Wachara's Blog

How to Successfully Navigate Your Business through an Economic Downturn:

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:46:00 +0000

An economic downturn is a phase of the business cycle in which the economy as a whole is in decline. This phase basically marks the end of the period of growth in the business cycle. Economic downturns are characterized by decreased levels of consumer purchases (especially of durable goods) and, subsequently, reduced levels of production by businesses.
While economic downturns are admittedly difficult, and are formidable obstacles to small businesses that are trying to survive and grow, an economic downturn can open up opportunities. A well-managed company can realize the opportunity to gain market share by taking customers away from their competitors. Resourceful entrepreneurs capture the available opportunities, from an economic downturn, by developing alternate methods of doing business that were never implemented during a prior growth period.
The challenge of successfully navigating your business through an economic downturn lies in the realignment of your business with current economic realities. Specifically, you, as the business owner, need to renew a focus on your core clients/customers, reduce your operating expenses, conserve cash, and manage more proactively, rather than reactively, is paramount.
Here are best practices that will help you to successfully navigate your business through an economic downturn:
Goals: The primary goal of any business owner is to survive the current economic downturn and to develop a leaner, more cost-effective and more efficient operation. The secondary goal is to grow the business even during this current economic downturn.Objectives:
• Conserve cash.
• Protect assets.
• Reduce costs.
• Improve efficiencies.
• Grow customer base.
Required Action:
• Do not panic… History shows that economic downturns do not last forever. Remain calm and act in a rational manner as you refocus your attention on resizing your company to the current economic conditions.
• Focus on what YOU can control… Don’t let the media's rhetoric concerning recessions and economic slowdown deter you from achieving business success. It´s a trap! Why? Because the condition of the economy is beyond your control. Surviving economic downturns requires a focus on what you can control, i.e. your relevant business activities.
• Communicate, communicate, and communicate! Beware of the pitfall of trying to do too much on your own. It is a difficult task indeed to survive and to grow your business solely with your own efforts. Solicit ideas and seek the help of other people (your employees, suppliers, lenders, customers, and advisors). Communicate honestly and consistently. Effective two-way communication is the key.
• Negotiate, negotiate, and negotiate! The value of a strong negotiation skill set cannot be overstated. Negotiating better deals and contracts is an absolute must for realigning and resizing your company to the current economic conditions. The key to success is not only knowing how to develop a win-win approach in negotiations with all parties, but also keeping in mind the fact that you want a favorable outcome for yourself too.
Recommended Best Practice Activities:
The Nuts and Bolts… The following list of recommended best practice activities is critical for your business' survival and for its growth during an economic downturn. The actual financial health of your particular business, at the outset of the economic downturn, will dictate the priority and urgency of the implementation of the following best practice activities.
1. Diligently monitor your cash flow: Forecast your cash flow monthly to ensure that expenses and planned expenditures are in line with accounts receivable. Include cash flow statements into your monthly financial reporting. Project cash requirements three-to- six months in advance. The key is to know how to monitor, protect, control, and put cash to work.
2. Carefully convert your inventories: Convert excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory items into cash. Consider returning excess and slow-moving items back to the suppliers. Close-out or inventory reduction sales work well to resize your inventory. Also, consider narrowing your product offerings. Well-timed order placement helps to reduce excess inventory levels and occasional material shortages. The key is to reduce the amount of your inventory without losing sales.
3. Timely collection of your accounts receivable: This asset should be converted to cash as quickly as possible. Offer prompt payment discounts to encourage timely payments. Make changes in the terms of sale for slow paying customers (i.e. changing net 30 day terms to COD). Invoicing is an important part of your cash flow management. The first rule of invoicing is to do it as soon as possible after products are shipped and/or after services are delivered. Place an emphasis on reducing billing errors. Most customers delay payments because an invoice had errors, and therefore, will not pay until they receive a corrected copy. Email or fax your invoices to save on mailing time. Post the payments that you have received and make deposits more frequently. The key is to develop an efficient collection system that generates timely payments and one that gives you advance warning of problems.
