Baby Boom - Or Bust ?

Baby Boom - Or Bust ?

In the eighteen years between 1946 and 1964, over 78 million babies were born in the United States. World War II had been good for the American economy, pulling it out of the Great Depression for good.

During the “fabulous 50s,” unprecedented industrial growth provided steady employment and rising incomes. The four-child family became the ideal, along with a house in the suburbs, two cars in the driveway, and that wonderful new invention, the television, in the living room. One-income families were the norm - and for the middle class at least, one paycheck was enough to supply families with an increasing number of luxuries and new experiences.

While many boomers have invested wisely for retirement, the majority have just not saved enough. There have been incredible social and economic changes since the 1950s, when boomers grew up with an innocent confidence that life could only get better.

Unlike their fathers, who were likely to stay with one company and draw a sizable pension, many boomers have job-hopped - sometimes out of boredom or a desire to find work that would make them happy, and sometimes because of mergers, layoffs, outsourcing, and early-retirement buyouts.

Skyrocketing housing, education, and healthcare costs have depleted retirement nest eggs as boomers have found themselves sandwiched between college expenses for their children and care for their elderly parents. The increased frequency of divorce has also left many boomers with much less in their IRAs and 401Ks than they thought they would have.

Then there are those who have put aside nothing at all. Perhaps they followed the advice in the popular 70s song “Cast Your Fate to the Wind.” Or perhaps they lived paycheck to paycheck and simply never had anything to save.

How Much Will You Need For Your Financing Retirement ?

In 2008, the oldest of those 78 million boomers will turn 62 and will qualify for reduced-rate social security payments. In the decades that follow, more and more will qualify. As most people know, social security replaces only about 40% of pre-retirement income. Investment advisors suggest that retirees will need 60-80% of their pre-retirement income in order to maintain a comparable lifestyle.

But that assumes that their expenses will decrease - that retirees will simply put themselves on austerity budgets and make up the shortfall. Unfortunately, even if they want to be more frugal, it won’t be easy. Supplemental Medicare policies and long-term care insurance are new expenses retirees must absorb, and property taxes, home and auto insurance, energy costs, and food expenses will all continue to rise.

The Worst That Could Happen ...

Boomers’ biggest fear is that a healthcare crisis will use up funds they’ve set aside for retirement. Medical advances allow people to live much longer than in the past, but their quality of life is often not the best, and spending for prescriptions that prolong life is through the ceiling.

Boomers are worried about living out their final years in an unpleasant but expensive nursing home, or having to ask their children for help. This fear is another factor that fuels the desire to accumulate just a little bit more money and take less from retirement nest eggs so they’ll be able to grow and the funds will be available when work is no longer an option.

How Will Boomers Find Needed Funds In Retirement ?

There was a Associated Press survey reported that the majority of boomers hope to retire from their current jobs at around age 63. However, 66 percent anticipate they will work for pay after retiring. Twenty-seven percent will continue to work out of financial necessity, 43 percent because they can’t picture “sitting around doing nothing,” and 19 percent so that they will have money available for extras they could not afford on their retirement income.

The majority of boomers foresee neither full-time leisure nor full-time retirement, but a combination of both. With 30 years of retirement a real possibility, they are looking for challenges, not rocking chairs. Some plan to launch new careers or use their skills as volunteers. Others say they will go back to school, start their own businesses, or try to turn a profit from a hobby.

Are You a “Wealth Builder” or “Stretched and Stressed” ?

In The New Retirement Survey, Harris Interactive and Age Wave questioned a diverse population and identified five different types of soon-to-be retiring boomers : the "Empowered Trailblazers," the "Wealth-Builders," the "Leisure Lifers," the "Anxious Idealists" and the "Stretched and Stressed."

** About 18% were “Empowered Trailblazers,” people who look forward to retirement because they see it as a progression to another phase of life. About 90% in this group plan to work some after retirement, but they will also be busy with travel, volunteering, taking or teaching classes, and generally enjoying anything new that comes along.

** “Wealth Builders” ( 20% ) are looking for more financial security for themselves and their families, and money is the main reason 79% will continue to work after official retirement.

** “Anxious Idealists” ( 13% ) worry that they do not have enough money to retire, especially since they want to leave an inheritance for their children and a legacy to charitable organizations.

** “Leisure Lifers” (13%) just want to relax. They’re sick of work, probably never liked their jobs, and definitely don’t want to work after retirement. They had low income levels and did not save enough, but they figure “someone will do something” to help them if they get into trouble.

** The “Stretched and Stressed” ( 18% ) are well aware that they have not saved enough for retirement. They will work because they have to, but they don’t look forward to it. This group is the least optimistic.

You have an 82% chance of identifying with a group that feels it needs more money for retirement. With the economy in constant fluctuation and costs of necessities rising steadily, it’s no wonder that most people fall into the “I need more money” category. Peace of mind means knowing not merely that you will somehow be able to survive, but that you’ll have the funds to allow you to enjoy the happy retirement envisioned by the “Empowered Trailblazers.”

YOU Control Your Future.

Fortunately, no matter how old you are right now, it is very possible to become a “Wealth Builder.” This doesn’t mean you have to become a workaholic or even keep working full time. Instead, you can build an income generator that will provide funds for you to invest now and to fund your retirement for many years into the future. And you can do it in the privacy and comfort of your own home, or even from your RV or vacation hotel.

