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Can You Really Use Articles To Build Your List?

Getting customers in your site should always be ranked as high as the importance of the quality and the excellence of the product and the services you provide.

They should go hand in hand in providing your customers the satisfaction they get in exchange for the money they have paid for them.
 Customer service should as well be as fantastic so that the customers are provided with the same satisfaction.
One of the ways you can combine marketing and customer service is through opt-in marketing.

With an opt-in list you get the opportunity to introduce your site and products on a good time basis.
Opt-in marketing strategy is a marketing strategy that is virtually low cost and not time consuming.

Here, you get the consent of your website visitors to subscribe to your newsletters and other promotional materials such as catalogs and free promotions.
Opt-in marketing uses your list of subscribers to send e-mail to. These e-mails will contain the materials you will send to your subscribers.

It is essential that you present your promotional items in a manner that will catch the interest and the eye of your subscribers to keep them wanting for more.
 
 The best way to do this is to provide fun, entertaining and informational articles.
Well written articles full of content and useful information will help in building your list as more subscribers will be enticed your list.
 
When they have read the samples of your contents in your sites, they will be intrigued as to what will come next.
 
Subscribing to your newsletter will offer them a glimpse of what you have to offer next.
 
Many sites and companies have captured the importance of articles and this also aids in search engine optimization.
 
As more people are heading towards the internet for their information needs, serving the right information to them via articles in your site will increase the flow of your website traffic.
 
With more traffic, the percentage of your sales will grow. More sales turn into more profit.
 
There have been the rise for the importance of well written, information enriched and keyword packed articles for the content of their site as well as for newsletters.

 These articles provide the information many are seeking in the internet.
If your site has them, more people will be going to your site for information and research.
Well written articles would also boost your sites reputation.
 
If they are filled with many information you will be regarded as well informed and an expert on the subjects that you tackle.
 
Your articles must be well researched so that the people will trust you.
When you have gained their trust, they will always come for you for their needs on that subject.
 
In connection, you must write articles or commission them to tackle subjects that are closely connected with your type of business.
 
If you have a site for a medicine tackling a certain disease, your articles must be about the diseases.
 Or if you sell materials for home improvements provide articles with those themes.
 
Most articles searched for are tips, guidelines, methods, manuals and such.
If you provide these articles to your customers and you have their trust, they will always go to your site for help and advice as well as for your products.
 
With the loyalty of these customers, they may subscribe to your opt-in list to receive all the information you have.
 
 If you provide them with the answers for that need, they will be happy to be receiving your newsletters as well as other promotional materials to keep them well informed.
 
 Others may even forward your newsletters to other people when they find a certain article interesting.
You should provide links in your newsletter so that when other people are reading it and wants to read more, they may click on the link and go to your site.
 
With the articles you have in your site that are good, they may decide to sign up as well for your opt-in list.
This will build your list and make it bigger. Make sure to keep your subscribers happy and interested in your newsletters and promotional materials.

Keep on posting and writing good articles for your site and newsletter. If you are not interested in writing them or if you just don’t have the time, there are many available well experienced and knowledgeable writers available to help you out.
 
This is an investment that will pay for itself in time. Have A Great Day.

A General Approach To Learning Management Skills

In management there is always a distant tune playing in the background. Once you hear this tune, you will start humming it to yourself: in the shower, in the boardroom, on the way to work, when watching the sunrise. It is a simple tune which repeats again and again in every aspect of your managerial life; if goes:  
PLAN - MONITOR - REVIEW 
Before you start any activity you must STOP and THINK about it: what is the objective, how can it be achieved, what are the alternatives, who needs to be involved, what will it cost, is it worth doing? When you have a plan you should STOP and THINK about how to ensure that your plan is working.  
 
You must find ways of monitoring your progress, even if it is just setting deadlines for intermediate stages, or counting customer replies, or tracking the number of soggy biscuits which have to be thrown away, whatever: choose something which displays progress and establish a procedure to ensure that happens.
 
  But before you start, set a date on which you will STOP again and Re-THINK your plan in the light of the evidence gathered from the monitoring. Whenever you have something to do, consider not only the task but first the method.  
 