4. Re-focus your attention on your existing clients/customers: Make customer satisfaction your priority. A regular review of your customers' buying history and frequency of purchases can reveal some interesting facts about your customers' buying habits. Consider signing long-term contracts with your core clients/customers which will add to your security. Offer a discount for upfront cash payments. The key is to do what it takes to keep your current customers loyal.
5. Re-negotiate with your suppliers, lenders, and landlord:
i) Suppliers: Always keep your negotiations on the level of need, saying that your company has reviewed its cost structure and has determined that it needs to lower supplier costs. . Tell the supplier that you value the relationship you have developed, but that you need to receive a cost reduction immediately. Ask your supplier for a lower material price, a longer payment cycle, and the elimination of finance charges. Also, see if you can buy material from them on a consignment basis. In return for their price concessions, be willing to agree to a long-term contract. Explore the idea of bartering as a form of payment.
ii) Lenders: Everything in business finance is negotiable and your relationship with a bank is no exception. The first step to successful renegotiations is to convince your lenders that you can ultimately pay off the renegotiated loan. You must point out to your lenders why it would be in their best interest to agree to a new arrangement. Showing them your business plan and your action plan that includes your cost-savings initiatives, along with "the how" and "the when" of the implementation of your plan is the best way to achieve this goal. Explain to them that you will need their cooperation to insure that you can survive, as well as, grow your business during the economic downturn. Negotiated items include: the rate of interest, the required security to cover the loan, and the beginning date for repayment. A beginning date for repayment could be immediate, within several months or as long as a year. The key is to realize that your lender will work with you, but that frequent and continual communications with them is critical.
iii) Landlord: Meet with your landlord. Explain your need to have them extend the term of your lease at a reduced cost. Make sure you have a clause in the lease agreement that entitles you to have the right to sublet any or all of the leased space.
6. Re-evaluate your staffing requirements: This is a very critical area. Salaries/wages are a major expense of doing business. Therefore, any reduction in the hours worked through work schedule changes, short-term layoffs or permanent layoffs has an immediate cost saving benefit. Most companies ramped up hiring new employees in the good times, only to find that they are currently overstaffed due to slow sales during the economic downturn. In terms of down-sizing your staff, be very careful not to reduce your staff to a level that forces you to skimp on customer service and quality. Consider the use of part-timers or the current trend of outsourcing certain functions to independent contractors.
7. Shop for better insurances rates: Get quotations from other insurance agents for comparable coverage to determine whether or not your present insurance carrier is competitive. Also, consider revising your coverage to reduce premium costs. The key is to have the right balance-to be adequately insured, but not under or over insured.
8. Re-evaluate your advertising: Contrary to the other cost-cutting initiatives, evaluate the possibility of increasing your advertising expenditures. This tactic realizes the advantage of the reduced "noise" and congestion (fewer advertisers) in the marketplace. The downturn period a great opportunity to increase brand awareness and create additional demand for your product/service offerings.
9. Seek the help of outside advisors: The use of an advisory board comprised of your CPA, attorney, and business consultant offers you objectivity and provides you with professional advice and guidance. Their collective experience in working with similar situations in past economic downturns is invaluable.
10. Review your other expenses: Target an across-the-board cost-cutting initiative of 10-15%. Attempt to eliminate unnecessary expenses. Tightening your belt in order to weather the downturn makes practical, financial sense.
Proactively managing your business through an economic downturn is an enormous challenge and is critical for your survival. However, through well-planned initiatives, an economic downturn can create tremendous opportunity for your company to gain greater market share. In order to take advantage of this growth opportunity, you must act quickly to implement the above best business practices to continue realigning and resizing your company to the current economic conditions.
Copyright 2007-2008 Terry H. Hill
Terry H. Hill is the founder and managing partner of Legacy Associates, Inc, a business consulting and advisory services firm. A veteran chief executive, Terry works directly with business owners of privately held companies on the issues and challenges that they face in each stage of their business life cycle. To find out how he can help you take your business to the next level, visit his site at http://www.legacyai.com
Sources: http://www.legacyai.com/Article_Downturn.html

