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You Do Not Need To Be An Internet Marketing Guru

Just follow seven, (not so easy) steps to success.

1. emal campaigns:(followup, autoresponders, etc.) advertising copy (ad title and content). Be sure your campaign has an
eye catching title accompanied by well thoughtout meaningful content. Then follow up your campaign using autoresponders.

2. ad tracking: Without knowing the response rate to your
campaign, your “shooting in the dark”. This is probably the most important part of successful advertising and marketing.
It may take several attempts to “tweak” your ads for just
the right combination of title and content.

3. search engine placement (appropriate keywords with high ranking KEI value. (10 or more, the higher the better). Use
http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/
to find the right KEYWORDS relavant to your website.

4. Join forums and Groups: Ask questions and contribute your knowledge. (This will allow you to place your site URL in your signature line, which in turn creates an inbound link for you,
(important for search engine placement)

Forums, Blogs, and Groups provide an excellent source for
FREE advertising. Forum members share their experience with other members. This is not idle chat. Provide the forum with some quality input regarding your various experiences and opportunities. Watch for the feedback. Guess what? You can include your site’s URL in your signature line. This is a great
free advertising.

5. Traffic Exhanges, and Link Exchanges. Many link exchanges are free. Go to http://www.best-web-directories.com/ for a complete listing of link exchanges.

6. Publish Articles, ie., “How to bake the best cookies” or “How to repair a hole in the wall”. Just make sure you have your opportunity link included. Then submit those articles to Search Engines. This will lend credibility to your site.

7. Be prepared to invest capital, money. If you think you can earn money without investing money, you’re dreaming.

Those “free” memberships are your “test period” to see first hand what the program offers, does it fit your need, will it produce leads, money, traffic, etc., if so invest. Here’s a warning though, stay within a budget. The quickest way to go broke is by being a PAID JOINER.

Make sure this program is what you need, you understand how it works, and you can utilize it within the skill level you have. If you are a “newbie, state of the art training is a priority. Find a program that provides FREQUENT state of the art training.

Does this work?

You bet!

When I launched my website on February 2005, I started with
600 hits. Now I am enjoying 3500 hits PER DAY, an astonishing improvement. That means my site is tracking One Million hits
on a year to year basis.

Babe Ruth gives us another clue. Babe hit an amazing number of home runs. His record of home runs was incredible, but, his record of striking out still stands undefeated. Therein lies another insight. Success is doing until you find what works. Failure is the by product of successful people.

I hope I offered you some helpful information. As I said in the beginning, it is not necessary to be an Internet Marketing Guru to have success on the Internet.

Happy Marketing, your online friend,

Opportunities Now

Internet Marketing Services

For more information about us, use KEYWORD:

“opportunities now internet marketing services”

in any major Search Engine.

EzineArticles Expert Author James Holish

James A. “Jim” Holish

5250 E. Cortland Blvd. #19

Flagstaff, Arizona 86004

http://www.mycashforever.com/

webmaster@mycashforever.com

 
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Make it a habit to always ask new clients for their email address and include a space for email addresses on all your contact forms and sign up sheets.

If a customer feels uncomfortable giving you their email address, remind them that it saves trees and keeps your costs down. Tell them you have a strict privacy policy and under no circumstances will you share their email address or abuse the privilege. Be adamant without being obnoxious.

Staying in touch consistently with customers and prospects is a lot easier these days with email. Good email practices can be a strong asset for businesses because of the low cost and ease of use.

A recent study from eMarketer reported that 67% of U.S. consumers said they liked companies who, in their opinion, did a good job with permission email marketing.