Thus if there is a meeting to decide the marketing slogan for the new product you should initially ignore anything to do with marketing slogans and decide:
1) how should the meeting be held,
2) who can usefully contribute,
 3) how will ideas be best generated,
4) what criteria are involved in the decision,
 5) is there a better way of achieving the same end,
 6) If you resolve these points first, all will be achieved far more smoothly. 
 
Many of these decisions do not have a single "right" answer, the point is that they need to have "an" answer so that the task is accomplished efficiently. It is the posing of the questions in the first place which will mark you out as a really great manager - the solutions are available to you through common sense. Once the questions are posed, you can be creative. 
 
For instance, "is there a better way of producing a new slogan?" could be answered by a quick internal competition within the company (answers on a postcard by tomorrow at noon) asking everybody in the company to contribute an idea first.
 
 This takes three minutes and a secretary to organize, it provides a quick buzz of excitement throughout the whole company, it refocuses everyone's mind on the new product and so celebrates its success, all staff feel some ownership of the project, and you start the meeting with several ideas either from which to select a winner or to use as triggers for further brainstorming. 
 
Thus with a simple -- pause -- from the helter skelter of getting the next job done, and a moment's reflection, you can expedite the task and build team spirit throughout the entire company.
It is worth stressing the relative importance of the REVIEW.
 
 In an ideal world where managers are wise, information is unambiguous and always available, and the changes in life are never abrupt or large; it would be possible for you to sit down and to plan the strategy for your group. 
 
Unfortunately, managers are mortals, information is seldom complete and always inaccurate (or too much to assimilate), and the unexpected always arrives inconveniently. 
 
The situation is never seen in black and white but merely in a fog of various shades of grey. Your planning thus represents no more than the best guess you can make in the current situation; the review is when you interpret the results to deduce the emerging, successful strategy (which might not be the one you had expected). 
 
The review is not merely to fine-tune your plan, it is to evaluate the experiment and to incorporate the new, practical information which you have gathered into the creation of the next step forward; you should be prepared for radical changes. 
 
LEADERSHIP
There is a basic problem with the style of leadership advocated in this article in that nearly every historic "Leader" one can name has had a completely different approach; Machiavelli did not advocate being a caring Protector as a means of becoming a great leader but rather that a Prince ought to be happy with "a reputation for being cruel in order to keep his subjects unified and loyal". 
 
Your situation, however, is a little different. You do not have the power to execute, nor even to banish. The workforce is rapidly gaining in sophistication as the world grows more complex. 
 
You cannot effectively control through fear, so you must try another route. You could possibly gain compliance and rule your team through edict; but you would lose their input and experience, and gain only the burdens of greater decision making.  
 
You do not have the right environment to be a despot; you gain advantage by being a team leader. A common mistake about the image of a manager is that they must be loud, flamboyant, and a great drinker or golfer or racket player or a great something social to draw people to them. This is wrong. In any company, if you look hard enough, you will find quiet modest people who manager teams with great personal success. 
 
If you are quiet and modest, fear not; all you need is to talk clearly to the people who matter (your team) and they will hear you. The great managers are the ones who challenge the existing complacency and who are prepared to lead their teams forward towards a personal vision.  
 
They are the ones who recognize problems, seize opportunities, and create their own future. Ultimately, they are the ones who stop to think where they want to go and then have the shameless audacity to set out. Have a wonderful day.

The Benefits Of RSS Feeds, RSS Aggregator And Reader Tools

RSS Meaning Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary is the latest information management tool that is gradually earning popularity among web users and website owners.
With RSS technology, it is possible to get the latest postings from your favorite websites.