Samsung to Launch Google Android Smartphone in 2009

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:34:00 +0000

Samsung will be launching a Google Android touch screen mobile smartphone this year and will be available through T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel.
Samsung Electronics said it will deploy its first Google Android mobile phone in 2009. Pricing and additional information has not been disclosed.HTC Corp was the first cell phone manufacturer to offer the Google powered phone for T-Mobile. Samsung will be the second smartphone company to make the jump to the Google Android platform.Android is Google's open-source software that developers plan to use to build Internet-ready phones. Handset manufactures include LG Electronics Inc and Motorola Inc who could also launch their first mobile phone using the platform in 2009. The alliance comprises of has 47 companies to date.
Sources: http://www.cellphonedigest.net/news/2009/01/samsung_to_launch_google_andro.php
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Mobile Industry Will Not Be Hurt by the Global Economic Downturn

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:02:00 +0000

According to IDC the mobile sector has emerged as the dominant driver of the global telecommunications industry. The US$700 billion mobile industry now serves almost half of the world's population with 3.6 billion subscriptions at the end of 2008. Looking beyond the tremendous growth in revenue and subscriptions, the mobile industry is a diverse one, indeed a tale of two worlds – the developed and emerging markets. It is also an industry that is roiled by social and technological transformation, as well as the fickle but equally important dictates of fashion and consumer preferences.
IDC believes the mobile industry is likely to fare the current global economic downturn better than many other industries. For sure, in 2009, the industry is likely to see softening of sales in many of its constituent segments, from network infrastructure to mobile devices and from chipsets to software. Some other industry segments, like mobile devices, applications, and services, are likely to only grow over time – taking the current economic downturn in their stride.
On a global level, IDC expects the number of mobile connections to continue growing at a substantial pace. From 3.32 billon at the end of 2008, we expect the number of mobile voice connections to reach 4.57 billion by the end of 2012, an average compound growth rate of 8.3% per year. The most prolific source of new mobile connections will be India, China, and the other large markets in which mobile penetration is currently below 50% of the population. However, the industry will be challenged by declining ARPU in all segments, and operators will have to rapidly implement new business models and revenue streams that leverage information services in the emerging markets, and multimedia applications in the developed countries.
Sources: http://www.cellphonedigest.net/news/2009/02/mobile_industry_will_not_be_hu.php

Gomez: Get Paid to Be Online Service

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:21:00 +0000

Internet users, all. So help to speed up the process time in internet and earn free money just to be online... So what do all we have to do to start money by using our computers idle time? Open your free ...

GomezPeer is around for a couple of years but what a pity doesnt widely known many web surfers. In this earning revenue model, you do nothing but they pay you for your computers idle time. As you are aware of time is internet time and we've all come to depend on the internet, whether for news and information, shopping, stock trading, bank transaction, email communication and socializing or even critical business transactions. Unfortunately, all these busy activities face us to expect delays, slow pages, sites that grind to a halt, and even important transactions that don't execute. Now by signing up to to this service, there's a way for you to help make a difference in the performance of the Internet by using the otherwise unused capacity of your PC. And, earn cash in the process! What GomezPeer is doing in here is using the combined computing horsepower of thousands of PCs around the world, and with all these collected information, they can measure, for the first time, the real-world performance of Web sites -- from the end-user's perspective. The data collected by you will be used by Gomez's customers to improve the performance of their Web sites -- eventually improving the online experience for us, internet users, all. So help to speed up the process time in internet and earn free money just to be online...

So what do all we have to do to start money by using our computers idle time? Open your free Gomez Account by clicking here.

After filling out the short form your application will be reviewed. The service is available worldwide and for any speed connections from dial up to broadband connection. So while filling out the form try to give correct information since your speed is also critical measurment for the service. As of this writing, people living in US, China, Germany, UK, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Australia, Canada and South America are the mostly welcomed to the program as I said although the program is available internationally. After your account is accepted as pending and/or active your commisions will be started to be paid monthly to your paypal account. If you still dont have a paypal account yet click here to open. It's free.

There are two small programs, one for US connections and the other for the international members. You will install the one suitable to your situation. The process is a background process so you will hardly notice anything about your daily coınnection speed. If you want you can check the activity situation by clicking its icon on taskbar.

Based on your computer's characteristics (Internet connection type, geographic location and Internet service provider), your PC will receive instructions to autonomously test the performance of Web sites -- gathering important metrics that help identify network bottlenecks and performance problems. All of this happens "behind the scenes," even when you're away from your PC or asleep. Finally, your PC will send its results back to Gomez, where they are added to the work of thousands of other PCs around the world.

The program is only available on windows based PCs as of yet :(
If you refer your friends to this program you will be rewarded for your recommendation and for each active members you refer to the program you will be rewarded 1$.
I hope this unique get paid to be online service might be profitable for you...

Source:
http://www.freemoneyguide.com/get-paid-to-be-online/gomez-get-paid-to-be-online-service.html

Valentines Day: Gift A Special Gift To A Special One

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:37:00 +0000

Valentines Day is often also called lovers day, as they get to express their affection and love with romantic gifts, flowers, etc. to their loved ones. Not only can you gift to your sweetheart but also to friends and family members. This day is popular in almost all parts of the world and is celebrated by all. Youngsters wait for this day as this is a special day for them and they celebrate it in the name of love and romance. Valentines Day has become the day of love and affection and the day of exchanging gifts between lovers and loved ones. This day you can express your innermost feelings beautifully to your soul mate, anyway you wish to. You can just sing out some beautiful romantic songs or gift flowers to your sweetheart.

Valentines Day is always being related to love, romance and passion. It is considered as the most preferable time for showing your feelings and doing something special for your lover. This day is a special day to show how much you care for them. You can share a kiss, a gift or a hug or spend a romantic time with your lover. Tell your lover in different ways that you love him the most.
Think about unique gift ideas for that special one in your life. Ladies love to be pampered. So gift her something that she likes the most. Surprise her by taking her to a romantic place and have a romantic dinner. This can make her feel really special. If you are tired of gifting flowers, you can gift her chocolates, jewellery or accessories. A perfect day would be a romantic lunch followed by a romantic movie. Show your true feelings of love by choosing a gift that would please her. The more unique gift, the more impressed would be your lover. Remember, this can put some spark into your relationship.