As long as you have Internet access and a telephone, you can build a successful business that will quickly transport you from a state of anxiety and pessimism about retirement to one of financial confidence and security—ready to enjoy the rest of your life in a style you may never have imagined possible.

Is There Still Time To Start ?

Absolutely. Obviously, the sooner you get started, the better. Home Based Business is the best opportunity. There are teams of skilled business professionals is ready to take you through the steps of building a home based business that can free you from worrying about the future. If you are ready to take control and secure your financial future, you’ve come to the right place ...

To Your Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

Home Based Business - Without All The Headaches of Traditional Business

Home Based Business - Without All The Headaches of Traditional Business

Why Home Based Business ?

There is a very simple way of attaining this goal that has worked well for millions of people. You can have your very own business in your home, and you can cross off all or most of the steps listed above. The best part of exploring home-based business opportunities is that there is little risk and the upside is tremendous.

Many of the inconveniences and pressures of the traditional business are wiped away with the home business. The biggest roadblock to starting or buying a business is that they require a considerable up-front cash investment.

In addition to the large investment, the time commitment you must make when starting a business can ultimately turn out to be far greater than what you have experienced in any job, and the return is not necessarily worth the extra time or the financial risk.

Home Business is the opportunity that is truly shaping your life and allowing you the freedom to live out your dreams without all of the headaches and costs of traditional business.

You may go to "Home Based Business" in my blog to learn more ...

To Your Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

What Does It Take To Start Your Own Business ?

What Does It Take To Start Your Own Business ?

How many times have you, or someone you know, said something like "I've always wanted to have a business of my own. Something I'd really enjoy doing. Be my own boss."

Lots of people have the dream, but they get bogged down in the details of how to go about it. While this article isn't meant to serve as a complete business start-up guide, but it will give you an idea of some of the steps involved in starting your own business.

1. ) Hire Professionals

The most important professionals you'll need at the beginning are a lawyer and an accountant. The lawyer can help you decide if you want to be a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or some other type of company.

A good accountant can help you make this decision based on which will be most advantageous to you from a tax angle. A lawyer can also help you register your business and get any licenses and permits you will need, and can advise you about patenting your idea or protecting your intellectual property by requiring everyone you discuss your business with to sign non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements.

2. ) Make a Business Plan

You may need to hire a writer or other business professional to help you write a business plan. You'll need one to help yourself get organized as to what your business's main purpose or goal will be. This could be anything from serving hot dogs to people outside the home improvement store to providing technology support to major players in the business world.

Either way, you need a plan that sketches out how you will proceed toward your goal and an estimate of how much money you'll need to get there. What will your equipment costs be ? Will you be hiring employees ? How about renting office space ? All of these cost estimates should be included in your Business Plan.

3. ) Get Financing

How much start-up money will you need ? Do you have savings you can use ? Friends or business associates who might want to invest in your venture ? Or do you need a bank loan ?

Whatever the situation, you'll need to present a copy of your business plan to bankers or investors if you need to borrow money to get your company rolling.

4. ) Set Up Your Record-keeping System

A good accountant can advise you on the best record-keeping software for your business, and help you set up a system for keeping track of payables, receivables, sales tax, payroll, employee benefits plans, and so forth. You will be relying on the accountant for at least your yearly tax return for your business, and possibly for quarterly payroll and sales tax returns. Your accountant can also get you an EIN number ( Employer Identification Number ).

5. ) Find a Location

Depending on your business, location may be very important. If you need to be visible to the public ( say your business is a bookstore or restaurant ), then you'll have to think long and hard about where you should set up shop.

Location can make you or break you-and the rent is due no matter which way your fortune turns. You will also need to get a phone, get the utilities turned on, install your furniture and equipment, and get a sign or two that shouts "Hey look ! We're here !"

6. ) Set Up Accounts with Credit Card Companies

Every brick-and-mortar business these days takes plastic or they don't stay in business. You'll pay a small percentage for every credit or debit card transaction a customer makes. You will need to invest in a method for checking the validity of debit and credit cards-like those "Slide Card Here" machines at cash registers everywhere.

7. ) Hire Employees

You may not need to do this step if you're a one-person operation. Maybe you can get by with just one part-time person to answer phones and do some of the paperwork.

Of course, it depends on your business. You can probably run a small bookstore by yourself, but even a tiny restaurant means you'll need a cook, several servers, someone at the cashier, and so forth. You'll need to have them complete various forms for the IRS, and you may want to run background checks or at least check some references before you hire anyone.

8. ) Promote Your Business

Decide how you will let people know you exist, what you can do for them, and why they should come to you instead of someone else. Common forms of advertising are TV and radio commercials, newspaper ads, flyers, and coupons that appear in booklets distributed by local companies.

The list above might make you think twice about starting a business of your own. Perhaps you aren't looking to make such a financial commitment regarding the hiring of professionals, finding a location ... And it's also a big, big risk.

But let's look back at the way this article began : "I've always wanted to have a business of my own. Something I'd really enjoy doing. Be my own boss."

Than, what should you do ?

To Your Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

How To Increase Website Traffic ?

How To Increase Website Traffic ?

Looking to increase website traffic ?

If you've been active in Internet Marketing or have owned a Website for more than a couple of weeks ... You already know how important Website Traffic is !

The problem is, there are so many different ways to get Website Traffic, it's difficult to know which course to take.

1. ) You could just buy "Pay-Per-Click" ( PPC ) Advertising as this can be done rather quickly and generates traffic right away. The problem is ... This traffic doesn't come cheap, and if you haven't thoroughly studied this form of traffic already, you're liable to spend your ad budget faster than you can say, "Lickety-Split !"