And even though some people are still reluctant to completely embrace this type of communicating due to SPAM and abuse concerns, the benefits far outway the negatives. It’s time that every business recognize that getting an email address from a customer is not an option! Email is now recognized as the number one preferred method of communication by consumers and businesses alike. By using best practices permission-based emailing as the primary method of correspondence,

Your customers can

1. Quckly be informed about specials or product updates

2. Receive discount incentives that can be easily shared with others.

Your business can

1. Stay in touch on a more consistent basis at a lower cost than tradional mail.

2. Feel confident that you are doing your part to save the Earth’s natural resources.

You are doing your customers, your pocketbook, and your environment a big service by transitioning from old-style paper correspondence to the newer, more energy-efficient email alternative.

Diana D’Itri is the Co-Owner of Ravebiz. An Internet technology company with a suite of online marketing tools to help small and mid-sized businesses get more sales through b2b cross promotions and consumer referral lead generation.
To find out more about Rave Technology and receive your free download “31 tips for Boosting Referral Business” go to http://www.ravebiz.com or email Diana at diana@ravebiz.com

 

November 2, 2008

How To Get More Opt Ins

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Question: I have a sign-up box on my web site to collect names for my marketing list, but I am hardly getting anyone joining my list! I already get lots of traffic, but what can I do to get more sign-ups?

Answer: You’re right to be worried. After all, if these first-time visitors leave without joining your list, chances are you’ll never see them again, and all the time — and money — you spent attracting them to your site will go down the drain.

But I’m getting a sense of where the problem may lie from the way you phrase your question: Why would any of your visitors want to join a “marketing list”?

People value their privacy — and their information — so you have to offer them something compelling in return. A regular newsletter, aimed at their interests, for instance, or a free eBook on a subject they’ve told you they’re interested in.

However, let’s assume you are already offering something valuable in exchange for their e-mail addresses. If you’re still not getting many sign-ups, it’s likely your pitch that needs polishing.

To convert more of your visitors to subscribers, you’re going to need to write a really compelling subscription offer. I’m still astounded when I see a web site with an opt-in box that says “Subscribe to our Free Newsletter.”

What am I subscribing to? Why should I subscribe to it? How often will I get it? Who is it coming from?

Without answers to at least a couple of these questions, there’s no way people are going to sign up. So how do you convince them that your newsletter is worth signing up for? You have to promote it!

Say your web site sells football memorabilia. Here’s an example of some copy that’s guaranteed to get a great opt-in response:

The End Zone is a weekly NFL newsletter that’s absolutely jam-packed with all the week’s hottest news, stats, and stories. Interviews with your favorite players, the inside scoop on next week’s games, PLUS a chance to win an autographed jersey from the team of your choice. Click here to Subscribe Now!

That’s a little more compelling than “Subscribe Now,” isn’t it? And the best part is that it takes just minutes to pump up the copy!

Here are some more sure-fire ways to boost your opt-in rate:

Tip 1: Include a small link to your privacy policy when you’re asking visitors for information. This lets people know that you are committed to protecting their privacy and makes them feel safe leaving their e-mail address with you. It’s a small thing, but every little bit helps.

Tip 2: Sell the benefits, not the features. If you said “Download our FREE eBook, written by a state-certified housing inspector,” you’d be advertising a feature. You’d be telling your visitors a fact about your free newsletter.

Here’s how it reads if we decide to emphasize benefits instead:

Certified Housing Inspector John Smith reveals the 10 things you MUST look for when buying a home — to avoid costly repairs down the road! Click here to read this FREE eBook!

That’s a pretty dramatic difference, isn’t it? You’ve hooked your visitors by letting them know how they will benefit by signing up for your offer. In this case, you’ve promised to help them avoid costly home repairs.

Tip 3: You’ve got to give your offer prime real-estate if you want to draw in subscribers.

So what’s the best location? If your homepage contains a long sales letter, you’ll want to put the opt-in box somewhere around the second page. You should have grabbed your visitors’ attention by then and shown them that your site has some valuable information.

If your homepage doesn’t have a long sales letter, you’ll want to place your opt-in box “above the fold” (i.e. the first section of your web site that is visible to a visitor without scrolling). People’s eyes are generally drawn to the top left-hand part of a page first, so the top or left is a good place to put your opt-in box.