You can make this day a lot more special by making him or her feel special. Think of some fabulous gifts. Take her on a holiday or a vacation trip. Go to a romantic place and express your feelings to one another.

Valentines Day gives you a perfect opportunity to show your lover that how much you love and care for each other. Gift them some memorable and romantic gifts and celebrate this day of love. A wonderful gift could be beautiful stuffed toys like teddy bears, cookies or red roses. These gifts can help to make this day memorable for a lover.

A fabulous gift would be a latest mobile phone with a fascinating design and looks. These phones are a complete package of impressive features and high-end performance. These phones offer a high quality mega pixel camera allowing you to capture the most special moments spent together. The outstanding musical features come with a built in MP3 player and FM radio. With the Bluetooth wireless technology feature, you exchange the best love songs with your partner. You can even browse the net and download romantic wallpapers, love ringtones, love themes and lots more.

Just check out the online phone shops to purchase a handset for your loved one. Shop for the coolest gizmo and get offers like free line rental, free gifts and even free handsets. So gift your Valentine the most impressive mobile phone and share an intimate bond with her. By gifting a mobile phone, you can show that you want to stay in touch with her. There cannot be a better gift than a mobile handset loaded with amazing features and stunning looks. With the high-end mega pixel camera, you can capture those wonderful moments spent together with your loved one. Select your desired handset from Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola phones available online. .

A mobile phone with the latest features and functionalities can surely impress your Valentine. Wonderful features like internet, email, music and radio would appeal your lover. This would be a unique gift for someone you want to show your love.

Source http://www.articledashboard.com written by: Adam Jaylin

Know more about valentines gift ideas and explore online gift shops for same day flower delivery UK.

Web 2.0 Expo: Gabe Rivera of Techmeme on Blogs Changing News Media

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 04:36:00 +0000

The blogosphere has provided a convenient source of news for viewers. Blogs are readily available, allow for free expression, and still cover the top stories that people want to hear about. All these advantages of blogs pose as a possible threat to traditional media forms. In an interview at the Web 2.0 Expo, WebProNews caught up with Techmeme Founder Gabe Rivera to discuss these developments. To hear how the traditional media can keep up technology plus the very latest Techmeme news, watch our exclusive interview with Gabe Rivera.

Source: http://videos.webpronews.com/2007/05/04/web-20-expo-gabe-rivera-founder-of-techmeme?click=1#

BlogWorld and New Media Expo: Jeremy Schoemaker of ShoeMoney.com

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 04:31:00 +0000

Shoemoney himself, Jeremy Schoemaker from Shoemoney.com spoke with WebProNews at the BlogWorld and New Media Expo 2007 in Las Vegas. Shoemoney talks about how to monetize your blog and gives our audience a few helpful hints and tips of what to do and what not to do. He said that you should focus your attention to affiliate links and gives a few sites that are great to use. For more information on Shoemoney and how to monetize your blog, or for more information from BlogWorld with Abby Prince, keep watching WebProNews

Source: http://videos.webpronews.com/2007/11/09/blogworld-and-new-media-expo-jeremy-schoemaker-of-shoemoneycom?click=1

Google Changes Algorithm?

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 04:18:00 +0000

In the New Year, Google seems to be changing their algorithm and making the search results more time related. The leading search engine has been ranking items from popular sites like Digg higher than factual or historical sites like Wikipedia. Is this a move towards a Web 3.0? In other news, Kara Ratliff reports that Yahoo’s Chief Performance Expert, Steve Souders plans on joining the Google team on January 7th, 2008. For more details of the news, keep watching WebProNews.

Source: http://videos.webpronews.com/2008/01/07/google-changes-algorithm?click=1

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 07:06:00 +0000

Greetings and Warmest Wishes to you
for a New Year of
Wealth,Happiness and Prosperity.

Gifts Women Want

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:25:00 +0000

Technorati Profile

Most men find buying gifts for women to be a fairly stressful task, mainly because they know how important gifts are to the women in their life and they are really not sure just what women really do want.

This brand new, exclusive eBook doesn't have all the answers, but it does have the results of surveys on women and very insightful articles and tips

Free Gift Romance eBook

My Christmas Gifts For You !!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:32:00 +0000

There's a HUGE giveaway just started that has a Lot of Very cool stuff
you can grab for free,
check it out here:

Xmas Giveaways

make money online

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 04:58:00 +0000

Hurry! Grab Your Niche Package Now, Before It's Too Late!

