crafters want to thank you for your business and support this year. 2004 has been a good year and much of the credit for that goes to you. Thank you! AHC Year End Clearance Sale Now that the year is drawing to a close and we are getting ready to close our crafts store during January and February, we want to give you a token of our appreciation by having a clearance sale before closing... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1103983631.htmlI'd like to welcome Appalachian Heritage Crafters as the latest Gold Member at the new Murphy, NC Business Directory. Appalachian Heritage Crafters are having a 10% Off sale on everything in their crafts store from December 26-31, 2004. Then, they'll be closing the store in January and... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1103816172.htmlI'd like to welcome RE/MAX Mountain Properties as the latest Gold Member at the new Murphy, NC Business Directory. Looking to buy or sell residential, land, or commercial real estate in Cherokee County, NC? Contact RE/MAX Mountain Properties today! http://johndilbeck.com/news/1103811202.htmlI am happy to announce that you can now place free classifieds at MurphyNCBusiness.com. Gold Members may place unlimited ads and items for sale in The Marketplace, and all Gold Member ads appear before other ads. Anyone may place free ads by <a href="http://MurphyNCBusiness.com/marketplacemanager/createprofile.asp"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1103643687.htmlMike Arriola, the U. S. Small Business Administration's Senior Area Manager for Western North Carolina, in cooperation with the Small Business Center at Tri-County Community College and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), will offer a free workshop on financing techniques for businesses and will provide attendees with an opportunity to ask questions about other SBA programs. SCORE and Small Business Center representatives will be available... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1103460731.htmlI've been telling you for a long time how much I like Site Build It! and how much the tools included with this outstanding website design, hosting, and promotion service have helped me earn more with my sites. From now until midnight on Christmas Day, you can buy one SBI account and get a second one free. That's an outstanding bargain and I just wish I had the time and energy to take advantage... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1102287372.htmlOn December 1, 2004, Gery Carson made a major announcement about the SFI Marketing Group's compensation plan for 2005. I'll be posting more thoughts about SFI and the changes in the compensation plan on my SFI Blog. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1102284481.htmlFollowing is the announcement from Gery Carson, CEO of SFI Marketing Group: 12/1/04 Dear SFI Affiliate, During the first eleven months of this year, SFI has made an abundance of improvements and enhancements. These include: Completely redesigned and centralized our affiliate website (www.sfimg.com) All new Veriuni store New offline... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1102283553.htmlYour opportunities with ShopForT1 continue to increase on a regular basis, as more and more Cognigen agents are seeing that T1 (and larger circuit) sales have closed and they are seeing the commissions. You are encouraged to take the time to understand what you have to offer here, since ShopForT1 is one of the absolute best deals... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1102283216.htmlCognigen agents now have the opportunity to market Packet8, 8x8's broadband phone service for both business and residential subscribers. Using high-speed connections to make voice and video calls over the Internet, Broadband Phone (a.k.a. VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol) is one of the biggest growth industries around,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1102282636.htmlKen Evoy's free Internet search utility has just gotten better, if you have any interest in RSS, XML, and blogs or for specialty hubs and directories. Search It!, which does NOT involve downloading anything to your computer, is a utility that makes it easier to find information relating to business and ecommerce on the Internet. By using a multi-step process (usually... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1101224239.htmlPromoting a business in Cherokee County, North Carolina just got a bit easier. Whether you are located in Andrews, Brasstown, Culberson, Marble, Murphy, or one of the other communities in the county, you are invited to take advantage of the new portal for Cherokee County, NC and the new Murphy, NC Business Directory. The <a href="http://CherokeeCountyNC.com/news/"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1100252800.htmlAs you may know, I've been building A Portal for Cherokee County, NC over the last few weeks. It's coming along nicely and I want to thank you for visiting and participating. When I started it, I had the intention of creating a place where people living in Cherokee County, North Carolina could talk about their organizations, groups, schools, businesses, events, and more -- all for... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1099928358.htmlCognigen agents now have the ability to market and sell long distance service to Canadian residents. Canadian long distance services will be provided by Cognigen's alliance with one of our newest vendors, Convergia Networks. Convergia is a world-class provider of... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1099926030.htmlOpex has long been a very competitive long distance offering for Cognigen customers, and now Opex has raised the bar by lowering their interstate long distance rates to an incredible 2.95 cents per minute. Residential customers are billed in full minute increments, and business customers are billed in 6 second increments with an... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1099923604.htmlCognigen agents now have the opportunity to market Packet8, 8x8's broadband phone service for both business and residential subscribers. Using high-speed connections to make voice and video calls over the Internet, Broadband Phone (a.k.a., VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol) is one the biggest growth industries around and Packet8... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1099835030.htmlOver the years, drawing from a wide range of sources, I've learned some of the art of building a website that actually earns a profit instead of dying with no traffic. It hasn't been easy to find the information and separate the worthwhile from the worthless. Sometimes they're hard to tell apart before you put them to the test and see for yourself what the results are. One thing I've learned is to listen to Ken Evoy. As time goes by,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1099491308.htmlIf you've been reading the Cherokee County, NC Blog, you should be aware that I've moved it from its home on blogspot.com to a new home at blog.CherokeeCountyNC.com. There are a couple of reasons for this. 1. I want to see if the search engines will index it better than they do on blogspot.com. 2. I think my server is more responsive and this should give you faster access... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1099484651.htmlAppalachian Heritage Crafters, a non-profit arts and crafts cooperative, is holding a yardsale on Saturday, November 20, 2004, starting at 8:00 am and going most of the day. A wide variety of items will be available, some at bargain prices. The members will be selling snacks, coffee and hot chocolate. Proceeds go to the cooperative to help offset expenses. Appalachian Heritage Crafters, founded by craftspeople in and around... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1099135743.htmlThe big lie about the Internet is that it's easy to make money. Just put up a website and everyone will come and buy what you offer and you can retire rich with no effort. It's just not that easy. Anyone can put up a website in a few hours or days, but most of those sites die a slow death because of a lack of visitors and buyers. However, it doesn't have to be that way. The key to a successful website is good quality content. People... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1098960905.htmlVeriuni has reformulated their Advanced Liquid Nutrition product and it is now available in both the United States and Canada. Previously, it was not exportable to Canada because it contained Vitamin K, which is restricted there. With the recent reformulation, the Vitamin K was removed. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1098884664.htmlI just published the Act on Your Dream! Newsletter, Issue #2 and it is ready for your viewing. The main topic in this issue is forming a new International Success Cooperative and I invite your participation and help in making this become a reality that will help all... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1098883948.htmlIt's taken several weeks to get to this point, and now CherokeeCountyNC.com is open and ready for you. This site, unlike other sites that present information about Cherokee County, is designed to be interactive and to offer free tools for residents of Cherokee County, North Carolina to tell others about what you're doing to make our area a better place to live. All you have to do... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1097380487.htmlHendersonville-based SCORE Western North Carolina announced that Judy Grove has joined its new branch office in Murphy, North Carolina, as a volunteer business counselor. SCORE is a not-for-profit all volunteer resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration. They offer free business advice, counseling and mentoring to entrepreneurs who want to start, expand, finance or buy a business. Grove, a seasoned entrepreneur, is... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1097134385.htmlA couple of days ago, I completed reading The Sword Of Shannara trilogy, by Terry Brooks. I just wrote a review of The Sword Of Shannara trilogy in my Confessions of a Voracious Reader blog. I highly recommend this book, even if I am decades late in discovering it. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1096804280.htmlI've been working for a couple of weeks to create a new portal (CherokeeCountyNC.com) for Cherokee County, NC that will provide information to its visitors about the people, organizations, businesses, schools, and events in Cherokee County. This portal will become much more valuable if you participate and help provide information about what you are doing. Register at the site -- it's... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1096804091.htmlI've started maintaining a new public Calendar of Events for Cherokee County, NC. I chose Localendar.com to manage this for several reasons, primarily because it is easy to merge multiple calendars into one display location. For example, I'm currently merging the information I maintain in the Heritage... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1096542734.htmlI guess each of us has our preferences for which search engine we like to use. For the last couple of years, I've preferred to use Google.com for most of my searching, although I still use others to compare the results. If I'm researching keywords or I want to see which sites place well on various search engines, I'll use a metasearch engine such as ixquick.com. A couple of weeks ago, SiteSell released their <a href="http://searchit.sitesell.com/sellmoreonline.html"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1096540769.htmlI've been a very satisfied NetFlix member since early 2004 and I recommend them highly. I love being able to set up a list (queue) of movies to rent and then not worry about it. They send the DVDs to me. I watch them and keep each one as long as I want. Then I return it. When they receive a movie back, they send me the next one in my queue. No late fees. No deadlines. No rushing to return a movie that I haven't had time to see -- or... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1095633996.htmlWe're approaching the end of September and people who run businesses are turning their attention from summer activities to gearing up for the final quarter of marketing before the end of the year. Webmasters, marketers, home business owners, folks who auction products on eBay, and just about anyone involved in online commerce will find Sitesell's newest tool, Search It!... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1095631270.htmlThe remnants of Hurricane Ivan came through our area -- Cherokee County, NC -- last week, and the wind and rain caused some damage, but not as much as in surrounding areas and certainly not as much as it did nearer the Gulf of Mexico coastline. There was flooding in some of the surrounding towns and some large mud slides that washed away portions of roads, including parts of I-40. Here, the only real damage was that we were without power... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1095630257.htmlLast week, I managed to program a way to syndicate weblogs from Blogger.com to any of my websites. I'll be maintaining a list of these blogs at johndilbeck.com/blogs/ where you can go directly to the blog itself or view it in syndication on it's dedicated page in that section of my site. These blogs will be syndicated on other sites as I have the time and energy. You're... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1095026815.htmlDilbeck Communications, in association with ShopforDSL and GeoQuote.net, is now offering residential and business DSL nationwide in the United States. Dilbeck Communications is a Proud member of the ShopFor Network: ShopforDSL, ... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1094991652.htmlFor quite some time, I've been reading about, thinking about, and experimenting with news syndication using RSS and blogs. I've tried several programs for creating the RSS files, such as NewsPro and its descendant, Coranto. Back in January, I was able to get these RSS files syndicated. Then, I decided that I liked Blogger.com and I've created four blogs there and my brother, David, maintains one. I've wanted to syndicate these... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1094904703.htmlI've never met Diane Walker, and I know her better by her online handle: mlmblonde. I became a Cognigen agent a few months ago, and as I was learning the business, I kept running across helpful and encouraging messages (on a variety of mailing lists and discussion groups) written by mlmblonde. After months of reading what she's written, I feel like I know her -- at least... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1094891556.htmlIn the Blogger Knowledge blog, Biz Stone has submitted some ways for Promoting Your Blog. While the article is written specifically for those who host their journals on Blogger.com, some of the ideas should work for promoting weblogs no matter where they are hosted or what technology is used to create and maintain them. This is recommended reading... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1094890819.htmlHere I am, again, working alone in my office in the middle of the night adding some new content to my newest website at AYearFromNow.com and I just noticed that today is September 11. In that moment of realization, my mind's focus switched immediately from 2005 to 2001. I had to stop for a few minutes and think back to that morning three years ago when I was sitting right here working... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1094217863.htmlAdmission Is Free To September 4 Heritage Walk & Festival in Murphy, NC Historic Murphy, North Carolina What began in 2001 with fewer than 100 souls braving the pouring rain to take a "heritage walk" through historic Murphy has blossomed into a 4th annual series of events coming Saturday, September 4, 2004. Last year over 3,000 people turned out for a day long celebration of traditional mountain... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1094216106.htmlThe Scenic Circle  New Day Trip Guide Scheduled for Release September 4 at Heritage Walk & Festival in Murphy, North Carolina Imagine a 50-mile radius circle drawn around the Cherokee County courthouse in historic Murphy, NC, and something to find your way to the outdoor wonders of that area.  Heritage Partners of Cherokee County is pleased to announce its first publication of The Scenic Circle, scheduled for release... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1094069343.htmlJerry Chautin sent the following in an email, and I wanted to post it where all of you could see it. I have good news and a matter of interest to all of us that are involved with the economic success of Far Western North Carolina, and the adjacent Georgia and Tennessee towns. Due to the leadership of Asheville-based Michael Arriola, outreach specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration's Asheville office, the Hendersonville... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1094043602.htmlI've been doing a lot of thinking about success and what people mean when they talk about success. Some mean fame, power, fortune, and the other traditional trappings of success. Some mean losing weight, getting a better job, paying down their debt burden, getting just the right dog, or even having enough food to feed their children today. So, I've been wondering how people define success. I've added a survey to <a href="http://AYearFromNow.com/"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1093911343.htmlCognigen recently introduced several new services. Two of them are HostingWithUs and DomainsWithUs. On the initial introduction of HostingWithUs, Cognigen announced a special on the reseller account: $17.95 per month for 5 GB of storage, 50 GB of... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1093356875.htmlSlowly, but surely, I'm making progress on building AYearFromNow.com. Today, I've been adding more ways to gather information and to facilitate feedback so the site will grow and improve. Two new surveys were added this morning, and you're invited to drop in and give us your feedback. I want to gather <a href="http://www.ayearfromnow.com/visitor-demographics-survey.html"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1093175726.htmlNew Service from Cognigen: ShopforDSL -- Comparison shop in real-time for residential and small business DSL, Cable, and Satellite Internet in your area! Featuring SBC/Yahoo!, Earthlink, Verizon, Sprint, BellSouth, Comcast, Adelphia, Charter, DirectWave, RoadRunner, Qwest, and MediaCom! See, also, all the other Phone, Internet, Satellite... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1093174732.htmlNew Service from Cognigen: PowerConnect Dial-Up High Speed Internet -- PowerConnect High Speed is a premier service that provides unlimited monthly access to the Internet. With speeds up to 5 times faster than standard dial-up, you'll get the most out of your Internet experience. Combine that with a pop-up blocker, 5 email addresses, and 10MB of webspace and you have the best dial-up value available. Get... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1093174127.htmlNew Service from Cognigen: Broadvox Direct -- Are you looking for a quality VoIP solution? Broadvox Direct offers unlimited calling plans to anywhere in the US and Canada for a low monthly payment starting from only $29.95 for residential and $44.95 for business accounts. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1093173714.htmlNew Service from Cognigen: FonCentral -- Great personal and family plans, get a free phone with up to a $100 cash back. Cellular portability available! http://johndilbeck.com/news/1093164660.htmlIt's been a long wait, and a lot of work for everyone involved, but it's done... Store Build It! (StBI) is now available. I've been telling you for years that Site Build It! is the ultimate web site design, hosting, and promotion system available on the entire planet, and it's gotten even better this week. Now, before I tell you about the new Store Build... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1092746210.htmlOver the last three years, I've joined over 500 affiliate programs to see how they work from the inside. Some are impressive programs and others offer little of value -- especially to beginners. Make no mistake about it. Learning to market on the Internet takes time, effort, study, testing, and an investment of some money. You can get signed up and started for free, but you'll have to invest time and money to start earning significant income. It... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1092628640.htmlI've just opened a new website at AYearFromNow.com and I invite you to drop in and look around. This website is devoted to identifying dreams, determining what they mean, planning on how to make them real, and then acting on your dream. For years, I went through my daily routines with no real dreams. Just sleep, wake up, eat, work, sleep, and over and over and over. Earlier... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1092389962.htmlNow that we're closing in on the 2004 presidential election, here are links to two websites that are attempting to project the electoral college results based on polling. From a Kerry supporter: www.electoral-vote.com On August 13, Kerry 327 and Bush 211 electoral college votes. Be sure to read the Welcome and FAQs pages for more information on how the site... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1091330939.htmlThe one day event will be held on Saturday, September 4 from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm at the Old L&N Depot, Railroad Street Park and the Pocket Parks in the historic town center of Murphy. Produced by Heritage Partners of Cherokee County, the annual event began in 2001 with the Heritage Walk and a group of 100 enthusiastic walking tour guests. Last year's festival events drew more than 3,000 people and organizers are gearing up for an even larger... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1091016327.htmlThe citizens of the United States are facing one of our most important decisions this year, and I find it unbelievable that the broadcast TV networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) have abandoned their public duty and are showing only three hours of the Democratic National Convention. I'm assuming they're planning do do something similar at the Republican National Convention -- i.e., not show it. They, and their affiliates, are licensed to transmit... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1090839948.html The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States The final report is now available at Amazon.com. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1089717912.htmlAs a part of a general overhaul of JohnDilbeck.com, I've completed updating my Art Store. As you probably know, websites are always a work in progress and this is the latest version of this section of JohnDilbeck.com that promotes products available from Art.com. Art.com offers a huge selection of fine art paintings, posters and photographs that cover a wide range of categories. As part... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1089716893.htmlIt's been awhile since I have been able to work on this site. During the third week of June, I suddenly started running a fever and for the next few days I alternated between burning up and shaking with the chills. For about three days, I didn't get anything done but sleep. I'm not sure what it was, but for about three weeks, it was all I could do to get anything done and just couldn't focus on working on any of my websites. I can't... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1086629048.htmlOver the last few weeks, Cognigen has introduced four new services related to long distance phone calling, domain registration, webhosting, and wireless service. PNG Power 3000 -- Flat rate long distance service with 3000 anytime... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1086627591.htmlOver the last couple of weeks, I've been redesigning my 21st Century Sales site. I'm busily expanding it to offer great resources for people who want to build profitable home businesses. While there are many types of home businesses, this site is targeted towards online marketing and sales, with an emphasis on earning income by marketing affiliate programs. I've found this to be an excellent... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1086626597.htmlI just noticed that my SFI sales team, while still a very young venture, already has affiliates on five continents. Only with the invention and wide distribution of the Information Superhighway would something like this be possible with the expenditure of so little money in promotion and advertising. Of course, it is also a testament to SFI Marketing Group, a company that has... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1086265658.htmlHave you recently gotten an email that appeared to come from me -- judging by the return address? Is it spam? If so, I did not send it! More and more, we're seeing emails that are spoofing the return address of someone who is in the address book on a system that has been infected by a virus or other malware. This means that my email address is in someone else's address book and their computer is infected. It randomly sends spam and... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1086173518.htmlThis morning, I started a new blog called Confessions of a Voracious Reader and I'll be posting my thoughts about books, movies, art, and more in this blog. Sometimes I'll recommend something to you and other times I'll do my best to persuade you to steer clear of wasting your time. Of course, I know that all of us have different likes and viewpoints and you and I may, or may... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1086166019.htmlCongratulations to Don Sansone, of Cape Coral, Florida, for growing his SFI sales team in May, 2004. Of all the people in my sales team, Don added more new affiliates to his team than anyone else last month. You are invited to visit his SFI store. He would appreciate any purchase you might like to make! You are also welcome to join his <a href="http://www.quickinfo247.com/8630902/FREE"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1086164764.htmlEveryone has a passion in life. There are thousands of companies that offer a way to build a website. There is only one that offers a way to explore your passion and tell the world about it. Perhaps your passion is a hobby or a business. Perhaps you want to help others. Whatever it is, there is a right way and a wrong way of presenting it to the world over the Internet. The wrong way is to get a cheap web host and put up a website... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1086161921.htmlBack in January, 2004, SFI Marketing Group introduced their new Veriuni Store, which makes well over 700 products available for their affiliates to sell. I started analyzing the store in February and researching keywords and phrases in March and April. As soon as I finished the emergency work I had to do on GeorgiaDragRacing.com in May, I turned my attention to building my... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1086161207.htmlI got side-tracked in May. For several months, I've been fighting one or more hackers who have been breaking into my brother's site at GeorgiaDragRacing.com and installing software that attacked other computers and ran an Internet Relay Chat -- both of which are not allowed by our hosting company who have been working with us to put a stop to this. On May 5, 2004, I received a notice... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1083579419.htmlRecently, SiteSell introduced three new pricing options for Site Build It! Option #1: Full Year Value Option Pay only USD $495 for a full year of SBI -- all inclusive, no additional monthly charges. Try it risk free today and receive an automatic $100 rebate and a special bonus of 3 free months -- a total of 15 months of SBI!... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1083537643.htmlCongratulations to Oluwapelumi Olorunninwo, of Idimu, AL, Nigeria, for growing his SFI sales team in April, 2004. Of all the entry-level people in my sales team, Oluwapelumi added more new affiliates to his team than anyone else. You are invited to visit his SFI store. He would appreciate any purchase you might like to make! You are also welcome... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1083537117.htmlThe May 1, 2004 edition of my Home Business Tips newsletter has been posted. Congratulations to my SFI sales team for growing their businesses in April! http://johndilbeck.com/news/1082932073.htmlDilbeck Marketing has slashed the prices on all our custom printed business promotion products to celebrate the arrival of spring. In addition to large discounts, we've added many new products that you can use to promote your business, organization, or cause. Our entire selection of business cards, stationery, labels, buttons, magnets, bumperstickers, rubber stamps, and many... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1082626838.htmlHere are the latest additions to our product family: Business Complete by MCI -- Unlimited local and domestic long distance program for small and medium business. All popular features plus unlimited high-speed ISP for one monthly fee! <a href="http://ld.net/products/?product=ultracf&cogid=johndilbeck&refid=detailsnow.com/phone-services&aname=Dilbeck Marketing&logo=http://dilbeckmarketing.com/images/dmarketinglogo144w.jpg&url=http://DilbeckMarketing.com&bizop="... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1082498857.htmlHi, I was reading the SFI discussion board (www.sfidboard.com/) a few days ago and ran across a thread I'd never seen before. It was so interesting I decided to copy it here for you to read. The full thread is at: www.sfidboard.com/showthread.php?t=39183 Did you know that you can become... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1081416848.htmlSpringFest 2004 Saturday, May 8, 2004 from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. Downtown Murphy, NC 28906 Call Barbara Hughes at (828) 837-6821 for more info http://johndilbeck.com/news/1081415391.htmlCome enjoy the Spring Heritage Festival in Andrews, NC 28901 on Saturday, April 17, 2004 from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm. What will you find here? Gospel, Bluegrass, dancing, food, arts & crafts, pets to adopt, clowns, balloons, bubbles and tattoos, moon walk, mini train, and fun, fun, fun! For more information, call 828-321-9553. Anticipate to Participate Celebrate Spring with a Fling It's a Mountain Thing! http://johndilbeck.com/news/1081414855.htmlAppalachian Heritage Alliance -- Dedicated to the documentation and preservation of Appalachian history and culture, traditional and modern uses of native plants, and wild-crafting -- announce their 2004 Lecture Series Calendar. Join them for dinner, musical entertainment, and educational programs every third Thursday of the month at 6:00 pm in the Topton Community Center, Toptoin, NC 28781. $10.00 per person. March 18, 2004 -- American... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1081414307.htmlAppalachian Heritage Alliance will present their First Annual Ramp Romp on April 15, 2004 at the Topton Community Center, Topton, NC 28781. Starting at 6:00 pm with a Ramps and Trout Dinner to be followed by Live Music and an informative program by wild-crafter Wild Bill Elliot: "Ramps: How to find them, how to grow them, and how to eat them!" $10 per person covers it all. Reserve your place now. For more information, call Donna... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1081413820.htmlAppalachian Heritage Crafters (AHC) is offering four classes this spring related to sewing, basketry, and gourds. All classes will be offered at the Penland Senior Center in Murphy, NC 28906. For more details, please visit the thread in the Cherokee County area of my forum: Art and Craft Classes -- Appalachian... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1081411658.htmlAppalachian Highland Games will be moving to a new venue for their 4th annual presentation of Irish, Scottish, and Celtic heritage. From their web page: "In 2004, Appalachian Highland Games will move to Andrews, NC 28901. All events will be held in the Andrews Recreation Park. Our new venue is larger, more people friendly, and easier to get to than ever before. Large... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1081410783.htmlWill Local Search Live Up to its Hype?. The potential exists for more geographic-specific search results and advertising, but meeting Web users' needs and getting local businesses to advertise remain challenges, say executives of search and online directory companies. [eWEEK Technology News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1080736024.htmlNet Hoaxes Snare Fools All Year. Infinite power supplies, 87-pound house cats and dehydrated water do not exist. Yet people continue to be fooled by online hoaxes. It's that time of year again, so watch out. By Joanna Glasner. [Wired News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1080735081.htmlAbout a year ago, I started recommending, to anyone who would listen, that it was important to put full addresses, city, state, zip code and phone numbers with area codes on their websites. Sharon Fling has been predicting the importance of promoting small local businesses on the Internet for a couple of years now, and... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1080727402.htmlWhether you're an advertiser using pay per click ads on Google or you're a webmaster hosting Adsense ads on your websites, you'll want to know about the new Adsense updates that Google recently released. Rather than writing about it myself, I'm going to refer you to Ken Evoy's explanation of Adsense and how these changes can be beneficial to you, especially from the viewpoint of a... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1080726869.htmlSitesell has released a new version of the Quick Tour that shows you the unmatched SBI method of building a website that works! Aren't you tired of having a website that just sits there month after month and doesn't produce the results you wanted? Are you just now planning on going online? Don't waste your time and money on systems and hosting that don't work. <a href="http://DetailsNow.com/sbi"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1080726204.htmlHi, March 30, 2004 This week, I've been thinking about a couple of issues that are gaining in importance for reasons I'll mention below. I was a bit out of the loop last week because my mother was scheduled for surgery on Thursday. The surgery was a success and she's back home and doing well. (You may not know that I'm a full-time caretaker for her after her cancer surgery a couple of years ago. I help her during the days and... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1079811754.htmlI'm sitting here this morning sipping from a steaming mug of PurJava coffee and thinking about how you can most easily get started in marketing affiliate programs on the Internet. Perhaps you're just getting started and are looking for a way to get your message out without having to learn how to build a website and build traffic to your site. Maybe a good starting point would be... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1078859318.htmlCognigen recently introduced a redesigned retail website for their products and services. The new site features easier site navigation, and improved Best Rate Calculator to help you lower your long-distance bills, and improved support sections. A wide variety of cost-effective telecommunications services is available. Cognigen has also introduced the <a href="http://LD.net/ztel/?johndilbeck"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1078858392.htmlClickPrint just introduced PressAbles into their extensive line of customizable labels. PressAbels can be applied, removed cleanly from almost any surface with no residue, and reapplied! Choose from their wide selection of PressAbels such as Counter Mats, Bumper and Window Stickers, Custom Calendars, All Purpose, and others. PressAbels are available in the Labels... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1078857665.htmlArt.com is changing their affiliate program, again. When I first joined, a couple of years ago, they had a very good in-house affiliate program with excellent tools. Then, they discontinued it in favor of going with LinkShare, and the tools that were available for marketing their art products were not as good, at least in my opinion. I recently learned that they were transitioning... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1078857122.htmlUtility to Offer High-Speed Internet. A division of utility Cinergy Corp. plans to offer high-speed Internet service over its power lines, letting customers connect by simply plugging a computer modem into existing electrical outlets. [eWEEK Technology News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1078856804.htmlThe Junk Science of George W. Bush, by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. "Today, flat-earthers within the Bush Administration--aided by right-wing allies who have produced assorted hired guns and conservative think tanks to further their goals--are engaged in a campaign to suppress science that is arguably unmatched in the Western world since the Inquisition. Sometimes,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1078856494.htmlBroadband over power line vendor rolls out service. WASHINGTON - More than a million residents of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana will have a new broadband option this month in the first large-scale rollout of broadband over power line (BPL) service, despite concerns that the new BPL technology interferes... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1078253982.htmlGery Carson, President of SFI Marketing Group announced some important changes in the International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs. Since its inception in January 2003, the International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs (www.iahbe.org) has dedicated itself to providing the timely advice, information, and resources home-business owners around the world need to launch, operate,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1078253174.html...while millions more struggle just to get a few visitors and a few measly sales. I've mentioned many times before that Site Build It! produces results like no other small business webhosting service does. No other company even comes close. Now, Sitesell has released a new page of <a href="http://DetailsNow.com/sbi-case-studies"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1078131930.htmlSpam Fight Gains Steam. A grass-roots movement to improve the SMTP protocol that governs e-mail traffic is gaining acceptance, and its lead developer hopes to get fast-track approval by the Internet Engineering Task Force to make the emerging framework a standard. [eWEEK Technology News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1078091366.htmlSenator, others call for VOIP regulation. WASHINGTON - A U.S. senator, a state public utilities commission and a telephone company executive have asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress to slow down their rush toward declaring voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) service essentially... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1077366704.htmlThis message was sent to all members of my SFI powerline on 2/21/2004. Hi, It's John Dilbeck, again, and I'm either your sponsor or Powerline Team Leader with SFI -- or both. We're getting more members on our team every week and it's gratifying to watch our group grow. As we put more effort into marketing the SFI opportunity and into selling products,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1077205198.html"The change occurred at 9:30 p.m. PST Tuesday when Yahoo relaunched the search properties for its U.S.-based sites, including its Yahoo.com flagship home page. Yahoo replaced Google's results with its own Yahoo Search Technology, which combines an array of recently acquired search technologies, such as Inktomi and commercial search provider Overture Services. Yahoo also owns AltaVista... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1077027131.htmlLast Friday, in the February 13, 2004 issue of my Home Business Tips newsletter, I discussed my introduction to MadisonDynamics, Inc., a new company recently created by Fred Stege of TrafficOasis.com and Simon Grabowski of <a href="http://www.GetResponse.com/index/33005"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1077026596.htmlAgenda: final input on comprehensive plan update (meeting #3 of 3) Facilitator: Ron Ruehl, NC State Heritage Development Officer, western NC region Saturday, February 28 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon Andrews Community Center* *please note the change in location (the old furnace died at the Valleytown Cultural Arts Center, and total heating system replacement is now in progress there) Important Note: for organizations based... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1076897441.htmlSite Build It! has just launched an integrated link-checking service. Some companies charge over $100 per year for this type of service, but for SBI! site owners, it's just another free feature that will save you hours of work keeping your site free of broken links. Ken Evoy, President of Sitesell, says, "LinkFixIt busily spiders through all SBI! sites once per... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1076897056.htmlKen Evoy continues to offer outstanding free courses, available as Adobe Acrobat .pdf downloadable ebooks. Yesterday, he announced the newest, Make Your Price Sell!, The Masters Course. I don't know anyone, especially those of you who run a home business and want to sell your products and services, who doesn't have a problem identifying the best price at which to... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1076882347.htmlOn Thursday, I had the pleasure of seeing Ben Utley, owner of the NC Mountain Made website, again. It's always fun being around Ben, who has a cheerful and optimistic personality. NC Mountain Made is a heritage database of authentic music, authors, storytellers, and handmade arts & crafts of western North Carolina. In the not-too-distant-future, Ben will be helping artisans in western North... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1076847681.htmlThe February 13, 2004 issue of the Home Business Tips newsletter was sent to all subscribers on Friday and now has been archived on JohnDilbeck.com. News included a preview of MadisonDynamics, Inc and an invitation to explore their site to see for yourself what it's all about. Resources discussed include: USCounties.com, PRWeb.com, Ryze Business... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1076591342.htmlMicrosoft blocks email from competitor. Dirty trick, or simple ineptitude? Got an MSN or Hotmail account? How do you feel about buying something and being kept from getting access to it by Microsoft? Are you an affiliate for SiteSell's <a href="http://buildit.sitesell.com/sellmoreonline.html"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075396372.htmlStone Evans is another SFI Marketing Group Top 100 affiliates. A few days ago, I was researching what he's doing that made him successful and I found his Plug In Profit Site website. Stone has developed a system to help you promote several affiliate programs, including SFI. He'll set you up -- for free... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075395934.htmlA few days ago, I was looking at the Top 100 sellers at SFI Marketing Group and wondering what they were doing to build their businesses and earn more money than most of the rest of us. So, I started researching and learned some valuable lessons. Some of the top 10 affiliates have created systems to promote the products and opportunities, and they're willing to help others by... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075395630.htmlMyDoom Variant Blocks Fixes, Targets Microsoft. UPDATED: Russian anti-virus specialist Kaspersky Labs has identified a variant of MyDoom, the worm that has been spreading through the Internet at a furious pace since Monday. [eWEEK Technology News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075395415.html <img id="Product0" border="0" alt="Buy The Return of the King (Aragorn) at Art.com" src="http://images.art.com/images/products/small/10105000/10105353.jpg"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075395144.htmlHow to perk up your morning cup of coffee [The Today Show recently featured a segment on great tasting coffees. One of the suggested coffees is PurJava liquid concentrate coffee...] "PurJava was developed to offer coffee with a great coffee taste without the bitterness and acidity of regular brewed coffee. PurJava concentrate is produced in Nebraska using a cold-water process;... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075394710.htmlApple to Build Second Supercomputer: "After building one of the world's fastest supercomputers on its first try, Apple Computer Inc. is again teaming with Virginia Tech to make another high performance machine using its new 64-bit Xserve G5 computer." [<a href="http://cbs.marketwatch.com/"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075138744.htmlFinally, things are starting to settle down around here. Last week I caught a nasty bug and didn't feel much like doing anything for most of the week. I managed to take Mom to her doctor's appointments and keep both of us fed, but that's about all I managed until Saturday, when I started feeling better. Mom had the same bug and we were a sorry crowd most of the week. She finished her radiation therapy last week and the skin cancer... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075137325.htmlA Visit from the FBI Scott Granneman has written "about the fact that most ordinary computer users have no idea about what security means", and as a result received a visit from Dave Thomas, a computer security expert with the FBI. Dave had this to say: "I have spent a considerable amount in the computer underground and have seen many ways in which clever individuals trick... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075136646.htmlWikipedia Shows Power of Cooperation. Sometime in the next few days or weeks, one of the world's most comprehensive online reference sites will publish its 200,000th article. More accurately, one of the site's contributors will publish the article. Wikipedia, an encyclopedia created and operated... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075136397.htmlFCC's Abernathy Acknowledges Amateur Radio BPL Concerns "FCC Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy this week specifically cited Amateur Radio concerns about the interference potential of Broadband Over Power Line (BPL). In remarks prepared for delivery at her alma mater, the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law, Abernathy said BPL should not be widely... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075136188.htmlFCC chief frowns on VoIP regulations "The top U.S. telecom regulator said Thursday that he has no intention of setting rules for Internet telephony, which he said could have a dramatic impact on voice communications. " [CNET News.com] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075135951.htmlGetting In Eurekster "The Eurekster search engine launched recently with fanfare on all the search industry sites and a big article in Danny Sullivan's Search Engine Watch. "The buzz surrounds Eurekster's method of delivering personalized search results." [WebProWorld] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075135698.html(February 15, 2004. The article I originally pointed to is a reprint of another article written for a search engine optimization organization. I was contacted by the company and requested to point to their company and article, which is fair enough. However, that site requires registration before you can access the article, so I'm removing my quote from it. If I could have just pointed directly to the article, I would have been happy to do so. If you... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075135333.html'Exploding' cell phone battery recalled - News - ZDNet "This voluntary recall affects Kyocera Wireless model 7135 smart phones sold between September and December. The handsets use batteries manufactured by Coslight International Group of Hong Kong, and have a serial number on the underside that begins '-05'. "San Diego-based Kyocera said on Friday that it is trying... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1075134432.htmlShocking the System "The U.S. utility industry is considering whether to beam high-speed data over power lines, raising the prospect that the likes of Comcast Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc. [~] the largest cable and phone company, respectively [~] will not be the only ones controlling the last mile of wires extending to homes." [<a href="http://www.phoneplusmag.com/"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1074680858.htmlWikipedia is getting so good its scary. A true resource. Very cool to watch it go from 0 to light speed in 2 short years. Suggestion for Google: dump the dmoz open directory project (whichis brandedby Google astheGoogleWeb Directory)and replace it with... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1074076886.htmlSenator Preps Bill to Define VOIP, Curb FCC. N.H. Republican John E. Sununu told eWEEK.com he plans to introduce legislation that would attempt to define VOIP while blocking new regulations from the FCC. [eWEEK Technology News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1074076564.htmlVOIP, Video-Conferencing Apps Face Security Risk. Certain vendor implementations of the H.323 protocol could open multimedia applications to denial-of-service attacks and buffer overflows, U.K. security researchers reported on Tuesday. [eWEEK Technology News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1074076277.htmlTemplates for your business. You've been told many times about the importance of having a written business plan, but how do you get started? SCORE offers several templates for creating your plan. There are templates for new and for existing businesses as well as several templates for providing further information. All are available as free downloads in .pdf format. They are also... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1074075033.htmlKeen Eye for the Nano Guys. Serious concerns exist over the health threats posed by nanotechnology, but now a new microscope allows scientists and doctors to see the impact for the first time. By Daith hAnluain. [Wired News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1074074515.htmlKodak Cuts 35mm Camera Sales. It's another watershed moment in the company's digital transition. [The Motley Fool] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1074074086.htmlForbes profiles 'Apple's Supercomputing Scientists'. Virginia Tech's new G5-based supercomputing center isn't the only place that Macs are being used for scientific research, writes Matthew Herper. Herper's new Forbes.com article, Apple's Supercomputing Scientists, profiles... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073913049.htmlCopy No, No: Adobe and Uncle Sam. Adobe Systems 'fesses up to adding an anti-counterfeiting technology to its graphics software on the QT. The company insists the secretive tech, requested by government and bankers, won't affect honest consumers. [Wired News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073856737.htmlAbout two weeks ago, while working on one of my websites hosted by Site Build It!, I wanted to create a weblog for maintaining current information about telecommunications. While it is possible to create a weblog, of sorts, using Site Build It, it wasn't what I'd become accustomed to using Radio Userland or News Pro. I decided it was time to investigate the state of... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073856019.htmlDemocratizing the Media, and More. The broadcast culture assumes that most of us are "consumers" of mass media. We are merely receptacles for what Hollywood, the music industry and even our local daily newspaper decide we should view, hear or read. The post-broadcast culture is a democratization of media, and it comes at things from the opposite stance.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073734896.htmlAll day Friday, Mom was complaining of pain in her abdomen. After several calls to one of her doctors, she was advised to go to the emergency room, so about 4:00pm we headed off to the hospital where she was diagnosed with gall bladder trouble. It's been a rough couple of weeks for her, and this brings a new level of uncertainty to what's going to happen next week. She has an appointment with her surgeon on Monday for follow-up on the surgery from... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073734558.htmlNews.Com: FCC: Broadband top issue in 2004. Based on his comments Friday, Powell has apparently sided with broadband phone providers who say that their technology is anything but a telephone service and that they are still too young to survive the financial burden that fees create. [Tomalak's Realm] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073567728.htmlInterference questions dog broadband over power lines. Ham radio operators and at least one U.S. federal agency contend that broadband over power lines interferes with their radio signals, and if the radio operators have their way, the emerging technology that could offer Internet users another broadband... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073567525.htmlFax.com Disconnected?. Beset by lawsuits and now an FCC fine, Fax.com may close up shop, but perhaps not for long. [The Motley Fool] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073475646.htmlYesterday, for the first time in a couple of months, I attended the monthly Heritage Tourism Roundtable meeting in Andrews, NC. This meeting is held the first Tuesday of each month from 10:00 am until approximately 2:00 pm at the St. Andrews Lutheran Church. I enjoyed seeing friends and catching up on what's happening in the four western-most counties of North Carolina and on the progress we're making for promoting heritage tourism in our area. One... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073474982.htmlReceived from David Trout: As the Chairperson of the Culinary Showcase Task Force, I would like to invite you to attend the Asheville Area Chamber's best event. Enjoy the finest in food and beverage from 30 of the area's best restaurants, resorts and wineries this Thursday, January 8 from 5:30 - 8:00 pm at the Grove Park Inn. And be sure to vote for the People's Choice BEST... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073474247.htmlThe Birth of GNU, 20 Years Ago Today. Richard Stallman resigned from MIT 20 years ago today to launch the GNU Project. That was the free software effort that ultimately spawned the operating system known as Linux, building on a tradition... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073473687.htmlSearch By Number. Gary Price points out that in their quest to become the command line of the Internet, Google has added several new features: you can now enter UPS (1Z1234567891234567) and FedEx (fedex 999999999999), patent (patent 5123123), airplane (n199ua), and FCC equipment (fcc B4Z-34009-PIR) ID/tracking numbers. Fun stuff.... [Google... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073473098.htmlBloomberg: "Google Inc hired Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to arrange its initial public offering, a sale that may raise as much as $4 billion, a banker involved in the transaction said." [Scripting News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073472882.htmlMac Founders Push for New Ideas. The crew that put together the first Mac is celebrating its 20th birthday, but some are disappointed over the apparent lack of innovation in personal computers. By Daniel Terdiman. [Wired News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073472599.htmlBush Grabs New Power for FBI. As the nation sat transfixed by Saddam Hussein's capture last month, President Bush quietly passed legislation granting the government new and sweeping surveillance powers. By Kim Zetter. [Wired News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073472255.htmlNews.Com: "Apple CEO Steve Jobs kicked off Macworld Expo on Tuesday by announcing several new software packages, including an audio recording application called "GarageBand" and an updated version of Microsoft's Office software." [Scripting News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073471806.htmlNew Report: Macs and Cell Phones. Readers offer a ton of tips about integrating Macs with cell phones, which isn't always an easy thing to do.... [MacInTouch] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073368667.htmlBeyond Google: Narrow the Search. Too much information, no matter how fast it appears, may muddy the results of Internet searches. New technologies for mining the Web attempt to make the quest more efficient. [Wired News] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073368271.htmlAdobe discontinues PageMaker, offers plug-ins for InDesign. Adobe Systems Inc. will announce on Monday that the company is discontinuing ongoing development of PageMaker, Adobe's Mac OS 9 page layout application. However, Adobe is not leaving its PageMaker customers... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073368011.htmlOne of the continuing successes I've had is selling handcrafted pewter and silver jewelry for Arch Avary in my Dilbeck Metalsmithing eBay store. http://www.ebaystores.com/dilbeckmetalsmithing At the moment, all the items available are store items because the auctions ended earlier this morning and I haven't had a chance to relist them. Two out of four auctioned items sold... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073309613.htmlIf you've been looking for some of the most popular posters showing characters from your favorite movies, including The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, then you should see the Art.com Top 100 listings. Some of these posters are currently discounted. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073281706.htmlTechnology Review: Fiber Optics Takes the Long Way Home. An odd mix of public utilities, small telephone companies, and real estate developers are backing the new technology. Their resources are miniscule compared with those of the corporate behemoths that provide telephone and cable television service in urban and suburban America. Yet the giants are doing virtually nothing to bring... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073281506.htmlMom has five more radiation treatments, so Friday should be the last day of this round. I'm sure both of us will be happy that she doesn't have to go for treatment every day. Hopefully, this round will be as successful as the last round was. (Different area, different type of cancer.) I'd like to thank the folks at the radiation treatment center for all their help and kind care. Hope you get completely well, Mom! http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073223656.htmlThis morning, while following some discussions on the SFI discussion board, I read a message by an affiliate named Ann. I replied to her message, and then came back to JohnDilbeck.com and expanded it into an article about some of my thoughts on Earning an Income with Affiliate Marketing. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073120810.htmlThe opening of SFI's new V-Store on January 2nd, was somewhat marred by a DNS routing error that left their websites unavailable from Thursday evening until around 3:00 am on Saturday, January 3. However, with the DNS problems settled, the spotlight can move over to the new store and the products that are available for immediate purchase. The store opens with hundreds of... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073117021.htmlDo you have an online store? How's it doing? A couple of percent of the online stores are making great sales, but many are sitting there with no traffic, no sales, and no profits. Perhaps you don't have an online store, yet, but you'd like to sell real products over the Internet. Whether you're an artist, artisan, small manufacturer, reseller, retailer, or someone else who wants to market products over the web, you are facing millions... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073077688.htmlCharity Warning Signs. Don't get taken when you're trying to give. [The Motley Fool] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073035336.htmlThere are less than 5 days left in the 2-for-1 sale! Purchase a new Site Build It! account before midnight on January 5, 2004, and get two years for the price of one. If you're planning to purchase SBI, don't let this opportunity pass you by. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073035169.htmlChoose the Right Broker. What should you consider when comparing brokerages? [The Motley Fool] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073035038.htmlW3C head Berners-Lee to be knighted. Tim Berners-Lee, credited with inventing the World Wide Web and director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), will be named a Knight Commander, Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth of the U.K., the W3C announced Wednesday. The rank of Knight Commander is the second highest rank of the Order of the British Empire.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073034804.htmlHappy New Years! I hope each of us has a healthy, prosperous, and happy 2004. I'm not one for making lots of resolutions that will be broken within the first two weeks of January. What's the point? However, I do like to re-examine my goals, evaluate my progress over the previous year, fine-tune my expectations, and create a new set of goals that I can work towards completing over the next 12 months. Setting goals is as... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073034669.htmlYesterday morning, I was totally frustrated with trying to get the new version of Radio Userland to work for me as I expected. That's not the best time to work or write about what you're doing. After taking about 24 hours off, I was able to redo the five pre-set categories so that they were as they were before I started changing things. Now, I can go in and add a couple of dozen new categories for the things I'll be writing about, here. I've... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1073034490.htmlI've been working on configuring my various sites so that I can edit one weblog with multiple categories and have it update my site at http://radio.weblogs.com/0133364/ which will be reflected to http://johndilbeck.editthispage.com/ and this site will update the blog entries on the home page and publish an XML file for RSS syndication. The result... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1072667208.htmlDue to overwhelming requests to extend the 2 for 1 sale for Site Build It!, Ken Evoy has agreed to extend the sale until January 5 until midnight. Originally scheduled to end on December 26, the sale, which offers two years for the price of one, was such a success that affiliates and customers both asked for an extension so that more of you can take advantage of... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1072664909.htmlAmazon.com announced on Friday that it had the highest holiday sales activity in its nine years of existence. On one day, they won't say which day, they set a record with more than 2.1 million products ordered and shipped around the world. That is approximately 24 items purchased per second. On December 15, they set a record of over 630,000 shoppers... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1072609031.html"Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right.' Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1072523166.htmlI'm in the process of switching from NewsPro to Coranto for managing the news on this site and several others. NewsPro was an excellent system, but had become obsolete. Coranto starts where NewsPro left off and continues to add new features. One of the main reasons I wanted to make the change was so my ramblings could be syndicated on other sites using RSS and XML. Soon, by adding a couple of lines of javascript to any web page, my ramblings... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1071833627.htmlHistorical Story Set in 1840 Valleytown a Special Gift for Children of All Ages Heritage Partners is pleased to sponsor the arrival of Becky and the Robber of Buckhorn Ridge, an historical children's story set in Cherokee County's 1840 Valleytown. Locally authored by Jean Bravick and illustrated by Linda Miller, the story captures the life and times of early pioneers... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1071777138.htmlLast night, I started experimenting with syndicating this weblog using RSS and javascript. It is my intention to make this weblog available to anyone who would like to put it on a website using a few lines of javascript. Of course, I know I'm probably the only one who will use it and I want to be able to have a page on all of my websites with my current ramblings while only having to update this site once and letting it flow to the others... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1070766885.htmlThe Far West Mountain Economic Partners is a grassroots regional organization involved in improving and promoting the four western-most counties in North Carolina. We have three main focuses: Small farming, Affordable housing, and Heritage tourism. If you'd like to learn more about the FWMEP Heritage Tourism Roundtable (HTR), we now have a new group at Yahoo! Groups. Group information: Heritage Tourism Roundtable discussion, information... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1070533303.htmlOn November 3, Congress passed a bill which is part of the Department of the Interior's funding bill that establishes the westernmost counties of North Carolina as The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. You can go to the site linked to above to learn more about this and to find contact information. The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area includes the following... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1070479349.htmlSite Build It! -- Why build JUST a web site...when you COULD build a Web Business? This is the best webhosting provider available. Designed from the ground up to be used specifically for marketing on the Internet, it provides the best mix of tools and features available, all for one very reasonable annual price. Now, you don't have to search all over the Internet... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1070286766.htmlThis is to inform/remind you that we are holding the next Far West Mountain Economic Partners Heritage Tourism Roundtable on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Andrews, NC from 10:00am until 2:00pm. Lunch will be served. Please RSVP to: Pat Moretz, moretzjp@dnet.net or Mary Janis, mjanis@meyecomputer.com http://johndilbeck.com/news/1070241704.htmlI added several new articles to the site today. You can find them in the articles section. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1069940848.htmlRecently, I received an email from my online friend, Barbara Brabec, who said, "I don't know if you're on my newsletter list or not, but if you are, you got my notice the other day about my website update. Just wanted to tell you that I saw your "Download Alexa Toolbar" info and proceeded to do this, only to run into a computer nightmare that I've written about this month on my site. I think... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1068923440.htmlPreviously, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled that wireless carriers (cell phone companies) must allow customers to port their cell phone number to a new carrier when they change services starting November 24, 2003 if the wireless carrier is located in top 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas. For customers outside of those top 100 MSAs,the carriers are not required to comply until May 24, 2004. On November 10, the FCC reaffirmed... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1068816453.htmlSean Buckley, of ITU Telecom World, reports, "Wireless communications certainly has come a long way since its formative days in the mid-1980s, growing to serve over 148 million users in the United States, according to figures from the CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association). Far from the hype of the late 1990s and early 2000, the US wireless mobile market today is less about spectrum grabbing or one so-called killer application, and... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1068664257.htmlHear Ken's recent inteview -- Ken Evoy was recently interviewed by one of Montreal's radio stations and the interview was streamed live over the Internet. Listen to phone calls from customers and affiliates around the world. This interview is archived so you can hear it right now. It appears I'm not the only happy customer and satisfied affiliate! http://johndilbeck.com/news/1068658551.htmlCrest Mountain Communities and M7 Event Solutions will host an open house featuring Kathleen Davis of the Asheville Citizen Times. Davis will talk about the WNC Business section of the paper which appears each Monday. She will be speaking about plans for the publication, offer hints on what kind of articles she's looking for and be available throughout the evening to answer questions. Carolina Image Builders will offer advice on public relations.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1068311442.htmlI just learned yesterday about the "define" parameter that can be used when searching on Google. It turns out that it's a very useful tool for those of us who need to keep up to date on definitions, including technical jargon. For example: If you go to google.com and type "define: voip" in the search box, you'll quickly be presented with a page full of definitions and examples. Try it on some of the terms you may not be sure about,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1068305225.htmlRecently, I joined the Ryze Business Networking site and I'm finding it to be very useful. As a result, I decide to purchase a Gold Membership and start a new message board. I'm now the Network Leader for the Western North Carolina Mountain Region Networking message board. The goal of this network is to help individuals and organizations in western North Carolina meet... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1068131655.htmlYesterday, a friend invited me to a free business networking site. Since I have a lot of respect for my friend, even though I don't have a lot of free time, I went to see the site and liked it enough to sign up. I haven't even had a chance to design my page on the site, but I like Ryze enough to recommend that you visit my page. If you like it, sign up for your own free page... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1068130599.htmlToday is Mom's 83rd birthday. Wishing for you all the best. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1068129979.htmlA few weeks ago, I discovered a great site, USCounties.com, that allows you to post free ads for your business or organization in your home county. It also offers quite a bit of information that you may find useful. For example, I posted an ad for Dilbeck Marketing on the Cherokee County, NC page. You're invited to visit your home county page.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1067367254.htmlI just posted a new article about building website traffic in my articles section. While it may not be earth-shattering, it is the result of several years of experience building JohnDilbeck.com into a website that ranks within the top 2% on the Internet in terms of visitor traffic. I still have lots of room to improve, but I think my thoughts may be of some use... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1066909947.htmlIf you've been visiting my site for very long, you know how much I admire Ken Evoy and all the products and services he and his company offers. I've learned most of what I know about marketing on the Internet from Ken and his excellent ebooks. (See Does Your Site Sell? for more information.) I've been recommending his strangely-named, but outstanding Site Build It! service/product... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1065999342.htmlI've decided to reduce my prices on all products in my Custom Printing Online store. From now until the end of the year, prices have been slashed from their already-discounted levels. In many cases, it amounts to a 2-for-1 sale. For instance, you can get 1000 business cards for just slightly more than I was charging for 500 a few days ago, and the price will go back up in early... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1064928264.htmlToday, I added another new section to my bookstore. This week Amazon.com started offering Sporting Goods where you can purchase from thousands of products from over 50 suppliers. You can also purchase collectibles and memorabilia from the MLB, NASCAR, NBA, NCAA, NFL, and NHL Fan Shops. Show your support for your favorite teams. We offer shirts, jackets, jerseys,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1064619254.htmlCherokee County, NC Airshow Set For October 25 Receives National Centennial Celebration of Flight Event Recognition Organizers of the upcoming Cherokee County, NC airshow were notified September 8 the event had been approved for special recognition as a Centennial Celebration of Flight event by the national Celebration of Flight Commission. 2003 marks the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers‚ first flight... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1064196675.htmlEver since the introduction of Site Build It!, the price has remained steady, but more and more features have been added. With the upcoming release of Form Build It! (which reportedly will include unlimited autoresponders), it looks like the price of a Site Build It! website will increase and it may... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1063979759.html Last week, ShopforT1.com announced a new way to shop for high-speed digital lines that can be used for data, voice, or integrated voice/data. Now, you can enter a few pieces of information... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1063890915.htmlMost of my business efforts these days relate to selling products and services on the Internet. I'm devoting my full time efforts to learning more about Internet marketing and building my businesses. I've opened a new Business Opportunities section here at JohnDilbeck.com. I'll be passing along information about several top-of-the-line business opportunities in this section.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1063758763.htmlI opened a store at eBay a couple of years ago to sell my handcrafted Steel Roses That Never Wilt (tm). Because of medical problems in the family, I've not been able to make any Steel Roses for over a year, but hope to again one day. In the meantime, I keep the store open and help my friend, Arch Avary, sell his beautiful... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1063708734.htmlOver the last couple of weeks, I've added about 1,200 pages to my bookstore. New sections include Actors and Actresses where you can find your favorite movies featuring nearly 1,000 actors, actresses and directors. In the music section, I've added Country Music... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1062587676.htmlart - dessert - coffee - music...under the stars Looking for something entertaining to do this weekend? Well... Internationally collected Glass Blower, David Goldhagen, and award-winning Pastry Chef, Kirsten Goldhagen of La Dolce Vita Fine Baked Goods, are teaming up to bring you Hot Summer Nights at Goldhagen Studios. Browse through their beautiful gallery of handblown... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1062545044.htmlHave you ever heard of CafePress? Did you know you could design full-color artwork, open a free account, upload your art, set your price (anything above the base price earns you a commission), and sell you artwork on about 50 products? Your artwork can be anything from your company logo to original masterpieces -- as long as you have the... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1062533285.htmlThe 5 Pillar Club will be closing soon! In late August, 2003, Ken Evoy announced that the time is approaching when the bottom 10% or so of inactive affiliates will be dropped from the 5 Pillar Club and the club will be closed to new applicants. He's hinting heavily that this will happen before the end of 2003. If you want to participate in the best affiliate program on the planet, you may want to join now and get started with it. He's... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1062531306.htmlAs I've been discussing for the last few weeks, I'm planning a new site that will be hosted by Sitesell's Site Build It!, a hosting service unlike any other I've seen. Every time I turn around, they're adding new features to their webhosting and marketing tools and the price stays the same. Using the keyword research tools, over the last three weeks or so, I've found various niches that I'll be entering on several of my current sites,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1062317032.htmlAfter putting it off while I was tied up working on other things, I decided that it was high time that I did some updating on JohnDilbeck.com. So, I added a bunch of new pages to my bookstore, particularly in the Country Music and Rock and... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1062241258.htmlOne of the TV programs I enjoy watching is Fast Forward, produced by the Media Services department of Chattanooga State Technical Community College, and hosted by its president, Dr. Jim Catanzaro. This program is aired on channel 12 every Saturday morning at 5:00 am, and at other times (see their site for more information). This morning, he interviewed someone... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061900778.htmlIt's hard to imagine, while it's so hot outside, that we'll be seeing our first frost in a couple of months and winter will follow closely behind. When it gets cold outside, I like to read and listen to music. My wish list includes the following collections, some of which I'll purchase before winter sets in. I've been seeing the TimeLife ads on TV and I enjoy almost all of the songs in these collections. My friends tell me that, musically... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061895084.htmlThe Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers is being released today on DVD and VHS Video. This is your chance to own the second installation in the epic saga. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061561311.htmlI've looked high and low to find a company that will provide easy-to-use, competitively priced, custom printing online for you. Whether you're looking for full-color or two-color business cards, just about any type of rubber stamp, custom-printed Post-It notes, stationery, post cards, or would like to choose from hundreds of different styles and sizes of labels, this site's... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061559656.htmlI'm used to getting hundreds of emails every day. I get a constant education through email messages. I subscribe to hundreds of mailing lists and look forward to emails from friends and customers. However, I believe that email is broken and we need to find a new way to communicate. We need something that is sent directly to the recipient, but which doesn't allow spam or email from broken programs that are susceptible to viruses. Microsoft's... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061558682.htmlThe Federal Trade Commission issued a warning to consumers yesterday, urging them to beware of advertisements to call 1-900-DONOTCALL and pay $2.95 to be connected to the FTC's do-not-call sign-up system. Sign up for the National Do Not Call registry is free, said the FTC, by calling 1-888-382-1222 or by going online at www.donotcall.gov. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061307009.htmlIt's been years in the making, and the Smart Customer Mall is now open for business. If you're a Smart Customer cardholder, every purchase from the mall earns cash back rebates. If you're not a Smart Customer cardholder, here's your chance to purchase a card online. There are thousands of items in the mall with more coming. Now, in addition to earning discounts... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061197902.htmlThe Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride will make a stop in Morganton, NC in September on their way to Washington, DC. Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride Washington, DC, October 1-2, 2003 Liberty State Park, NJ - October 3, 2003 New York City, NY - October 4, 2003 Legalization and a Road to Citizenship Immigrant workers, living and paying taxes in the United States, want the rights... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061196721.htmlWomen of Far Western North Carolina Helping People. One Dozen Who Care, Inc. A North Carolina Community Development Corporation One Dozen Who Care (ODWC) was founded in 1996. Who are we? A small group of Black women in the far western part of North Carolina realized that there was a need for an organization whose potential members had a connection in both the world of work (commonly called the White... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061194739.htmlCOLA - Coalicion de Organizaciones Latinoamericanas - Invites you to the... Encuentro de Organizaciones Latinas A gathering of Latino grassroots organizations in western North Carolina. Saturday, August 23, 2003 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Burnsville, NC Location: Centro de Enlace Theme: Collective advocacy, working towards positive changes in our communities. Bring: Your ideas,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061191574.htmlA report from Forrester Research, Inc. finds that a growing online consumer base, increases in new product categories, and efforts by online retailers to optimize online shopping experiences will spark significant growth in the industry over the next five years. The report also states that, although offline retail sales continue to struggle, e-commerce sales will increase at a steady 19 percent year-over-year growth rate, rising to 229.0 billion... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061116450.htmlOver the last week or so, I've begun experimenting with building a portal using PHP-Nuke. I'm thinking that it would be a good place for John Dilbeck Recommends. This may be a temporary site, or, with participation, I may decide to keep it. There are many reasons for a portal, and a free hosted PHP-Nuke site is tempting. It's different from any other site... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1061027008.htmlI know what it's like to own, manage, and run a small business and still try to find a little time for yourself and your family. There are only 24 hours in a day, and, no matter how much you try, you can't do everything. One of the reasons a person starts a small business is because we have the personality that we want to do it ourself. Sometimes that means that we're really good at what we do and other times it means that we have a basic lack... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1060850753.htmlOne of the keys to getting traffic to your website is to be listed in the major search engines and directories. Is your site listed? DIYWebMarketing.com offers a free tool that will help you determine this for yourself. Try it: www.diywebmarketing.com/urlsengine/. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1060843059.htmlJerry Chautin, a volunteer SCORE business counselor, has offered his free counseling and mentoring services in Murphy, NC and the surrounding area. Jerry says, "I can envision SCORE business counseling/mentoring as an important plus in starting small businesses and creating jobs in our area. We're a nonprofit, all volunteer resource partner with, and funded by, the US Small Business Administration. So our counseling is free. " For more... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1060839297.htmlBerkana Networking Group will host a business networking event, which is open to the public and free to attend! Our networking event features good food, great conversation & great business contacts. Open to members and Non-Members. Date: August 21, 2003 Time: 6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. Location: Artistic Ventures, Inc. *Please call for direction* For more information contact Cindy Sproul 828-251-1564 We hope to... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1060794972.htmlUpcoming events by Appalachian Heritage Crafters members: Sat, August 16  - crafter demos at the store Judy Peppers - wire wrapped jewelry Lynn Whited - thread weaving Bill Reidel - stained glass Jean Hajek - baskets (and possibly others) Sunday, August 24 Art Showing and Reception at The Longhouse Restaurant, at the Cherokee Hills Golf Club, featuring... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1060780077.htmlGoogle has recently added a calculator that can handle arithmetic, trigonometry, other math functions, and even unit conversions such as "55 mph in kph" or "100 miles in kilometers". More details at: www.google.com/help/features.html#calculator Very handy. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1060774557.htmlThere's a brand new website that will be covering destinations and activities in western North Carolina. Be sure to visit their calendar of events while you're there! Discover Western North Carolina. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1060514980.htmlFor months, I've been recommending Ken Evoy's ebooks and webhosting products. I've read all of the ebooks and learned a great deal from them. Last week, I found myself in the unique position of being caught up on all my other websites for a bit, and I decided to take the plunge and buy an SBI account and build a new site using Ken's expert advice and the unique set of tools they've developed for <a href="http://buildit.sitesell.com/sellmoreonline.html"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1059976239.html Schedule of Events 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Railroad Street Park Arts & Crafts Show; County Heritage Fair; Food Vendors; Growers; Traditional Mountain Music on Stage; Children's Activities Historic L&N Depot Heritage Walking Tour Silent Auction Festival Brings Back Blue Ribbon Memories of the County Fair Free... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1059591031.htmlI've been hearing the buzz about Richard Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad series of books for several months and I finally got around to reading a couple of them and visiting his website. While these books will not tell you step-by-step how to achieve financial freedom, they do give great insights and examples of how it's possible. Of course, there are many pathways in life and not everyone would want to follow these recommendations, and... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1059471964.htmlI just thought of something I'd never tried before. It should have been obvious. Perhaps you've been doing it for months or years, but I never tried it until a few minutes ago. I frequently search for local businesses on Google.com. In the past, I'd type "murphy nc restaurant" and I'd get more-or-less good results. However, some websites would list the address as "murphy, north carolina", "Murphy, North Carolina", "Murphy, NC" or whatever. This... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1059214378.htmlEarlier this week, we had a major server meltdown and it seriously affected several of our websites, including JohnDilbeck.com. It looks like we've solved the problems and everything seems to be operating correctly. We're now on a new server with new hardware and new systems software, and we're hoping for a long smooth ride on this one. My email was out for several days. If you tried to email me between Tuesday and Saturday and the... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1058615232.htmlShoeBooties Café is now officially the first Smart Customer Card discount merchant in North Carolina. George and Muffy Kerber recognize the potential of the Smart Customer loyalty program and have decided to offer a 10% discount to any diner who presents a Smart Customer card. This offer is subject to modification, so be sure to check with them for the current offer. The... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1058612436.htmlOn July 7, I announced the availability of the new CogniWorld long distance phone service. This long distance carrier can save you significant money if you make lots of international calls, and if you live in an area where your local phone service is provided by a Tier A provider. I happen to live in an area where local... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1057733844.htmlIn the second quarter, consumers spent $11.61 billion online, up 15% from $10.11 billion in Q2 last year, says the latest spending report from BizRate. Consumers placed 104.86 million orders, up 31% from 80.06 million in Q2 last year. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1057587551.htmlCOGNIWORLD is a high-quality long distance telephone service at discount rate, provided by Cognigen Networks, Inc. Qualified customers will receive the following features at no additional cost: Crystal-clear quality All calls billed in 6-second increments 6-second minimum per call* Toll-free... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1057216687.htmlIt's July already, and that means that it's time to start thinking about personalized holiday cards and calendars for your friends, clients and customers. You can order Personalized Holiday Cards online from now until early December. If you don't find what you want, let me know. I have several catalogs full of beautiful cards. Order early, avoid the rush, and get your cards... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1056561218.htmlIf you've been visiting my site, you know that I'm a huge fan of Ken Evoy's products. Using the techniques I've learned from him, I've built a website that earns money every month and is currently ranked in the top 2% of all websites on the Internet. (See the Alexa ranking box in the left column of my home page for current ranking.) I've done it the hard way. I use perl scripts, php scripts, and lots of imbedded text to build my site. Fortunately,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1056220325.html If you've been living in a cave and haven't already heard, <a href="http://johndilbeck.com/cgi-bin/amazon2/apf2.pl?input_item=043935806X&input_search_type=AsinSearch"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1055757078.htmlRecently, I've been searching for new telecommunications services, including long distance with lower rates, a toll-free number, voice mail, and fax sending and receiving. I spent more than a month comparing plans and companies. I'd just about narrowed my choices down when I discovered Cognigen. When I checked their BillZilla rate calculator, I found that I could save... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1055756447.htmlSFI Marketing Group has just announced their new Secrets of Internet Millionaires. Thousands are cashing in on the Internet. So can you! Our free* package shows you how and includes: free book, free audio cassette, free CD-ROM, 6 free special reports, and much more. Total value is over $585. No obligation offer, so order today. (*There is a small shipping fee for parts... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1055150083.htmlRecently, I've been reading a few books on financial management, self-help, and motivation and inspiration. Sometimes, it's easy to get caught in a rut and forget to look at all the possibilities that exist. Reading a few excellent books helps me reprogram my outlook and find new ways to approach getting what I want to get. So, while reading <a href="http://johndilbeck.com/cgi-bin/amazon2/apf2.pl?input_item=1931866007&input_search_type=AsinSearch"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1054570724.html"Microsoft is phasing out standalone versions of its Internet Explorer Web browser, according to statements attributed to IE program manager Brian Countryman in an interview posted on the software giant's Web site. " Read the full story at News.com. If this is true, what's going to happen to all the Macintosh and other platform... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1054503355.htmlSmart Customer, LLC and Source, Inc. are introducing their new discount/rebate loyalty card program this summer in the United States. It will be available internationally eventually. Hundreds of businesses around the country are signing up to participate and offer Smart Customer cardholders discounts and rebates. You could be one of those businesses. You could be one of those cardholders. If you'd like more information, see: <a... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1054503021.htmlKaeser & Blair, Inc., of Batavia, Ohio, represented locally by John L. Dilbeck of Murphy, NC, was recently recognized as the 18th largest promotional products distributor in the nation. The award was presented by the Advertising Specialty Institute, an organization dedicated to building business within the promotional products industry, at the national trade show May 20 in Chicago. Kaeser & Blair was founded in 1894 and now sells on a national... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1054062573.htmlLast week, I became a certified Executive Sales Representative (ID #6014540450066408) for the Smart Customer discount loyalty card. It's just now being introduced in the United States and will become International in scope before long. Are you a merchant who wants to retain your current customers and gain new customers? Look into the Smart Customer Merchant discount program. Go to SmartCustomer.com... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1054061537.html I've been designing a variety of t-shirts, mugs and other products for affiliates of SFI Marketing Group. (By the way, feel free to join my sales team by signing up as an affiliate.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1053617399.htmlI was going to talk about this last week, but I got sidetracked by my hard disk crash. Last Thursday evening, I had a wonderful meal and conversation with George and Muffy Kerber, the owners of ShoeBooties Cafe. We talked about lots of things pertaining to business in Murphy and the surrounding area and some new things I'm about to introduce related to promoting businesses and helping customers save a little money when shopping and dining. I... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1053158651.htmlAfter dealing with two weeks of server crashes, I came home on Thursday after enjoying lunch with my friend, David Sumpter. I wanted to check my email before going back to town and having dinner at ShoeBooties Cafe with the owners, Muffy & George Kerber. When I booted my computer, I got the icon asking for the disk. I haven't seen that icon in years. Then it slowly dawned on me and I got that massive sinking feeling. For the first... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1052922552.htmlI've removed some of the stories I posted over the last couple of weeks as I had server problems left and right. Now that it's working, it's time to get back to other, more important tasks. As far as I can tell from spot checking all the sites I manage, everything is working again as it should. Thanks to all the support folks at AssortedInternet for working around the clock to find, diagnose, and solve the problems related to the two... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1052262471.html(Andrews, NC) Today, the Heritage Tourism Roundtable had it's first meeting at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Andrews, NC. Over 50 people representing dozens of organizations came together for a cooperative and productive meeting to form a regional approach to Heritage Tourism in Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain counties in far western North Carolina. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, June 3, 2003 at the same location at 10:00am. If... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1052220822.htmlOver the years, I've learned a lot from Ken Evoy. Using techniques he outlined in his books and affiliate training materials, I've managed to build JohnDilbeck.com into a site that is now, in terms of traffic as monitored by Alexa.com, in the top 2% of all sites on the Internet. It's taken a lot of work and a long time, but it's finally starting to pay off, both in terms of satisfaction and in income. I'm not getting rich, but I'm... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1051143943.htmlFor the first time in months, I've been able to work on my store at Shirts-Mugs-Hats.com. I cleaned up a lot, discounted quite a few prices for spring and added a new section. SFI Marketing Group affiliates may want to check out the Millionaire In The Making products to help you market IAHBE and other products represented... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1051123122.htmlI learned recently that Google.com can provide all sorts of interesting information if you type in a phone number in the search box. Try typing in your phone number, a business number, or a friend's number, including area code, in the form of 999-999-9999 in the search box at Google and see what turns up. You may be surprised. I was. Or, as I just now learned, try typing in an email address. I just found a whole new group of ancestors... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1051122916.htmlIf you have a home business in or around Cherokee and Clay counties in western North Carolina, I'd like to meet you. In this area of the state, as beautiful as it may be, it can be difficult to earn a living. I enjoy working from home and I'd like to meet others who do, too. You may know that Shoe Booties Cafe in Murphy has a breakfast on the first Wednesday of every month at 8:00 am for local business owners and operators. (Call 835-7433... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1051122008.html I am a proud member of the International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs. I started putting their logo and a link to their website on most pages of my websites last month. A few months ago, when it became clear to me that I had to earn more money and still be able to stay home, I started to seriously investigate home business opportunities. For six weeks... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1051120250.htmlFor the last three years, following methods I learned mostly from Ken Evoy in his Make Your Site Sell ebook and in his free Affiliate Masters email course, I've managed to finally get JohnDilbeck.com in the top two percent of all websites based on traffic, as monitored by Alexa.com. While it may not be definitive, it's a good way to measure progress. The last time I checked with Alexa, I was in the top 280,000 websites or so and they estimate that... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1049213723.htmlYou're invited to join us for the virtual grand opening of Dilbeck Marketing. The snacks are tasty, the drinks are free, and the shrimp are humongous. ;^) Since I became a Kaeser & Blair dealer, I created a new website to help me promote my promotional products business. I'm located in Murphy, NC, and I'll be contacting businesses, schools and organizations in Cherokee and Clay Counties to start with. Dilbeck Marketing is new... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1048510544.htmlIt looks like I'll be able to get back to smithing on a very part-time basis next month. It's been a year since Mom's surgery and she remains cancer-free. She's still having trouble walking and needs care on a daily basis. That's my first priority. However, she's able to walk more than she could, and can move around the house with no assistance, so that frees me up to get out of the house for a few hours here and there. So, that means... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1048510193.html&# 6;g{? a long three months of working around the clock moving all my sites to a new server and updating them. I finished the job a few minutes ago. I've updated thousands of pages and uncountable links. I updated hundreds of links that had changed and deleted dozens that have disappeared. As much as I could, I tried to make everything current. The bookstore script was updated a couple of weeks ago and I think I've modified all of... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1047977687.htmlFor the last several days, I've been working to update the Directory section. I found quite a few broken links and either updated or removed them. There may still be a few left. If you happen to run across a broken link on my site, I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me know. I added a few pages, and will be adding more in the next few days. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1047657929.htmlI've spent the last few days expanding and updating the Appalachian Heritage Crafters website. You'll find links to shows we'll be hosting this year as well as shows and festivals hosted in surrounding towns. We're updating our member information and there will be more there in the coming weeks. You can always go to the site and click on the What's New? link on any page to see the... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1047475801.htmlI just updated my bookstore. The database feed from Amazon.com has not included music tracks on CDs because they were facing a copyright problem that they've been working to resolve. Finally, it's done and I updated my program so that you can see the list of music tracks on the vast majority of the music CDs that are available. It makes it much easier to find the CD you'd like to purchase. Visit the Top... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1046703218.html(Murphy, NC) Heritage Partners (HeritagePartners.org) extends an invitation to everyone to attend our monthly meetings and programs, generally scheduled the second Saturday of each month from 5:00 - 6:00 PM. Get Out & About with a friend or spouse and experience some of Cherokee County's most interesting people and places. Saturday, March 8, 2003 5:00 - 6:00 PM The... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1046701487.htmlAngel Food Ministries - A Food Ministry With A Servant's Heart See their website at (http://www.angelfoodministries.org/) (Murphy, NC) The First United Methodist Church of Murphy, NC is working with Angel Food Ministries to provide food as part of their ministry to the community. Starting in February, the youth group at the church will be helping distribute... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1046310247.htmlI'd like to announce a new forum for visitors to JohnDilbeck.com. You can see it at http://JohnDilbeck.com/forum When you register to participate, please use your real first and last name and not a handle. Once you've registered, you'll see more of the forum and you'll have access to read and post to the boards. Want to talk about the business of arts and crafts? Do you want to share... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1046309939.htmlIt has been a big undertaking, but I just completed changing my bookstore over to Amazon.com's version 2 of their web services access. This means that I can now offer you more information, and usually quicker access. Now, you can find even more of what's available on Amazon.com, and still do it much faster than you can on Amazon's own site. I want to thank those of you who have been purchasing through my store. I appreciate your support... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1045827492.htmlFor the next couple of weeks, I'll be modifying my bookstore to take advantage of Amazon.com's version 2 of their web services. I'm taking this slow and steady and you'll see that some pages in the bookstore will look and operate a bit differently than what you've gotten used to here. You can browse and purchase from any of the pages with no problems. I'm working diligently to make the transition as quickly as possible without introducing... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1045474744.htmlIt's been an intense six weeks of work, but I'm making progress. During January, I moved all my hosted sites to a new server and I'm happy that I did. I'm getting more features and a lower cost, but the biggest difference is the responsiveness of the new hosting service's support people. They've been quick and accurate in responding to all my requests and questions. It has been a good decision. <a href="http://www.assortedinternet.com/hosting/index.jsp?id=38"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1044618099.htmlIt appears as if Amazon.com has found and corrected the database feed for my bookstore. I did quite a few checks tonight and everything seems to be working as it should, again. Did you know that you can purchase not just books, but also videos, dvds, music cds, and much much more from this bookstore? I've added many pages for various arts and crafts disciplines that you may find interesting, and if I don't have something you're looking... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1044278044.htmlSince yesterday, Amazon.com has been experiencing problems with the data feed I use to power all of my bookstore. Please note that the reviews shown for a particular book may not be for that book (or other product), so don't let it confuse you too much. Amazon.com is aware of the problem and is working to correct it. You can still purchase from the store. Just be sure to double-check that the product you select is added to your... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1044184958.htmlI didn't get much work done yesterday, as I watched the news develop on the loss of the Columbia. It was a sad and tragic accident. Our hearts go out to their families and co-workers. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1044015401.htmlAs you may know, I manage a number of domains that were previously hosted by several different services. In November and December, 2002, I decided that it was time to pick a single hosting service and move all of my domains and the domains I manage for others to a single location where I could more efficiently manage them. After analyzing dozens of webhosting services, my first choice was clearly <a href="http://buildit.sitesell.com/sellmoreonline.html"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1043263695.htmlI was asked why I chose AssortedInternet.com above the others I compared them to. In addition to their superb support, and great prices, they offer feature packed web hosting that includes: PHP, MySQL, PostgreSQL, CGI-BIN, shell access, FTP access, POP3 and SMTP email, a control panel, mailing lists, web based email, an up-to-date Perl with many installed modules,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1043235642.htmlIt's been a busy month! I've been working night and day to move all the domains I manage to a new server (and that's over 2,000 pages and many scripts). For various reasons, I was being limited by my old hosting service, which mostly suited my needs for the last couple of years, but which wouldn't let me do some of the things I needed to do in the future. So, I spent months looking for a new host that offered generous storage, good bandwidth,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1041390735.htmlI rarely make New Years resolutions. It's a fact that most new resolutions are broken in the first week or two. So what's the point? This year, I'm making a resolution. And it's one I'll stick to, as well. Lose weight? Nope. Get more sleep? Probably not. Set specific goals and work to achieve them? That's it. I've decided that my number one goal for 2003 is to succeed by helping others succeed. I'm working on... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1041340111.html(Updated January 29, 2002, see end of this article.) Are you looking for a no-risk way to get your product in front of the most targeted audience out there and create an extra income stream at the same time? Does that sound too good to be true? Here's an opportunity to be part of an exciting new Internet marketing and promotion service. You can get your product, service or business opportunity in front of the most targeted audience... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1041148825.htmlIf you're looking for good information on starting your business on the web, or making your existing business more successful, you should look into Online Business Basics: A Practical Guide to Starting an Online Business on a Beginner's Budget by Angela Wu. This ebook is available in PDF format for users of just about any type of computer. Check it out today! http://johndilbeck.com/news/1041140961.htmlTwo days ago, on 12/26/02, I wrote a long article called "Too Good to be True" about multi-level marketing in general and one company in particular, SFI . At that time, after looking at several states's Attorneys' General websites, the FTC, and others (see the resource section of the December 26 article), I wasn't sure who to believe. Are all MLM companies scams and pyramid schemes,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1040975657.htmlSharon Fling has written an ebook that finally addresses the subject of businesses that want, and need, to attract local customers on the web. By the time your local business gets on the Internet will it be too late? Your customers are online and so is your competition. How much longer can you afford to wait? Did you know that 48 million adults went online last year looking for local businesses just like yours? Would you... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1040900564.htmlYou know what they say, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." I normally have a good bs filter. I receive scams every day. If you've been on the web for any time and you post your email address, it seems that you open your mailbox to every unscrupulous huckster in the world -- and a few people who just get sucked into the hype without meaning to deceive or annoy anyone. After a couple of years of slowly building my online... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1040721725.htmlNationwideclassifieds.com offers a service where you can place classified ads in hundreds of newspapers across the United States. Choose individual papers by state or select specials placed in groups of newspapers. They have low rates because they buy so much ad space, and it couldn't be easier to sign up and place an ad. I haven't tried this service... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1040714893.htmlFor most people, getting high-quality targeted visitors to their site is probably one of the most difficult things to do. Unfortunately it's also the most important. The reason it's difficult for most small businesses and online marketers is that the majority of popular site promotion strategies either take up a lot of time, cost a lot of money, or are too risky. Right? I want to let you know about <a href="http://www.trafficswarm.com/go.cgi?83535"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1040548068.htmlThe free Six Figure Income Newsletter is filled with marketing tips, how-to articles, home business news & stats, and invaluable articles, insider strategies, and information from the planet's highest-earning home business entrepreneurs. Sign up today to receive your free newsletter. Please note: I have removed the link to this company, pending further investigation on my part. I have doubts as to whether this is a legitimate multi-level... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1040413174.htmlFor over 30 years, on TV shows and movies, and perhaps in real life, you've heard the phrase that begins, "You have the right to remain silent..." Since the Supreme Court made the Miranda decision in the 1960's we've all assumed we have the freedom from coercive interrogation by the police as one of our inalienable rights as United States citizens. But do we? The US government wants police to have the right to coercively interogate... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1040411733.htmlI've always detested selling. There, I said it. But, that was before I started to understand selling...or rather the art of making a sale. What's the difference? I've taken sales courses and seminars, read books, and tried my hand at selling things. But I was doing it wrong, and they taught me wrong. They taught me tricks for coercing a purchase, mind-control techniques, leading questions, deliberate misunderstanding,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1040288399.htmlMikino.com is a new website that focuses on interviews with real-life SiteBuildIt! users. If you want to know more about how well it works from the folks who are using it all the time, visit Mikino.com today. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1040288053.htmlFrom now until midnight on December 24, SiteSell is running their last 2-for-1 sale. This is your last chance to take advantage of this opportunity which won't be repeated next year. Buy SiteBuildIt! and get any other SiteSell product FREE. You can choose any of their highly respected ebooks or even choose to take a second SiteBuildIt! site.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1039054553.htmlWe all know that spam is increasing and is stealing more and more of our time, energy and patience. (A pox on spammers! *spit*) But, did you know that your legitimate email may not be reaching its recipients? More and more ISPs are having to institute filters to stop the ever-increasing flood of spam and, depending upon how you write your messages and newsletters or the style of your writing, your message may be tossed with the trash. I've... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1038607227.htmlArch Avary makes beautiful wildlife jewelry and river sports jewelry. Each item is handmade by him and is always in limited supply. Now that the holidays are here, his limited supply is dwindling rapidly. If you'd like to give a gift of a beautiful dove, pelican, eagle, seagull,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1038605211.htmlI had a very pleasant Thanksgiving Day this year. Mom and I had dinner with Ken and Kathy Anderson, my daughter and son-in-law, and our grand-kids. It was great to see all of them again and to have some time to just sit, relax and talk. Mom was able to go and had a good time, too, although she was very tired when she got home. Kathy and Ken have a ramp leading up to their front deck, but it is longer and steeper than Mom is used to.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1038602963.htmlWe reached a new milestone in November. This is the first month when over 10,000 of you have visited JohnDilbeck.com. That's more than a 500% increase over this time last year. At the current rate, there will be well over 100,000 visitors in 2003, and each one of you is welcome here. I hope you fell welcomed and find what you're searching for. This is a good time to thank Ken Evoy and the other SiteSell folks, the folks at Wordtracker.com,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1038600671.htmlFor the last six weeks, I've been working almost around the clock to upgrade JohnDilbeck.com. You'll find that the bookstore has been greatly revised and expanded. You have access to over two million products of all types. Calling it a bookstore is a bit of a misnomer since you can purchase books, movies on videotape or DVD, music CDs, clothes, tools, toys, electronics, computers, computer accessories and supplies, video games, and lots more.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1037205533.htmlI've added a new shopping section to JohnDilbeck.com. I'll be adding lots more links to it over the next week or so. Let's go shopping! http://johndilbeck.com/news/1037095277.htmlOver the last couple of weeks, I've been working to update my Bookstore. There are several dozen new pages and the program has been updated as well. You can still do all the searching that you previously could, and have the benefit of many more pre-built pages and suggestions. I want to thank those of you who have been purchasing through the Bookstore and welcome you back at your convenience.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1036829634.htmlAmazon.com just announced that they are now selling clothes and apparel from hundreds of top brand names. Visit their new Clothing and Apparel Store today and check it out. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1036719808.htmlI've updated all the pages in my genealogy section to add a new search box that allows you to search databases with over one billion names at Ancestry.com. The new search box is at the top of every page of the section to make it convenient. Perhaps you'll find it to be helpful in your search to trace your family tree. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1035900882.htmlToday, I added products to the new Gorillas section at Shirts-Mugs-Hats.com. If you're a fan of gorillas, in addition to these products, you can purchase books... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1035712070.html New designs were added to the Fruit Crate Labels section. Quite a few more designs will be added to this section over the next few days. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1035698366.htmlJust about everyone knows about the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter books and movies. Here's your chance to own books 1 through 4 in the Harry Potter Boxed Set. <a href="http://johndilbeck.com/cgi-bin/amazon/amazonproductsfeed.pl?input_mode=books&input_item=0439249546&input_templates=2"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1035692639.html Buy this poster at Art.com http://johndilbeck.com/news/1035561202.htmlLast week, I decided to sponsor several sections of EPage.com. On the site, there are over 400,000 categories filled with millions of links, discussion forums, classifieds, and additional content. Join a discussion (It's free!) or post your own classified ad. Subscribe to EPage content (EPagelets™) and earn money from your Web site. EPagelets provide compelling and dynamic content for your... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1035560385.htmlToday, at Shirts-Mugs-Hats.com, a new section, Early Advertising Art was added. The first designs are in the Cigar Box Labels group. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1035097866.htmlIn the Animals section, I added new designs for badgers and chimpanzees. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1034999359.htmlInterART - Number One rated gallery offering fine art reproduction of timeless masterpieces. Over 15.000 genuine oil reproductions, with huge selection on stock. - Why admire it when you can own it? [InterART Gallery] http://johndilbeck.com/news/1034999214.htmlI created a new Art Masterpieces section. First design added is the Mona Lisa. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1034805459.htmlNew designs have been added to nearly all categories this month at Shirts-Mugs-Hats.com. Last week, I added some designs to the Dating section. New designs are in the Freak and <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/cp/store.aspx?s=johndilbeck.21962"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1034791375.htmlSomething's up, and I'm not quite sure what it is going to be, but I know I'm interested in it. Why? Because of the two people who are involved. Both are marketing legends. Mark Joyner is the international best-selling author of MindControlMarketing.com, a book that shot up to #1... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1034789829.htmlFor the last couple of weeks, I've been working long, long hours creating new t-shirt designs for my t-shirt store (see link on the top of every page on this site). Now that I've located a great source of art I can use (see the story a couple of articles below), I'm adding lots of graphics to the shirts, in addition to, or even instead of, text. Some like words, some like pictures. I like both. You're always invited to visit <a... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1033747836.htmlPerhaps the more important question is, "Does your site sell as much as you want it to?" Many of us know how to build web sites, but don't know what to do to make them sell our products and services. If we have thousands or millions of dollars to spend for advertising, it's easier, but the rest of us have to be more creative. I've been taking the courses Ken Evoy writes to promote his products (all of which I wholeheartedly endorse)... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1033648173.htmlI found a great site for clip art, photos, sounds, fonts, and more. For less than $8.00 for one week (less per week if you subscribe for longer periods) you can download as much as you'd like and use it on your website, advertising, commercial products such as t-shirts, and more, and you don't have to pay additional royalties or license fees. With over 2.5 million things to choose from, you're sure to find something that fits your needs. They have... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1033198186.htmlI've been working with affiliate marketing for about two years now. I've tested several hundred programs and dropped most of them, but I've tried to keep the cream of the crop such as Ken Evoy's SiteSell.com. Unfortunately, it's a sad fact that only about 5% of all affiliates ever earn any money, but a very small percentage are earning substantial incomes referring web... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1031830979.html This shirt is available at John Dilbeck's Shirts, Mugs and Hats Store. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1031606836.htmlOver the weekend, after careful consideration, I reached the conclusion that I must temporarily suspend taking orders for my Steel Roses. All the orders that are currently placed will be fulfilled as soon as possible. If you'd like one of the roses, please feel free to email me and I'll tell you why I've made this decision and I'd be happy to put you on a waiting list to be notified as soon as I can resume. If you are a member of House... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1031250206.htmlEver since Cafepress.com announced that they were offering paid premium stores, I've been working to add my original designs for shirts, mugs, hats, mousepads, bags, and more to it. I have many varied interests and I have over 200 designs already created that I'll be adding to the store over the next year or so. People have been wanting a way to purchase my designs from one simple shopping cart rather than the old way they had to be... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1030827687.htmlThe Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. This is an outstanding book (one of a series, but it stands well on its... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1030826568.html The Mists of Avalon Buy this poster at Art.com http://johndilbeck.com/news/1030818554.htmlI am currently auctioning a small waxed Steel Rose That Never Wilts, #69, made in May 2001. This is the first Steel Rose that I've auctioned, and the bidding started at $0.01. This Steel Rose would normally retail at $100.00. Currently, the bidding is quite a ways below that and you might be able to get yourself a real bargain. Because of Mom's condition, I don't know how many roses I'll be able to make this year, and currently the... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1030817914.htmlSometimes a kind of glory lights up the mind of a man.  It happens to nearly everyone.  She wants to fight for the rights of the individual against the system. For our rights to creativity and self-expression versus the goliaths that want to gain all those rights exclusively for themselves. Do you support the goliaths that are struggling mightily... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1030711185.htmlI am currently working to build a new combined John Dilbeck's Shirts, Mugs and Hats store that will eventually have all the different designs I've created in one single store. Now, you'll find it much, much easier to purchase multiple items from different categories. It will take a few weeks to get it all together, but I'll be working steadily on it. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1030282525.htmlTara Grubb is running for congress in North Carolina's 6th District, and while I don't live in her district and can't vote for her, I want to tell you that she is one of the only candidates I know of who is using the Internet to directly communicate with voters in her district and people around the world. She's doing that using a weblog, and while she's brand new to it, she's learning as she's going. <a href="http://grubbforcongress.manilasites.com/"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1030054236.htmlNow that I'm back to smiting metal, I'd like to recommend the best selling books on blacksmithing, metalworking, and <a href="http://johndilbeck.com/cgi-bin/amazon/amazonproductsfeed.pl?input_templates=2&input_string=metalsmithing&input_mode=books"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1030053838.htmlAfter months of not being able to get to my smithy and do what I love to do, I finally made it there this morning and was able to spend several hours starting the process of making some new steel roses. Yes, that means that Mom's doing better and we both agree that she's progressed to the point where she can safely get out of the house by herself if there is an emergency. This has freed me to spend a few hours in my smithy some mornings.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1029958144.htmlToday, I've been thinking about photography and I'd like to recommend a great technical book that will help you take better photos: National Geographic Photography Field Guide: Secrets to Making Great Pictures. If you're looking for inspiration and good examples, the obvious place to look is... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1029323857.htmlI added several more pages to my artstore: deer, dolphins, and doves. Feel free to browse and purchase. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1029163826.html Elvis Aaron Presley Buy this poster at Art.com Additional Elvis... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028936445.htmlHeritage Partners is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Cherokee County, NC be as good as it can be. If you'd like to lend a helping hand, either financially or with your time and energy, you're invited to attend our monthly meetings and learn more about us. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028895682.htmlOne of the themes I tend to consider from many points of view is the question of what is reality and what is the perception of reality. I've come to think that the only reality we experience is our perception of reality, which may be one reason why eye witnesses to various events tell such different stories about what they saw, heard and otherwise experienced. One movie that illustrates this idea very well is <a href="http://johndilbeck.com/cgi-bin/amazon/amazonproductsfeed.pl?input_mode=vhs&input_item=6301590740&input_templates=2"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028810243.htmlI've updated the software that powers my photo album and my bookstore. Many new features have been added to the Amazon Products Feed program that searches Amazon.com and provides information very quickly to you and I've customized it to provide some features that aren't available anywhere else. Search and browse as much as you like. And feel free to purchase books, music, and more. Just go to my... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028530353.htmlIf you're a fan of Austin Powers and like spoofs of the James Bond 007 genre, you'd probably like one of the original parodies of the genre, <a href="http://johndilbeck.com/cgi-bin/amazon/amazonproductsfeed.pl?input_mode=item&input_item=B000067JFI&input_templates=2"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028307662.htmlI borrowed a digital camera from Arch Avary yesterday, and I've been practicing taking pics of Mom and the cats. You can see the recent uploads, if you'd like. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028287697.htmlAs my first choice for Song of the Day, I'm not going to select just one song. Instead, I'm going to pick two albums that I've listened to for years. In both cases, I've worn out several cassettes and have at lest one CD of each. The first time I heard of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028285951.htmlI find, now that I'm thinking about it just about every day, that there are lots of books, movies and songs that have made a difference in my life. Some of them would probably surprise you. So, has a book, movie or song made a real difference in how you view the world or yourself? If it has, feel free to email me at jd@johndilbeck.com and let me know. I'll either put up a special page in my bookstore or suggest your favorite as a book,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028285573.htmlYesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting Arch Avary for the first time since Mom had her surgery, and now that she's no longer homebound, she was able to go, too. I always love visiting Arch, and there's no telling what we'll discuss when we're together. We got to talking about books that have been important to us and he reminded me of a great book that I haven't re-read in years but which was important to me when I last read it. Thanks... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028186809.html I've always loved Michelangelo's sculptures and paintings. I'm going to choose The Creation of Adam from the Sistine Chapel as my art of the day. The Creation of Adam Buy... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028137800.htmlI'd like to recommend Jonathon Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. I've read that book several times over the years, and each time, I think again... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028027779.htmlI've started building an Art Store where I'll feature art that appeals to me, and possibly to you. The only criteria that I'm going to have is that it has to be something I like and which I would buy if money were no object and I had the space to hang it. If I don't like it, I won't show it. http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028027385.htmlWhen I was a teenager, I spent many days studying hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor activities. I was lucky enough to have several old men to teach me some of what they knew. In The Old Man and The Boy, Rober Ruark tells the story of a boy learning from his grandfather. There... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1028026777.html I've always been a fan of Leonardo da Vinci, and it's difficult to choose between his masterpieces, but I believe I'll pick the Mona Lisa today. Mona Lisa <A HREF="http://www.art.com/asp/sp.asp?PD=10032978&RFID=725037"... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1027898425.htmlMy friend, Marsha, gave me a copy of Dragon Weather last month, and I loved it. I haven't had time to read anything for fun, lately, but when I started thumbing through this book, it caught my attention and I dropped everything for a couple of days and one night and read it straight through. Then,... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1027897817.html Dragon Master Buy this poster at Art.com http://johndilbeck.com/news/1027897617.htmlFor quite some time, I've been looking for a company with which I can affiliate and offer art, posters, and photographs. I've joined several programs and dropped them for one reason or another. This week, I found Art.com. Starting today, I'll be adding art to my site as the mood strikes me. The only criterion for adding a link is if I like it. Your tastes may... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1027885840.htmlEight days ago, Amazon.com announced a new version of their web services that gives developers access to their huge database of products. When I got the notice, I jumped on it. After researching several perl scripts that would do most of what I wanted, I chose AmazonProductsFeed by MrRat to implement on JohnDilbeck.com. Working with MrRat, I suggested several improvements and bug-fixes to his script and added a few additional features that are only... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1027885047.htmlLast week, about two months after Mom was released from Thoms Rehab, she was discharged by Good Shepherd home health care and she's no longer officially homebound. As a result, instead of imposing on our kind friends to come and sit with her for a couple of hours while I make a mad dash to town to run errands, she goes to town with me and we can take our time and get a little closer to normal. She still walks unsteadily on her walker and can't... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1026554529.htmlIn order to be able to upload more photos, I've installed a dynamic photo gallery. I've been managing a family genealogy site on another server for a couple of years and I've decided to remove some of the photos from that site and upload some of them to this one. Additionally, I'll be uploading new photos as I have time. I'll be able to do it more efficiently than I've been doing when I had to build new web pages every time I wanted... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1026209663.htmlIn TidBITS #637, Geoff Duncan discusses the problems spam is causing for legitimate emailers. Not only is spam becoming increasingly intrusive, but efforts to eliminate spam are causing email that should be delivered to be bounced or trashed, often without the intended recipient being aware of what is happening. I know this to be true for some ISPs because subscribers to... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1025949727.htmlAs I've previously posted (see the Old Archives for 2002 -- above -- for more information if you're interested), this has been a difficult year. Mom was diagnosed with colon cancer on her 81st birthday last November, and starting around the first of this year, underwent three months of chemo and radiation therapy. Then, with the good news that the cancer had not spread, she went to Asheville for surgery to remove the remains of the tumor.... http://johndilbeck.com/news/1025946624.htmlFor over a year, I've been using a method I mostly liked for posting news items to my website. However, after setting up the news section on GeorgiaDragRacing.com, and finding it incredibly easy to use, I've decided to switch to a similar method for updating John Dilbeck's Ramblings here on JohnDilbeck.com. The old entries are viewable by clicking on the appropriate links in the...