Here’s a powerful third option to double your daily newsletter subscriptions! Set up a pop-up window that prompts your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter right when they enter your web site.

Remember: This is not a question of where your opt-in form looks best. It’s all about where it works best, so I would encourage you to test a few different locations. Whichever pulls the most opt-ins is the best place for your offer.

If you want to skip the failing actions and get a
personal tour of REAL PEOPLE making
REAL PROFITS on the Internet, then go to…

http://advancedinternetwealth.50webs.com/index.html6.htm

… and take advantage of the invaluable tips and tricks
that these Internet successes reveal so that you can start
applying them to your business today.

 
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Last year while researching a book on memorable speeches and essays, I stumbled across an ageless writing technique that continues to captivate readers.

Advice articles first appeared several hundred years ago. Some were submitted to papers and magazines anonymously. The question-and-answer format probably appeared a little bit later.

While opinion articles have been around for years, few develop the loyalty and following of advice columns.

Test this for yourself by gathering newspapers and magazines from the last several decades. My guess is: you’ll find the old question/answer columns still ageless and vibrant.

Advice features generate return readers. Why? Maybe it’s because people love to share problems and possible solutions.

Want to start your own “advice” column? Here are three simple ways to begin:

1. Survey your readership for the two or three industry issues perpetually discussed.

2. Find out all you can about those issues.

3. Prompt questions from readers about those issues, and answer them regularly in a column.

Current popular syndicated features, for instance, offer advice on personal relationships, do-it-yourself projects, and travel.

In a professional or trade magazine, your question/answer feature might cover the history of your profession, provide an open forum where readers share information, or follow a how-to format. That’s your decision.

Personal note: Lots of times I get questions whose answers I don’t know. That’s when I ask the advice of an expert in that field, and ask for his/her permission to include their response and name in the answer. If I don’t know the answer, I tell the questioner I simply don’t know.

Bottom line: If you want to connect better your readers, you must also give them the opportunity to reach you.

EzineArticles Expert Author Rix Quinn

Rix Quinn wrote the new book Words That Stick, which offers lots of writing tips for professionals who hate to write. The book’s available at your local bookstore, or http://www.tenspeed.com/catalog/all/item.php3?id=1661

Rix can be contacted directly at 817-920-7999.

 
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Sometime in the fall of 2005, a British lad by the name of Alex Tew sailed into a perfect storm. As the web world watched, his “Million Dollar Home Page” quickly lived up to its audacious title and left its mark on internet history. Armed with uncanny marketing instincts and a good dose of luck, Alex took his novel idea, added a personal back-story, and sold a million dollar’s worth of advertising in a matter of months.

Understandably, countless copy cats have gone online, but success has proven difficult to duplicate. A quick survey of these so-called “pixel-ad” brings up a large number of woefully blank screens. The uniqueness of Tew’s website was what drew the crowds and justified the value of his site. The second generation of pixel pages is struggling to create the same excitement.

One problem is that the concept for the Million Dollar Home Page is so simple that there is little room for technical improvement. Not that people are not trying. For example, website http://www.izoomzoom.com touts the ability to display a thumbnail image of the target URL as the mouse cursor rolls over a pixel ad. This feature is interesting, but it is unclear whether the thumbnail images will encourage or discourage viewers to click-through to the advertised site.

Another site with a twist is http://www.millionpixelsart.com. Instead of the standard rectangular billboard, the pixel blocks are arranged in different shapes (including a beer mug and dice). Again, the idea is interesting, but the lack of sold blocks should serve as a warning to others that success will require true ingenuity.

One of the more successful pixel-ad sites can be found at http://www.pixmeup.com. This website takes a multi-level marketing approach to pixel selling, innovating the business model rather than the format. PixMeUp currently features several densely populated pixel pages, proof of its ability to find customers.