The other problem is ... you need to stay in this game long enough to find out which keywords are actually bringing sales and which ones are merely bringing "lookey-loo" type visitors which weren't planning on buying anything in the first place.

2. ) You could spend your time learning "Search Engine Optimization" ( SEO ) but the learning curve on this is pretty sizeable and while the rewards are certainly worthwhile, they're slow in coming.

It typically takes 30-90 days ( at minimum ) to really see any dramatic improvement in traffic from pure SEO techniques.

3. ) You could get yourself involved in "Black-Hat" techniques which generate a quick surge of traffic by trying to fake out the Search Engines, but beware ...! As soon as the Search Engines catch on, and they will, you'll be penalized and possibly even de-listed.

That's right, you could find that your site has been removed from the Search Engine's index and therefore, can never be found unless someone actually types your website's URL directly in their browser!

To Your Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

Success on Article Marketing – Part 4 of 5

Success on Article Marketing – Part 4 of 5

In part three of this Article Marketing series ; lets discussed what not to do when writing and submitting articles. Those seven tips were focused on keeping you out of “hot water” with the Article Directory Editors but they weren’t necessarily “sexy.”

In part four, I’ll try to spice things up a bit !

We’ll discuss how to craft a compelling Resource Box that concentrates on “getting clicks.” After all, the whole reason we’re involved in Article Marketing is to get our Target Audience to read our articles and then CLICK the link(s) we provide in our Resource Box ... isn’t it ?

Here’s 5 tips to make your Resource Box a winner :

1. ) Write your Resource Box text in the “third-person.” While it may seem silly, readers find them to be much more credible than those written in the “first-person.” You will get a whole lot more clicks if your Resource box says, “Author Name is ...” rather than “I am ...” – You get the picture.

2. ) Your Resource Box should include information which speaks to your expertise. If you’re writing an article about “Gardening,” you might include a statement like ... “Author Name has been gardening for over 22 years ...” Any honest, statement of credibility will be well-received.

3. ) Include a clear “Call-To-Action.” It can be subtle, like “please visit : YourDomain.com” or more direct, like “Click here =>.” Just make sure to include a call-to-action or you’ll miss out on a whole lot of clicks !

4. ) Use “Anchor Text” links whenever the article directory allows. Anchor Text is any piece of text that is hyperlinked to a website. If this isn’t clear, look at my Resource Box. You’ll find the words; “Article Domination Method” is hyperlinked to my site. This is an “Anchor Text” link and it will boost your site’s Search Engine Optimization.

5. ) Direct your Target Audience ( your readers ) to some form of “free offer.” It could be a free video, an ebook or anything else of value to your market. Just make sure to use an autoresponder to capture your visitor’s contact information in the process.

Hopefully, this article will have been a great benefit to you ! I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to craft a compelling Resource Box.

It’s quite a shame ; many article writers spend lots of time on their “body content” and then fail miserably with their Resource Box.

Remember, we’re involved in Article Marketing because we want Targeted Traffic to our websites. If we’re not bringing traffic, we might as well just buy PPC advertising !

In the next article, the last in this series, we’ll discuss some of the tools available to the Article Marketer and reveal important resources as well.

Stay tuned ...

To Your Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

Guide to Success with Affiliate Marketing Programs

Guide to Success with Affiliate Marketing Programs

Perhaps the best way to get your earnings up is to join an affiliate marketing program that gives you step-by-step instructions on how to be successful. This is extremely common when you choose to promote information products, especially ebooks from Clickbank.

It's not uncommon for affiliate marketing programs to expect you to know everything about running a successful marketing campaign - even if you don't. Make sure you choose an affiliate marketing program that is geared towards beginners, if you are a beginner. And don't waste your time getting rehashed information on the basics, if you're an intermediate affiliate marketer.

Affiliate marketing programs with detailed instructions on how to properly promote a product or service are invaulable. They're a great way for new affiliates to learn the ropes, while veteran affiliate marketers are assured that a program is professional. Affiliate marketing programs that offer training videos and even free websites to those that sign up can help make the difference between an affiliate marketer who makes money, and one who gives up in frustration.

The alternative, which many people opt for instead, is to learn affiliate marketing through pouring over forum posts and scrounging together enough cash to buy the latest ebook. While this is certainly a viable strategy, and one that is perhaps the most popular, it's entirely possible to learn the ropes of affiliate marketing by involving oneself with one good affiliate marketing program that explains all of the steps. Clickbank products, typically ebooks, are often the best affiliate marketing programs when it comes to helping affiliates be successful.

An affiliate marketing program removes the guesswork and reduces the time necessary to learn affiliate marketing. Getting started with your affiliate program should be easy. You'll need to create campaigns for affiliate marketing, and test and tweak these campaigns ever so slightly to ensure maximum conversion - and thus, maximum profits.

If you're unclear on how to accomplish some of these goals, though, don't fret. Affilaite marketing is a big subject, and it can take a while to learn all of the necessary skills required to be successful. By choosing an affiliate marketing program that fits your specific needs, you'll be doing yourself a huge favor.

To Your Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

The Best Free Online Affiliate Program

The Best Free Online Affiliate Program

What separates a typical affiliate program from the best free online affiliate programs out there ?

There are several factors you should consider when searching for a strong affiliate program with which to partner.

1. ) Second or Third Tier Sales

This is a doozy. The best free online affiliate programs offer you the ability to sign up affiliates below you - so called "sub affiliates." You make money from everyone below you.