But clicking on the RSS or XML button in a homepage is not enough to give you the service you need.
An RSS feed or code displayed in the pop-up screen if not on the main page is composed of symbols and words that would only make sense to advanced RSS users and computer programmers and software enthusiasts.
 Another software tool called an RSS aggregator or reader is needed.
An aggregator works by scanning the worldwide web with latest postings based on the RSS code (containing the website’s URL) provided or added by the user.
When it finds a new posting, news, or update, it will publish the RSS feed on your home page containing the title of the posting, which also serves as a clickable link to the website source. This RSS feed may or may not contain the whole article, a summary, and photos, depending on what RSS aggregator you are using.
Aggregators come in two types: the downloadable program or desktop-type and the online or web-based type. The desktop aggregator usually charges a certain amount for its services; this would include regular updating in the form of upgrades or patches to the original version.
This type of RSS reader allows more customization of RSS feeds as well as page format or design over its on-line counterparts. But of course, price can be a drawback.
On-line or web-based aggregators are free of charge. All you need to do is register an account with them then you can start enjoying their services.
Depending on the “brand” of the aggregator, customization is more limited. Some even do not allow you to customize at all.
Product and service advertisers are realizing the potential of RSS aggregators in internet marketing.
In fact, several submit RSS codes to several popular web-based aggregators to reach the growing technophile and internet-based market.
My Yahoo has been instrumental in popularizing RSS technology to both users and website owners and advertisers.
At present, there are many aggregators to choose from and newer versions of the same aggregator are constantly developed by its programmers.
Below are some of these desktop and online aggregators:
Desktop Aggregators
1.    AmphetaDesk
Advantages:
-    free
-    supports Linux, Mac, and Windows
-    easy addition of RSS feeds
Disadvantages:
-    not maximized use of screen display
-    few options for customizing

2.    FeedDemon
Advantages:
-    user friendly
-    free trial version
-    contains prepared popular feeds
-    allows filtering of RSS feeds
-    configurable “watch list” to manage junk RSS feeds
-    search channel feature that incorporates other RSS services e.g. Feedster
-    allows feed storage for future use
-    tabbed browsers for channel navigation
-    built-in podcast receiver
Disadvantages:
-    supports only Internet Explorer (embedded)
-    paid software (`$29.95)

Online Aggregators
1.    Bloglines
Advantages:
-    all major browsers supported (e.g. Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, Firefox)
-    user-friendly especially for beginners
-    free, web-based aggregator
-    easy registration
-    no advertisements
-    contains its own directory of RSS feeds of thousands of websites
-    personal email account for subscribing to newsletter emails (optional)
-    allows privacy adjustments for personal blogs
-    allows saved searches
-    mobile version available
-    10 languages supported
-    Additional add-on tools for automated blogrolls and subscription buttons

2.    NewsGator
Advantages:
-    free (consumer-standard version)
-    provides personalized news channel
-    allows translation of RSS articles into email format
-    synchronization of feeds in several devices possible
-    browse and search feed capabilities save time on surfing
-    allows keyword filtering
-    blog headlines
-    button-click automatic subscription to news feeds

Disadvantage:
-    Outlook-based thus limited to Windows

3.    My Yahoo
Advantages:
-    Free web-based aggregator
-    user-friendly
-    customizable home page design
-    button-click subscription to RSS feeds
-    built-in directory and search tool for feeds
-    wide variety of feeds e.g. news (science, technology, local), weather
-    connects to all Yahoo features and services

Disadvantage
-    banner advertisements

There are also lightweight RSS aggregator extensions which are actually plug-ins to existing internet browsers. An example of which is Sage aggregator.

Advantages:

-    free of charge
-    beginner-friendly
-    reeds both RSS and Atom feeds
-    allows feed discovery
-    can be assimilated to Firefox bookmark (storage and live)
-    allows OPML feed lists imports and exports
-    customizable style sheets
-    supports a wide range of locales e.g. Catalan, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Korean, Polish, Slovenian, etc.
-    easy installation

Disadvantages:
-    good for about 12 RSS feeds
-    limited use to Mozilla-Firefox and Mozilla-Firefox supported browsers
RSS developers promise better features in future versions of their aggregators.
Microsoft also planned to include a built-in aggregator in their next Windows version.
These developments are definitely something to look forward to by all internet aficionados.

New Education Loan Repayment Scheme In The US

In a sign that education is highly prioritized by the United States government, it has been offering for quite some time student loans for college and graduate students who need assistance.

The goal of the program is very obvious: to help students get on to earn degrees despite continuously rising costs.

 It is a common knowledge to everyone that US students are quite independent. That is why they are left to make ends meet and finance their own endeavors.

Thousands of college and graduate students across the country are benefiting from the program. Many are earning their degrees with much financial hassle.

 The catch is that those students are mandated and required to repay their student loans after they graduate.