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:11:00 +0000

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Download 100% Free Adsense Money Maker Software

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 09:11:00 +0000

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How to get iGoogle on your mobile phone

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 09:04:00 +0000

If you have a cell phone that can go on the internet then you can probably access your iGoogle page with the same up-to-the-minute information you have on your desktop iGoogle page!
Just point your web browser to the following url:

http://www.google.com/ig/mobile

Sign in with your username and password and check “Remember me”.

Which phones work? Most Blackberries, any phone with Windows Mobile, the iPhone, many Nokia phones…. actually — most phones today have internet access. Make sure you have a data plan (unlimited to be sure) so that you don’t incur needless charges. (Read more)

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Google Develops AdSense for Mobile Web

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 09:16:00 +0000

Google made a major move into the mobile advertising world on Monday with a new program -- AdSense for Mobile. The search king is banking on mobile devices becoming increasingly popular. Even now, there are more mobile devices worldwide than PCs and TVs combined.

AdSense for Mobile is Google's self-proclaimed effort to develop new ways for users to find the information they need anytime and anywhere, but the underpinning is advertising. The program contextually targets ads to mobile Web site content. As its name suggests, the program aims to give AdSense publishing partners more opportunities to earn revenue through the targeted placement of mobile text ads.

"With this program, advertisers can connect with the growing number of mobile publishers, ultimately providing users with an enhanced mobile experience that helps them find what they are looking for more quickly and efficiently on the go," Google said in a published statement.

Marketing in a Mobile World

AdSense for Mobile is not just for any advertiser. The new program aims at AdSense partners who have created Web sites specifically for mobile browsers and who want to monetize their mobile content via contextual advertising. That's a smaller percentage of Web sites today, but a number that promises to grow in the future.

Like Google's other AdSense products, mobile text ads run on an auction model. The system automatically reviews the content of publishers' mobile Web sites and delivers text ads that are relevant to the Web sites' audience and content. Publishers earn money whenever mobile users click on the ads.

"Cell phones are the most personal of personal technology and carried by individuals everywhere, which makes them an almost ideal medium for targeted ads," said Avi Greengart, a mobile devices analyst at Current Analysis. "However, at the same time, that could also lead to a backlash. You don't necessarily want your device overrun with ads."

AdSense Opportunities Abound

The potential opportunities for Google in the mobile market are clearly vast. Frost & Sullivan figures the mobile advertising market in the U.S. alone will generate $2.12 billion in revenue by 2011 compared to $301 million in 2006. The Shoesteck Group estimates $10 billion globally by 2010, while EJL Wireless Research pegs the worldwide mobile advertising market at $9.5 billion by 2011.

Google already has signed pacts to get its search software on mobile handsets, but the AdSense for Mobile program is more of a direct push into the mobile advertising market. The question now is whether Google will spend billions of dollars in the upcoming action for wireless spectrum or even develop its own handset.

"In some markets, particularly emerging markets, the phone -- not the computer -- is where you get your data. So this move takes a long-term view," Greengart said. "Google definitely sees the mobile market as a supplement or maybe even a potential successor to the wired Internet."

AdSense for Mobile will be available in the United States, England, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Russia, Netherlands, Australia, India, China, and Japan.

Sources: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20070918/tc_nf/55390

Google to Sell Web-Page Ads Visible on Mobile Phones

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:54:00 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 17 — in another step to extend its dominance of online advertising, Google said Monday that it would begin selling ads on Web pages that are viewed on cell phones.
The company said that its new product, AdSense for Mobile, would establish a cell phone advertising network in which Google would match ads with the content of mobile Web pages, much as it does online.

Other Internet giants, including Yahoo and AOL Time Warner, as well as some start-ups, have also created advertising networks tailored for mobile phones.

Dilip Venkatachari, product management director for AdSense, said the ads would provide a new source of revenue for publishers and could encourage more online sites to create mobile-focused Web sites. Like most other Google advertising systems, ad prices will be set through an auction and advertisers will pay when a user clicks on its ad.

Mr. Venkatachari said Google had encouraged publishers to have no more than two ads per mobile page, a smaller number than typically appear on a PC’s Web browser.

Google has been testing the system with a limited number of advertisers and publishers this year. On Tuesday, it will open it to all mobile publishers in 13 countries, including the United States, Britain, France, China and India.

Last summer, Google began selling ads that appear next to search results on mobile phones through a program known as AdWords. Last week, it said that all of its online AdWords advertisers, which are said to number in the hundreds of thousands, would be eligible to have their ads appear next to search results on cell phones.