2. ) Lifetime Commissions

Some affiliate programs will give your residual commissions for the entire time a customer buys from them. This is a great way to earn passive income indefinitely.

3. ) Generous Commissions

The best free online affiliate programs pay well. It's difficult to promote products if your profit margins are low, which is why it's a good idea to partner with professional, high-paying programs.

4. ) Strong Niche

The more rabid a fan-base a particular niche has, the more likely you are to generate a tremendous amount of profit from it. You don't have to select gigantic sectors, like mortgages. Sometimes the simplest products will have have a strong, permanent demand.

5. ) Good Branding

The best free online affiliate programs usually are recognized as the best because they've done a great job promoting their product or service, and draw in a large number of affiliates who want to promote it. Success breeds success.

6. ) Set Payment Schedule

Programs that pay whenever they feel like it do not build the confidence and trust of their affiliates. The best free online affiliate programs out there will publicize their pay schedule so that their affiliates can count on being paid at a regular time every month, whether that schedule is weekly, bi-weekly, or only monthly.

7. ) Good Communication

Keeping in contact with affiliates is a great way to build up a professional relationship. The best free online affiliate programs will contact you every once in a while to see how you're doing, and to offer suggestions on how to improve your sales. Take their advice, they're the experts on what works best for that niche.

8. ) Special Offers

The best free online affiliate programs will often have promotions for their affiliates to entice higher sales. For instance, some will offer large bonuses to affiliates who make a certain number of sales.

9. ) Larger Slice of the Pie

Affiliates who have a track record of consistent, high sales can negotiate for higher commission percentages. The best free online affiliate programs out there will gladly oblige, as they're likely rolling in a lot of money from their best affiliates.

To Your Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

12 Reasons Why You Need A Blog

12 Reasons Why You Need A Blog

"Why Should I Blog ? I Simply Don't Get It"

This post on a popular discussion forum set me thinking - and I came up with 12 reasons you should blog.

Read them and get started on your blog. Or better still, go and get your blog up and running first and THEN come back and read this :

Reasons #1 - You Do Not Need To Know HTML

One of the biggest hurdles many hopeful website creators face is they don't know to design a webpage. Blogs overcome this - all you do is type into a box, and the blog software automatically converts it into a webpage and publishes it on the World Wide Web for anyone to see.

Reasons #2 - You Are 'Forced' To Keep Your Content Fresh

Blogs are essentially online diaries. It doesn't make sense to write in your diary every month or two. Similarly, running a blog itself 'forces' you to update it often. And refreshing your blog often makes it more useful to readers and consumers - and by extension, to search engines who are in the business of presenting *their* clients with valuable resources.

Reasons #3 - Your Blog Is AUTOMATICALLY Optimized For Search Engines

Search engines love fresh content. But that's not the only way blogs are powerful tools to rank high. Indeed, most blogs are structured to offer a high degree of search engine optimization.

All sections of your blog are linked together. The terms used as link 'anchors' are keyword-optimized. Categories can be created to host themed content. Navigating through your blog is intuitive. Archives can be customized, and generate hundreds of pages of content that act as 'search engine spider bait'.

Reasons #4 - You Get A Built-In Linking Structure

With very few exceptions, most blogs are structured to be a tightly integrated network of links - to other sections of your blog ! It's quite easy for a visitor to get 'lost' within your blog ... without ever leaving it.

Calendars link to posts on specific dates. 'Recent Post' listings point to your freshest content. Archives connect all your earlier posts. Search boxes let browsers look for certain kinds of content. And it all happens automatically, without you spending hours on creating a link structure or sitemap !

Reasons #5 - You Generate Multiple Content-Rich Pages

Every post you make on your blog is content. And by intelligently setting up your archiving preferences, you can turn each post into many different forms of content, each on a page of its own. Blog regularly for a few months, and you could end up having a 100+ page website - all filled with relevant, keyword-optimized, themed content !

Reasons #6 - You Can Keyword-Optimize Your Blog Extensively

All parts of your blog's template can be customized. And a very powerful way to do it is by inserting relevant keywords. It's a do-it-once job that will give you ongoing benefits for as the life of your blog. You can include keywords in your blog title, description, blog post headings, trackback links, comment invitations, archive titles, and category names.

Reasons #7 - You Create An Online Community

If your blog is on a specific theme, you can build a loyal readership and develop an online community. You can even take it a notch higher by tying it in with a forum or membership site. Ask for comments, suggestions, ideas and feedback, or invite reader participation. Pretty soon, your blog will be growing organically - even if you don't write a lot !

Reasons #8 - You Initiate Conversations With Readers

Of course, the first step is yours - to initiate a dialog with readers. You could do it with your blog post, asking a question or by inviting comments and interaction. Your blog will be read by an audience that's already interested in your subject or theme. This conversation will be priceless to you, the blog owner.

Reasons #9 - Your 'Inbound Link' Process - Trackbacks

Blogging is about distributed conversations online. Links are an integral part of such an informal network. Trackbacks are a kind of blog technology that make it possible - and simple ! Your blog will benefit from the inbound links a trackback will bring, and you'll also get extra traffic from other sources.

Reasons #10 - You Can Syndicate Your Content Easily

Getting readers for your content is good. Getting your content out where many more readers can see it is GREAT ! Syndication ( via RSS feeds ) is built in to most blogging platforms, giving you a quick and easy way to get a wide readership for your blog posts.