This scheme is a welcome note to most students, who really are in dire need to pay for their education. But repaying loan amounts for a number of years (average about 10 years) could be a daunting task to most.

There is good news amid the current financial crisis and the pressured job market. The federal government’s Income Based Repayment program recently allowed that it would finally allow student borrowers to cap monthly loan repayments at just about 15% of total annual income.

This move is expected to particularly benefit new graduates who are faced with big loan repayments amid a tough employment market these days.

Graduates with lower income and with children would be required to pay much lower repayments monthly, or in specific cases, none at all.

This scheme would encompass federal loans, which account for around 66% of total student debts. Private loans made by students are not covered, though private lenders may always offer their own incentives.

This is obviously and logically a welcome note to all student borrowers. However, student borrowers who have already been on defaults would not enjoy the program.

It is estimated that about 60% of US students with bachelor’s degree have student loans. On the average, such students accumulate $23,000 in student borrowings.

For a typical 10-year loan repayment program, the amount would require them to pay about $260 monthly.

Medical students on the average have bigger student loans at about $106,000 each. This translates to higher monthly repayments after graduation.

Because of the new student loan repayment scheme, graduates who earn about $30,000 annually would only be required to pay just up to $172 monthly.

Those who earn up to $40,000 annually would pay $297 monthly. The scheme is set to help those borrowers feel some ease in repaying monthly student loan dues. It is a welcome note especially these days, when the economic crisis is still very much felt across the US.

Graduates who are employed by public service offices are entitled to more perks. For 25-year student loans, remaining loan balances would be written off. The scheme would lower repayments by up to 10 years.

The US education system has always been a role model for many countries. The country is really a nation valuing education at most.

The student loan programs are indeed proof that the government is bent on helping the youth solidify their potential for the future.

 If only other countries could also offer the same program, many teenagers would earn degrees that would qualify them to better jobs and of course, better sources of income.

Who Said Being Fired Was The End Of The Road, 40 Tips To Get Ahead

Your life may well have just begun! In 40 points listed below:

1. Go for a walk A long walk. Preferably barefoot on a very long strip of beach. Imagine you're leaving the past job and past life behind you with every step you take.

Throwing pebbles and large stones into the ocean optional. Avoid swimmers even if they resemble old colleagues.

2. Get your finances in order Make sure you are on a sustainable budget and that your savings are invested at the optimal risk/ reward ratio given your age, state of unemployment and expenditures.

 3. Post your CV on the best internet job sites, Then lie back while the site's Saved Search does all the work.

4. Make a list of everything you hated about your job Keep referring to it when you feel like screaming.

5. Make a list of everything you hate about yourself Burn that list in a little bonfire in a midnight ritual - you are now ready to resume life as a new, improved YOU.

6. Go to your favorite restaurant Order everything you've ever wanted to eat there and eat it all at once. Then order some more.

7. Go for a long swim in the ocean Pretend you're never coming back - but make sure you can. Alert lifeguard on duty before you embark on this exercise.

 8. Go for a cruise in your car blasting your favorite song at full volume Then sing along at the top of your voice and don't mind the stares you get from scared or concerned motorists. If your boss sees you, all the better...

  9. Take up kickboxing in the evenings A great way to vent your anger and frustration and at the same time network with other angry overworked, underpaid or unemployed professionals.

10. Go somewhere you've always wanted to go Whether it be that 5-bedroom motel in a neighboring village, a riverside shack in Thailand or a 5* hotel in Switzerland now is the time to indulge. Make sure you stay long enough to unwind without depleting your hard-earned savings.

11.  Buy a trashy novel and read it all in one go Comfy pillow and assorted junk food items need to be at hand.

12. Call your best childhood friend Cry to her/him about the injustice and degradation of it all.

13.  Go window-shopping in the most expensive part of town Make a mental inventory of all those items you will buy when you land the next job.

14. Open a cook book and make a lavish dinner for 20 Invite everyone you can locate at short notice. Tell them all when they come that you're looking for a job.

15. Go for a manicure/pedicure Whine to the manicurist about the perils and boredom of unemployment.

 16. Go for a long massage Then have them remove you supine, on a stretcher.

 17. Go through your old photographs Remember what it was like when you had your whole life ahead of you and the world seemed plush with opportunities. Stay in that mind-frame.