Google’s further inroads into mobile advertising have long been expected. But the market remains relatively small, and analysts do not expect the new service to contribute much soon to Google’s bottom line.

Still, advertisers and publishers appear to be growing increasingly comfortable with mobile advertising. AdMob, a start-up that runs a mobile advertising network, showed 230 million ads in January and expects to show about 1.5 billion this month, said Omar Hamoui, its founder and chief executive.

“The reason that Google and others are getting in is that the market is growing so rapidly, so people are getting very excited,” Mr. Hamoui said.

Earlier in the year, AOL acquired Third Screen Media, an AdMob competitor, while Microsoft acquired Screen Tonic, a mobile ad company based in Paris. On Monday, Nokia said it would buy Enpocket, a company in Boston that displays ads on cell phones.

Microsoft said it was expanding a mobile search partnership with Sprint first announced last November. Since then, Microsoft’s search technology allowed Sprint customers to look for ring tones and local Web content, like restaurants and stores. Starting Tuesday, Sprint customers will be able to use Microsoft’s service to search the entire Web on their cell phones.

In addition, customers will be able to choose to have Sprint track their whereabouts, so that when they search for local content, they will not have to type in their location.

Users will also have access to these services through voice-activated technology, allowing them to speak into the device rather than triple-tap or type in a keyword. Want to know more about this content, please visit http://www.nytimes.com/pages/technology/index.html by Miguel Helft

Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/technology/18google.html?ref=technology

SEO Strategic Planning...

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 09:00:00 +0000

When it comes to search engine optimization, the importance of having a strategy cannot be denied. The strategy within the strategy is to get results, but without a specific SEO marketing plan you’re left with no specific course of action to improve your search engine rankings.

Search engine optimization has much of its roots in advertising and marketing, and thus shares similar planning requirements. In marketing one would never spend thousands of dollars on a campaign without a clear vision of how all the elements of the campaign will fit together. The same goes for SEO. One should only invest in SEO if it is created with a specific strategic plan in mind.

What is a strategic plan you might be wondering? A SEO strategic plan is simply a plot or plan of action as to the course your search engine optimization campaign will take. This plan helps you to stay the course when measurable results may not be easily attained on the first try. Often people look for a magic solution. While Oxy clean solution might make a stain disappear, it takes much longer to create results on the web than to clean up a stain on the carpet. The more of the right steps you take, the better results you achieve. In other words a strategic plan is necessary to keep impatience in line and demonstrate the bigger picture.

How does a strategic plan come about? It’s usually created with the accepted methods of SEO in mind, as a roadmap of the steps your SEO provider plans to implement on your behalf and what each of those steps will do for your search engine positioning.

While this plan is often not easy to read for the average person, it is incredibly important to understand for those investing their money into a SEO campaign. A good SEO company will be the one that creates a SEO strategic plan that is not only easy to understand for the client, but chock full of the latest technology and techniques. Technology is similar to the universe in that it is forever changing, and always in motion. Your SEO team must understand this and make the necessary adjustments to help you with your SEO strategic plan by keeping it as up to date as possible as technology changes.

Finally it’s important to look at the SEO strategic plan as something that will help you accomplish your Internet goals in the long run. If you want your website to receive higher natural rankings for your keyword terms, it’s time to get serious about SEO and set the SEO process in motion as soon as possible.

Recommended Resources : http://www.onlinebusinessrevenue.com/articles.php

How to Increase Google Adsense CTR

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 08:43:00 +0000

We all want to increase Google Adsense CTR i.e. click through ratio, because the higher times the surfer clicks the Adsense ad, higher is the payout to you.

How to get higher CTR?

Post Adsense ads them on text rich pages and make sure that Adsense had a bunch of keywords to work with. Getting Higher paying keywords is better of course.
Learn how to get rid of public service ads, which pay you nothing for your efforts.
Avoid titles like the approved ‘Sponsored Links’ and ‘Advertisements’ above the Adsense ads. Why do you want to tell the world they are ads when google already puts ‘Ads by Gooooogle’ with them? These two terms are the only ones allowed by Google TOS. Any other terms will get your account terminated.

Best Google Adsense Placement to get higher CTR?

Place Ads above the fold, i.e. you don’t have to scroll down to see the ads. Moreover it loads before your entire page does.
Provide lots of free space around ads so that they stand out and users know where to find them
Experiment by changing the location of advertisements. Track them by channels to see which location works. Sometimes they can do wonders.
Many experienced Adsense users have reported better CTR with vertical ads rather than the horizontal ones. But that really depends on your site structure.
Usually it is recommended to place towers on your right, as users tend to use the mouse to scroll the bar on the right side with a higher chance to see your ads. Some have reported doubling CTR’s by placing towers to the left rather than the right, as people have got bored of seeing ads on the right, it has something to do with the sidedness of the brain which I do not understand and there is a tendency to read from left to the right.
Many sites will have small ads in the top right hand corner, as they claim it is the first place where the eye sees.
An excellent article on Eye tracking - What We Saw When We Looked Through Their Eyes helps to tell you where users actually see first and in what order.