Reasons #11 - You're Creating Stuff Search Engines LOVE

Search engines exist to offer their audience a compilation of the best resources on a subject or keyword. Your blog is the answer to a search engine's prayers ! By sticking to a theme and presenting the content in an organized, structured, intuitively connected pattern, your blog will be appealing to search engines in a way only a very professionally planned and designed website can ever hope to be.

Reasons #12 - You Get 'Alternate' Traffic Sources

Remember what we saw about blogs being linked and networked together ? Bloggers like to share opinions with others. And when they 'talk' about you, they are going to point to your site, or a post on your blog, to show their readers what they mean. They become 'alternate' traffic sources - for YOU !

Other tools like blog rolls, furls, favorite bloggers and more can drive sporadic - but sometimes big floods - of traffic your way. And best of all, it's effortless and costs you nothing !

Not yet convinced ? Well, then maybe blogging isn't quite your cup of tea. But if you trust me, try it - you just might be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for reading,
To Your Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

P.S. : To learn more about Blogging and create your own successful and profitable Blog, just visit Blogger's PayCheck for your Must Learn guide as the offer price was going to end soon. Get it first ...

Literature is the Soul of the Wit

Literature is the Soul of the Wit

Literature is the soul of the wit. The best source of literature can be now found in blogs. The growing trend of 'blogmania' is slowly sweeping the netizens. Every person aspires to have a blog as a platform to publish his thoughts and be heard and read.

General surveys undertaken on blogs and bloggers shows a rising trend in blogging. A parallel platform for literary endeavor, the blogs are overthrowing the traditional journalistic norms.

Publishing of news and views no longer remains the privilege of an elite minority. Anybody and everybody is free to get in touch and explore the writer within himself. The anamorphic nature of the human soul is best reflected in the blogs.

A survey in the United States brought out a startling fact the 30% of the surveyed people read blogs. Also, 52% of the surveyed people advocate equal journalistic rights and freedom for the blogs. And the most striking fact is that 31% of the surveyed people revealed that they found blogs to be more credible than the newspapers.

The growing popularity of blogs can be gauzed from the fact that Yahoo, Google, MSN, Rediff and all the other bigwigs of the cyber world are experimenting with blogs and bloggers. Both free and paid blog hoisting sites have come up which offers a plethora of tools to make blogging a breeze.

MSN has even gone to the extent of making a common 'passport' database across all its services. So now, a MSN user can use his own personal 'id' across MSN messenger, Spaces and hotmail.

Also, MSN has integrated its Spaces with MSN Messenger 7.0. The users of MSN Messenger 7.0 will have a tab labeled 'gleams' which will inform them when their contacts have updated their individual blogs.

Recent statistics from MSN shows that MSN has 170,000 daily blog updates. This number is huge considering the fact that most of the bloggers do not update their blogs on a daily basis.

The Literature of the new era is no longer limited to books. From Poems to Features, from Humor to Short Stories, everything can be found in the blogs ...

Though good blogs are a trifle to find, yet close scrutiny will reveal every blog to be good in its own personal aspect. After all, blogs are a slice of the blogger's life and every one's life is a good source of learning experience.

Thanks for reading,
To Your Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

Blog Your Business

Blog Your Business

Does your Business need a Blog ?

A blog is a Web log, an online journal. Blogs started out as online diaries, in which diarists shared their everyday lives with the world. From their beginnings as a weird Web fad in 1998, blogs have moved on, and are well on the way to becoming a standard business tool.

Why ? Because in February 2003 Google.com bought Pyra Labs, the company which owns the Blogger weblogging tool. Blogger.com, one of the main sites providing blog software and hosting, boasted a million hosted web logs in early 2003.

Google.com's interest in blogs indicates that blogs are mainstream. A blog help your business in many ways, depending on whether you create a private or a public blog. Blogs are so useful that you'll want to create both.

Your Business - Internal Blog

These days, no one works alone. Even if you're a solo business operator, you have colleagues, partners, contractors, and suppliers with whom you communicate daily. A private blog makes working with a group easier, because you can streamline your interactions, saving time and energy.

A private blog can contain notes to yourself, or to colleagues. It's a place to store information and tips that might not warrant a special email message. You can post information like meeting notes, project tasks and summaries, and updated price lists. You can also post links to large files - no need to email, fax, or mail them to and fro.

Your blog is more useful than email, because blog postings are dated, and easily searchable. You can post a message you want everyone to read, and the message stays on the blog. With email, you read and delete, or read and forget.

If you've worked on a project with someone in another state or on the other side of the world, you've blessed email, because it makes sharing information so easy. Using a blog to share information is even easier than using email.

Your Business - Public Blog

A business blog is a marketing tool. A blog can add value to your Web site, or it can take the place of a Web site. Look on it as a combination "What's New" Web site page, and an online journal. Because of a blog's freewheeling nature, it's friendly and relaxed.

If you don't have a site, your blog's a place to put your online CV, portfolio and client list. You can, and should, use your blog to express your personality and expertise.

If you have a Web site, your blog page builds loyalty, because if you provide interesting content, your visitors will return to your site. And because it's a Web page, your blog will appear on search engines, attracting new clients.

Google has been treating blogs differently from other Web pages for a couple of years. Whereas it takes a standard Web page/ site a month to be indexed by Google, blogs are indexed daily. This means that your blog is mega-cheap advertising. You can post something on your blog and have it indexed by Google within a day.

Will creating a Blog help your Business ?