 18. Buy all the flavours of your favorite ice-cream brand Then invite one friend to a comedy movie night.

 19. Organize all the cupboards in your house Purchase fragranced tissue lining paper, line your clothes closets and put one fragranced tissue paper on top of each meticulously folded item of clothing.

20. Colour code your closets and tissue paper for an added sense of achievement.

21. Put fresh flowers in every corner and crevice of your house Nothing like that fresh scent and the sight of live blooms to lift your spirits.

22. Take up a new hobby Now is the time to discover and nurture the nascent Botticcelli or Tchaikovsky in you.

Make sure to offend. Practice musical overtures on anyone who will listen (or won't) and make sure your artistic endeavours grace everything from the milk bottles you hand back to the milkman every morning to the t-shirt your best friend lent you, the window that most overlooks the neighbours' living room and the dining room ceiling your husband took pains to plaster.

23. Go to Disney world Regress to that time in your life when only the important things mattered. Local variation on Disneyland will do if finances/ visa requirements/ state of nervous breakdown don't permit travel.

24. Learn a Language Buy a beret and enroll in an intensive French course or pick up German to go with your newly found infatuation with Beethoven. Make sure the course is a daily one and that you take pains to immerse yourself in the language and the culture.

25. Buy a Goldfish Name him after the manager who fired you. That way when the goldfish is deceased - and they have a horrible habit of doing that - your grief will be short-lived.

In the meantime, admire the miraculous peace and serenity of this life form in your house. This is NOT a recipe for sushi.

26. Enroll in a Charity Nothing like doing good things for other people to lift the spirit and give you a sense of achievement and fulfillment.

You don't need to feel very strongly about the charity - just do something that unselfishly puts you out on a limb for someone else's sake.

27. Open a stock trading account and try to beat the indices Move aside back issues of Cosmopolitan and Archie and start collecting finance and trade literature.

You will also need spectacles (rectangular brown tortoise shell), a coffee maker and a computer in the bedroom. Can be done in your Tintin pajamas but make sure you only put your bowling money on the line at this stage.
 
28. Take up Photography Then redecorate your hallway with a series of bleached wood framed black-and-white photographs of your favorite person or scene.

29.Find a Friend with a Baby Nothing like spending time with a candy-wrapped bundle of innocence and laughs to recharge your batteries and remind you of what matters most.

30. Read Proust's Remembrances of Things Past And console yourself with dreams of buying a French chateau, complete with bubbles, when you succeed in your next job.

31. Do a thorough self-analysis Who are you really? What makes you tick? What do you really like and enjoy? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Where would you like to be? Put this self-analysis down on paper and use it to plan your next career move.

32. Take a Course Hone your skills whether they be business, finance, marketing or other by enrolling in the best course available, in or out of town, and giving it your all.

33. Start polishing your Job Search Skills Sift through job hunting articles on a major site's Career Center and read everything you can get a hold of on job hunting skills.

 34. Learn to bake bread An endangered skill and one that is a conversation-stopper in cocktail parties and a sure winner if you are inviting your other half to an intimate dinner for two at home.

35. Exercise your body back into shape Who says you can't look like you did when you were twenty? Join a gym and attend daily for an hour; you should see results within 3 weeks.

36. Practice your interviewing skills on anyone who will listen, Read Interview Tips and Interview Don'ts found reading career tips online.

37. Don't waste time No time like the present to network, research companies you want to work for and apply to all the positions you find attractive on a regional job site.

38. Spread the grief Join a Work style Community Forum where you can share your experiences, ideas, hopes and aspirations with other professionals.

39. Plan for Success Repeat 100 times:- You WILL succeed in your next job, you WILL succeed in your next job, you WILL succeed in your next job... envisioning yourself as a high flyer in your field.

Then pick up a pen and paper and plan in intricate detail for that success.

40. Read industry literature Now is the time to catch up on all those trade magazines and periodicals you haven't had time to read on your job. Bringing yourself up to speed on the latest developments in your industry is sure to impress in your next interview.

Remember, the sky's the limit You will work hard, play fair and be good to those around you.

In short, you will SUCCEED wildly, extravagantly and beyond your wildest dreams.

You just need to get started.

Have a great time.