Best Google Adsense Link Colors to get higher CTR?

Match the colors of your ads with the colour scheme of your site. Blending with your sites color profile helps to identify them not as ads, but as links similar to those of your site. The more the AdSense looks like part of your site, the higher CTR you will get.
Blend ads with your page - remove the borders by having a similar color as your background helps to show ads as being part of your site. Do not blend text or the ‘Ads by Gooooogle’ with your background as it is against Google TOS. However, such blending may not work for you always due to banner blindness. Neither do they see the ads, not do they click on them. So a contrasting ad may suit your site better.
Experiment by changing the colors, background of advertisements. Sometimes they can do wonders.

I hope these tips help to get your Adsense CTR up by at least 100% if not more. Good luck!

Article Source: http://www.quickonlinetips.com/archives/2005/03/increase-google-adsense-ctr-by-500/

15 Creative Ways to Make Money with e-Books

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:51:00 +0000

1. Allow other ezine publishers or web site owners to republish small nuggets or excerpts of information from your e-book with your byline or ad included.
2. Make extra profits from selling monthly updates of your e-book. You could also back end sell the extra never released chapters of your e-book.
3. Give away a free e-book and then give people an option of buying the paid version of the e-book. Also let others give away the free version of your e-book.
4. Divide your e-book content into reports then give people the option of just purchasing the info they want.
5. Purchase reprint rights to other people's e-books an combine them with your in a large package deal or private e-book library web site.
6. Change the benefits on your e-book ad copy into links. When people c.lick on it take them right to the order page. It'll give them an urge to buy your e-book.
7. Charge peoples a cheap price to read half of your e-book. If they like it, they can pay full price to read the other half.
8. Offer freebies that are related to the e-book you’re selling. It could be free monthly e-book updates, free e-zine, free consulting, etc.
9. Show your prospects a sample page out of your e-book. Just black out some of the important info. This will make your prospects curious to buy.
10. Provide a low and high priced version of your e-book. Show benefits of each version side by side. People usually spend a little more for extra info.
11. Offer the reprint rights to your e-book. You can sell the rights with the regular purchase price or as a separate higher price.
12. Make your e-book available for offline people. Your could turn it into a print book, report, video, audio book, print newsletter, etc.
13. Redesign your e-book for specific niches. You can create multiple profits with very little work. Ex: Turn a business e-book into a craft business e-book.
14. Give your prospects discount coupons on other products when they purchase your e-book. It could be your products or others that you made deals with.
15. Divide your e-book into online newsletter issues. You could charge a reoccurring monthly subscription for people to view each issue.

Quote of the Day:

"The day, water, sun, moon, night -- I do not have to purchase these things with money." -- Titus Maccius Plautus

About the Author:

Eugenijus Sakalauskas is an established ezine publisher and direct marketer who specialize in developing new ideas and methods on ezine - Free marketing recourses, articles, and website promotion tips. You can find our more about this resource here : CLICK HERE

Who else wants to make money with Adsense?

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 07:18:00 +0000

Fact number 1: Kids in high school are making thousands of dollars every month with Adsense.

Fact number 2: Housewives, retirees, mom and dads, who are just staying at home and have never made a dime on the internet have created full-time incomes by simply placing Adsense ads on their web site or blog.

These are just some of the “super Adsense earners”. You may have already heard about their story for they are among the few who are on their way to making millions worth of cash just by promoting Adsense sites.

Anyone, any age and gender can become money generating Adsense publishers as long as they what it takes. How does one go about this Internet advertising?

Writing articles for Adsense is the way to do it. Using the right keywords in your articles and having Google ads on a certain site has become the most profitable way of marketing that anybody can get into. No experience and level of education needed. If you are not using this strategy, or may not be aware of it in the first place, chances are you may be losing thousands of dollars worth of extra income and still do not know it yet.

This is one of the many reasons why writing original quality content articles are now the latest in marketing buzz. Content and links. When combined together becomes a really powerful tool to a successful web site and richer individuals. Many internet marketing professionals are already aware of the value of original quality content and how using keywords can drive targeted traffic into their sites from the search engines.

So why don’t all these web site owners write and submit their own articles if that is what is important?

The simple and understandable answer is that it takes time to write articles, submit them and get targeted traffic to their websites. That is why they get the services of those who can spares sometime to write the articles that would cater to their site purpose but still turn out as a good quality and unique piece of work.