As I suggested in the article : "Get Googled And Build Credibility", because Google.com is so popular and indexes so comprehensively, if you focus some of your marketing and promotion time on getting your name out on the Web, you're building your credibility, both online and offline.

To Your Blogging Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

P.S. : To learn more about Blogging and create your own successful and profitable Blog, just visit Blogger's PayCheck for your Must Learn guide as the offer price was going to end soon. Get it first ...

Blogosphere Networking

Blogosphere Networking

Blogosphere Networking Blogging seems to be taking over the world, or at least everyone seems to be talking about blogs. However, there are a surprisingly large number of people who have no idea of blogs, blawgs, blogsphere, etc ...

Here are some questions that they will ask :

1. ) Are all blogs the same ?

NO. There are many types of blogs are there are different writers. I have categorized them into three types, but I am sure others would have arguments about these areas :

A - Corporate Blogs
These are hosted by companies to promote their products and services or to communicate with clients.

B - Philosophical / Content Blogs
In this type, an individual ( or group of individuals ) writes on a specific topic and shares their opinions with the readers. Topics can range from business to sports to politics to religion, etc ... For example : you may put the "Business Development" / "Networking" blog in this category.

C - Diaries
In these blogs, people record their daily experiences the way one would write in a diary. Some of these can be quite entertaining, as they allow the voyeur in each of us to look into someone else's private world. However, reader beware ... some of these can reveal a bit more than you want to read ( or see ).

2. ) Why I want to read blogs ?

Why reading blog ? These are a great way to discover information on any particular topic or variety of ideas. Many bloggers have very good sources of information and they certainly have opinions. As with any media source, you need to beware of the authors intent and ulterior motives. Also, blogs can just be interesting to read.

3. ) What have i learned from writing my own blog ?

"Blogs, blogging and the blogosphere" are the new new thing, and are not just a "fad". If people are not yet aware of blogs, they will be soon. More and more blogs are created every day and blogs will soon touch everyone who surf the internet. Having your own blog, however, is not for everyone. You must be committed to writing on a regular basis, and not shy about sharing your opinions. I have learned that a blog can go stale if you do not make posts on a regular basis.

I also learned that when you blog, you are actually networking. At first it seemed like this was one sided, until I began to hear from people who were regularly reading my blog. I have developed new friendships with many bloggers who write about similar topics. Often one blogger will email another with a compliment or suggestion, and they will begin to correspond regularly. Just like any other type of business friendship, the relationship grows over time. This blog-networking leads to mutual understanding and respect between the bloggers and then can lead to business relationships and referrals.

4. ) Should I start a blog ?

That is a question every person will have to answer for himself/herself. I would suggest you begin by reading other blogs and getting familiar with what is out there in blog-land. If you believe that you have something to say ... then by all means, start a blog. But remember to be patient and persistent. Like writing a book, it takes time and there is no guarantee that you will become widely read. However if you are dedicated, you will uncover many unexpected benefits from your blogging experience.

If you are interested in easily learning about blogs, I suggest you start by learning the basic on blogging and there are guides for you to create your own successful and even profitable blog, that was by one of my best internet blogging friend, John Yeo. His Blogger's PayCheck was the best collection of advice and guides to the experienced and novice blogger.

To Your Blogging Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

P.S. : To learn more about Blogging and create your own successful and profitable Blog, just visit Blogger's PayCheck for your Must Learn guide as the offer price was going to end soon. Get it first ...

Ask Yourself Before Starting A Business Blog

Ask Yourself Before Starting A Business Blog

Blogging is the latest buzzword in online marketing and PR. But with so many marketers jumping on the blogging bandwagon, few people are giving a thought to whether blogs are really up their alley, or taking the time to consider the best ways of going about it.

If you are planning to start a business blog, ask yourself these questions before you take the final plunge.

1. ) Do you really need a blog ?

Writing and maintaining a blog takes a certain degree of commitment, as well as a passion ( or at least a liking ) for stringing words into a decent sentence. If you don't enjoy writing that much, you could always create an audio or video blog.

But would your business objectives really be served by starting a blog ? Or could other methods of online marketing - like SEO, ezine advertising or newsletter publishing work just as well, if not better ?

2. ) Whom do you want to reach with your blog ?

The first step to reaching your audience is understanding where they go to find information about your products.

If your audience largely consists of people who live in your town or use products that they search for in the newspapers, offline advertising might be more suited to your purpose.

If however, your target audience belongs to one or more of these segments, a blog might be just the thing to boost your business.

- Internet Users
Does your target audience really use the internet ? If not, then starting a blog ( or any online activity, for that matter ) will just be a huge waste of time and effort.

- Blog Readers
Does your target audience read blogs ? Or do they prefer to get their information in their inbox ? If the latter is true, then an email newsletter might be a better option than a blog.

- Search Engine Users
A blog is an excellent way to boost your search engine rankings and get listed for a lot of your target keywords. If you know that your audience uses search engines to find information, a blog will increase your chances of getting their attention.

3. ) What do you want to achieve with your blog ?

There are a lot of things that a blog can do for your business. Blogs can help you :

- Increase your visibility and search engine rankings
- Brand yourself, your products, your services, your company
- Build a community and network with people who have similar interests
- Expand your reach to those outside your current sphere of influence
- Establish your credibility as an expert or thought-leader in your field
- Put a human face on your business
- Reach out to potential customers and stakeholders

Deciding exactly what you want to achieve with your blog can help you get focused, so that you can spend your time and effort in activities that help, not hinder your business objectives.