To get into the Adsense marketing business and start earning some good cash, ask yourself. Did you enjoy writing when you were in school? If you answer yes to this question, you already have an initial advantage over most internets marketing business owners that want to make money online and doing it at home.

With the boom in the Adsense market comes the need for sites to want fresh, quality and original keyword rich content. This way, web site owners can have a steady supply of articles with the proper keywords that they relate to their site contents. The result of this is seen in the sites page rank when indexed by the search engines. Which, in turn, gets more Adsense ads to show above, below or next to the article on their website with targeted traffic?

What do people have to do?

Write quality and original content, keyword or phrase rich articles with links to your website in the resource box. Then build a website or web page with targeted keyword or phrase rich original content for the targeted traffic that originates from the articles you wrote. Finally, you will have a Google Adsense ads that are targeted to your keyword or phrase rich original content site where visitors will get to visit when they come looking for information.

A win-win situation if you think more about it. A favor for persons looking for quality content and information. For the persons writing the original content articles. And the person with the quality original content rich website. Of course, the search engines and its advertisers are getting targeted traffic and sales but so what? As long as you are getting something in your favor, it does not really matter what the others are getting for themselves.

So who else wants to start earning money with Adsense? You. Everyone. Anybody. Internet marketing has many opportunities wide open for this people. Writing articles and using Adsense for your kind of internet marketing strategy is one sure way of getting a piece of that action and cash.

Better not be left behind the many making millions already.

Source: http://www.goodadsense.com/whoelse.php

Year of the Social Network: 2006 or 2007?

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 08:08:00 +0000

News Corp's buyout of Intermix (parent company of Myspace.com) started a ball rolling toward large-scale acceptance of social networks. Of course, Myspace already had a significant following, but News Corp has done a remarkable job of just letting the site be. Even Myspace.com/Foxnews hasn't been moderated - it's still a spoof page of Rupert Murdoch, who's "Who I'd Like to Meet" section describes "People with a master's degree in journalism, who aren't affraid to take some orders from the top, or bend the truth to suit my needs and desires." News Corp, regardless of your opinion of their other ventures, has left Myspace more or less to it's own devices.
So with 2006 winding down, I'm wondering if we're saying goodbye to the year of the social network, or saying hello to a fresh new one. I've already talked a little about Affiliate Marketing on Squidoo, which represents a cross between a DIY website and a social network. Yahoo has tried (relatively unsuccessfully) to build out it's Yahoo 360 pages. Microsoft, a latecomer to the social networking party, is beta testing it's Wallop social network. Another new social networking application is emerging as well called Ning. Ning is a great opportunity for socially-inclined affiliate marketers because you can change the source code of the page, all while running the Ning social networking application in the background (so you can add friends' lists, for instance). Unlike Myspace or 360, and likely Wallop, Ning encourages users to place their own ads on their site, be it Google Adsense or raw affiliate links.
Social networking platforms are slowly learning that people contributing content to a platform would like the ability to have a piece of that success. I doubt Squidoo and Ning will be the only companies to invent social networking profit sharing.
I feel pretty confident that for all the strides that were made in 2006 in the social networking realm, 2007 will emerge with a new wave of impressive social networking opportunities.
Keep a close eye on the very well funded Demand Media। It is run by former Intermix CEO Richard Rosenblatt (who was the critical link for the Myspace / News Corp acquisition). It's received over $100 million of funding. It's acquiring smaller niche content providers (including eHow.com where I was on the initial development team back in 1998) as well as technology solutions to manage social networks. I get the feeling Mr. Rosenblatt is planning on rolling out something significant, which may affect thousands of affiliate marketers overnight.

News Corp's buyout of Intermix (parent company of Myspace.com) started a ball rolling toward large-scale acceptance of social networks. Of course, Myspace already had a significant following, but News Corp has done a remarkable job of just letting Read More...

Making Info Products Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (pongoen) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 07:31:00 +0000

One of the hottest niche markets off the Internet marketing field is reprint rights. Everyone wants to have their own products without having to create them, themselves.

Basically, reprint rights are products people have created like e-books or anything digital usually and they allow people to buy rights to sell the product as their own without having to give any money from the sales to the original owner.

Reprint rights sell from as low as $17 to as high as $15,000 and more.

The idea for this business is to be the middle man when people are looking for reprint rights. You could create a site that allows people to advertise the type of reprint rights they are offering to their product and you could charge them a set fee or take a percentage of the sale.

This is sort of like the first business idea; the difference really is the market.

You could even set it up as a membership site. I know I would pay to join a site that had honest reviews on reprint rights for sale. Become the central hub for people looking for reprint rights and for people looking to advertise their reprint rights.

Check out their sites http://wachara.com very useful info.