4. ) How much time can you spend on your blog ?

Serious business bloggers not only spend time writing their own blogs, but also spend a great deal of time reading up on current events and browsing other blogs in their field for information.

If you are prepared to put in the time and effort required to do that sort of research, your blog will serve as a good branding tool for your business.

If not, you should either hire someone to do the research or seriously rethink your decision to start a blog.

5. ) What blogging platform will serve your needs best ?

Deciding your blogging platform is an important step that you should take only after becoming familiar with the features and benefits of each option.

The reason it is so crucial is because it can be extremely difficult to migrate an established blog to a new platform once you have started it. Moving your blog can result in you losing your data, search engine listings and readers, so don't take this decision lightly.

Decide which platform will best meet your marketing objectives, time constraints and personal preferences before you make your first post. If you are short of time, and want to spend more time writing, then a hosted solution like Blogger, Blogware, Squarespace or Typepad might serve your purpose better.

This might also prove a better option if you want to get started as soon as possible, are new to the internet, or are unfamiliar with scripts or code.

If, on the other hand, you're a control freak ( like me ) and don't mind spending some time and effort to customize your blog, then a server-installed software, like Wordpress, b2Evolution or Movable Type might be just right for you.

If you don't want to install the scripts yourself, choose a hosting solution which comes with a one-click install of a number of blogging software.

6. ) How do you plan to promote your blog ?

Why is it good to know this before you start your blog ? Because it will help you decide where best to invest your time and effort when you need to build traffic to your blog.

You'll learn more about the methods to promote your blog when you subscribe to the email course below. Some of these tasks can be outsourced, while others you would have to do yourself.

Decide what you want to take on and look out for service providers to handle the other functions so you can start building traffic to your blog as soon as possible.

7. ) How will you assess the success of your blog ?

To determine how successful your blog is in boosting your profile or profits you will have to measure your blog traffic and track sales or leads that have come through it.

Planning this in advance will help you take more informed decisions about your blogging metrics, choice of blogging platform and degree of customization you require on your blog.

Understand that blogging is not for everyone. It's just another form of communication. Don't get so hung up on the technology that you end up ignoring more appropriate ways of communicating your message.

Some things may be easier to communicate face to face, in a conference room, or even through the good old telephone. But if you asked yourself all the questions above and decided that blogging meets all your objectives, then a blog may be just what the doctor ordered for your business.

To Your Blogging Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

P.S. : To learn more about Blogging and create your own successful and profitable Blog, just visit here for your "Must Learn" guide.

How To Boost Traffic To Your Blog

How To Boost Traffic To Your Blog

Let search engine index your blog and let people come to your fresh blog. Though you're in World Wide Web, nobody knows you're there. You need to pull kindly those who are potentially waiting for you but don't know where your are. This objective is related to generally known as search engine optimization ( SEO ). It's too broad to address all. But the most important things will I talk about. Though they're not all but more than enough will be covered. They are about ...

** How to use keywords as a SEO technique

** What to consider when you choose blog templates

** How to construct your blog search engine friendly

** Ping your blog

How to Use Keywords as a SEO Technique ?

As long as SEO is concerned, the keyword comes at front line. You have to find the target keyword/keywords or niche keywords. What to do with the keyword/keywords ? Please read on ...

** Enter keywords in your blog name :
If you named your blog for example, "John's blog", it's not a good idea in the view of SEO. Instead name your blog something like "keyword blog". You need to substitute "keyword" with your "target keyword", for example "mountain bike blog", if your blog is about mountain bike.

** Enter keywords of your post in title tag :
Actually most of bloggers don't need to concern about "title tag" because most of blog hosting applications such as blogger, typepad, wordpress, movable type, drupal, etc ... care this for you. But you have to use the keyword in your title and then they will include it in the title tag for you.

** Enter keywords in meta description tag, if possible :
This may be difficult for most of bloggers because most of blog hosting system don't support this. If this is your case, don't bother with this. To make it possible is almost impossible for the people like me who are not techie at all. But don't worry there is other solution : care your first sentence of the first paragraph.

** Enter keywords in the first sentence :
Nowadays many SEO experts say that most of search engines don't look meta description tag. Instead they look for the few words in the first sentence. So care your first sentence to include the keywords, make it fit to describe your whole post and attractive.

** Repeat your keywords in your post :
With this an English grammar teacher may not be happy. But as long as SEO is concerned, it's necessary : frankly to say, you have to. General rule says the keyword density should be about 2-3% of whole words in your post.

You may complain "heck, how do I know keyword density." Well, you don't need to count it manually. There is a free tool to check the keyword density. And actually I don't even check it all the time. I just keep in mind 2-3% and check only for some posts that I think worth checking.

Type the URL of your post, keyword and click " analyze" button. It'll return you the keyword density of your post. If the keyword density is too low, consider repeat the keyword more but don't repeat too much ( more than 3% )

** Use your keyword in your blog domain :
This improves the ranking of your blog and hence more traffic come to you. If your blog is about "anniversary gift", for example, include it in your domain name so that your blog domain looks like "anniversary-gift.yourhost.com"

** Use your keyword in the link title :
Many blogger don't know about this ! Which one do you think better, "anniversary gift" or "anniversary-gift.your host.com" as your link title ? The former is better. The reason ? Because search engines value more. So keep in mind that whenever you get link try to enter your keywords in the link title.

** Enter keywords in your file name :
When you save your blog, use your keyword. Which one is better, "mypost98.html" or "anniversary-gift-how-to-choose.html" ? This time the latter is better because it includes keywords and hence get better chance to be listed in high rank in search engine.

** Enter keyword in alt tag :
If you use images in your post, don't forget to put your keyword in alt tag. A 2 cent-tip related to this is that if your Google Adsense doesn't seem to show matching ads with your content, check your alt tag. Maybe it's because you put unrelated words in alt tag.

What to Consider when you Choose Blog Templates ?

Certainly there is a search engine friendly blog templates. To know whether your blog template is search engine friendly designed, go to Crawler simulation ( It's free.) Enter your blog URL and then it'll show you how it looks like when a search engine spider visits your blog site. If you see a lot of html code or java scripts before you see main content, it means your blog is not well designed in the point of search engine optimization.

There is a way to hide unnecessary code from spiders, using CSS or div class "hide". Try to make your title tag immediately after head tag and to show up your body content as near to head tag as possible.

How to Construct your Blog Search Engine Friendly ?

Make your blog site structure as simple as possible. This may not be a big issue for bloggers because unless a blogger can design her/his blog system, they have to use a default system. What I mean by this is that most of blog system make permalink be for example : www.myblog.com/user/archive/year/month/date/apost.html.

See how far the final "apost.html " is from root. It's 5 step further. This is not so good in terms of search engine optimization. You can reduce those steps but you only can do so one or two step because database recognition is concerned behind this story.

So the bottom line is that try to make your blog simple but if it's not possible, focus on writing good content. I observed many top bloggers have a bit complicated permalink system yet have lots of traffic.

But if you can make your blog structure simpler without problem, please do so because it is much better for the reader and search engine as well.

Ping your blog

Do you ping ? Many pongs will come,then. :-) This may not be an issue if you're using Movable Type, WordPress, Typepad, or Drupal 4.6.0. But consider pinging to Ping-o-Matic !, if your system is not configured to do so. Because it pings to most of important blog search engines and directories in one spot.

If your blog application doesn't support to ping automatically to "Ping-o-Matic !", you can do so manually by visiting Ping-o-Matic ! Once you type your blog name, blog URL, check where to ping and click "submit ping" button, and don't forget to bookmark. It gives you a convenience because you don't need to type blog name, URL and check where to ping again.

By pinging you make search engine spider crawl you more frequently and make your reader notified faster. So far you have the most important SEO techniques for your blog. Say, how to use your keywords and where to enter, search engine friendly blog template design, structure and finally ping to " Ping-o-Matic !" But one thing is missing !

Get inbound links !

Probably it is as important as your blog itself !

To Your Blogging Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore

P.S. : To learn more about Blogging and create your own successful and profitable Blog, just visit here for your "Must Learn" guide.

Why Internet Marketing Business ?

Why Internet Marketing Business ?

WARNING :

Are you Concerned about the Economy ?
... You could get a second job.

Give me a few minutes, and learn how to start your own Internet Marketing Business.

If you are concerned about the economy, this is a great time to consider some steps you could take to lessen its impact on your life. If you have ever thought about starting an online business, a troubled economy might be the perfect time to start.

* With layoffs in construction and related industries, people are looking for income producing opportunities.

* Baby boomers are looking for income opportunities as they retire.

* Educational costs rise every year and students go deeper and deeper into debt. Many young people are going directly into business instead of spending four years in college. An online business, instead of working at a low-paying job, is also a great way for students to earn income while attending school.

* Parents are looking for business opportunities where they can work at home in order to be available for their children.

* Each day more and more people connect to the Internet. Every one of these is a potential customer.

If you give me a little time, I can show you how to start an Internet business based on building a customer list. Once you have a list, you truly are a business owner. I believe there is no easiler business to start than an Internet business. The following are just a few of the reasons why an online business is so easy to start compared to starting a traditional business :

* There is virtually no risk because your investment is small.

* You can work in your home so you can be with you family, and you do not have to rent or purchase a building.

* If you have a computer with an Internet connection, you already own the most expensive tools you need.

* You are the only employee, so you do not have to learn about employee management, payroll, worker's compensation, or all the other details that you need to know when hiring and managing employees.

* You can get others to help you at no cost, or on a commission basis. This means you will leverage their resources without having to pay for their help.

* Successful Internet marketers make a good living and have a much better lifestyle than most other business owners. You set your own hours, work anywhere there is an Internet connection, and have more free time to do the things you want to do.

If you have ever dreamed of owning your own business, a list of customers is the perfect way to get started. You can start with practically no capital, and virtually no risk.

I could list a page of benefits of getting started and building your own list. Here are just a few :

* The BAD economy is going on. This is a great time to start as many people are looking for additional income.

* If you are young you might discover that starting a business is a better model than going deep into debt to attend college.

* This is a stay at home business model. If you have children, wouldn't it be nice to be home with them instead of paying for child care or worrying about what they are doing after school while you are at work ?

* The baby boomers are nearing retirement. We are concerned about the astronomical increases in health care. Extra income would sure be a nice supplement to Social Security and other retirement plans. This is a huge pool of people that will be looking to supplement their retirement income in the next few years.

* If you are not currently working at home, you are missing out on a ton of benefits. Everything from tax breaks, lower expenses, and spending more time with your family improves when you work at home.

Don't wait, starts your home based business now ...

To Your Success

Wingcent Ning
Success-Biz Marketing
wingcent@gmail.com
http://mysignaturebusiness.blogspot.com
Singapore