Just as the general stores of the American West profited from the California Goldrush, it may be the suppliers of the prospective pixel sellers that are reaping the greatest rewards. Domain registrars and domain hosts are also profiting from the uptick in websites coming on line. Tool developers are cropping up left and right, offering would-be millionaires the picks and shovels needed to stake their claims. Other sites exist for the purpose of providing news and links related to the pixel-ad phenomenon.

The pixel-ad market appears to be saturating, as evidenced by the going rate for these tiny squares of advertisement. How far has the market fallen? I found one answer on a humorous site http://www.ihatethemilliondollarhomepage.com. Its author nicely captures the jealousy and dejection felt by entrepreneurs who have failed to come close to the success of the MillionDollarHomePage. And, to spite Alex Tew, these pixels are being given away free of charge!

In time, the pixel-ad concept will continue to evolve. A mere months after Alex Tew’s financial trajectory shot through the stratosphere, creative descendents of the original concept are already heading off in new directions. Affiliation pixel-ad sites, such as http://www.christianmilliondollarhomepage.com/, cater to specific causes or audiences. The pixel-selling concept takes a creative turn at http://www.WorldWideArtStudio.com, where artists can participate in the creation of art by buying the right to control portions of a “digital canvas.” Furthermore, WorldWideArtStudio.com turns its back on the marketing roots of pixel selling by prohibiting the display of advertisements in its artwork.

With recent Internet news coverage centering on large companies like Google and AOL, I had forgotten how easy it can be for the individual to leverage the power of this global communications network. Thank you, Alex Tew, for rekindling the flame of youthful innovation that was once the dominant force on the web. I confess I’ve got one or two million-dollar ideas bumping around my brain at this very moment…how about you?

Gary U is envious of Alex Tew and frets that the BillionDollarHomePage domain has already been taken.

 
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Inexpensive online press releases are a wonderful vehicle for getting your message out to the marketplace. They create visibility, enhance credibility and live on forever. What’s more, implementing a sustained campaign of online and printed press releases is an economical means of driving qualified traffic to your Website. In short, press releases are one of the best sales tools a small business can embrace.

Using inexpensive services like PRWeb to distribute a press release online is an excellent means of capturing widespread coverage for a product announcement, big sales win or an upcoming event. PRWeb even offers a free press release process! Other online press release agencies include 24-7 Press release, WebWire, XpressPress and Send2Press. All provide a variety of services, from simply distributing your press release online to utilizing their inhouse expertise. Some can even help you develop professional podcasts.

For small businesses, online press release solutions are a “do it yourself” inexpensive alternative to PR firms. Typically, these services offer free tutorials to help you create your release, along with sample formats and templates. Anyone with some writing skills can send out a professional-looking press release. And if you still have some trepidation, employ the service’s optional expertise to help you create or edit your release.

The beauty of online press releases is that you can embed links which drive interested traffic back to your Website! And online press releases float around the Internet forever. Getting picked up by press sites, newspapers, magazines and email newsletters, they provide a plethora of one-way links to your site and thus also drive up your search engine ranking.

Don’t just send out your press releases online. Local newspapers and industry periodicals are always eager to get “filler’ materials. If you email or fax your press release to them with a cover letter, they will likely print it. Include an electronic photo if you like. Be sure your Website URL is spelled out somewhere in the release.

For best results in getting your release placed in printed publications, edit it to fit the target section (e.g., “New Products”), then look up the relevant editor and contact him (her) directly. You can also directly access an industry publication’s editorial schedule online to ascertain the focus of each issue and time your release with a relevant issue for added mileage.

Don’t forget to set up a “News” section on your website to archive your press releases. This let’s visitors catch up on your company activities. It also builds company credibility. And if you create an RSS feed for your press release section, you will see even more traffic traveling to your site.

So, one simple document gets a lot of attention. Try accomplishing one online press release monthly with embedded links. Develop contacts with local newspapers and relevant industry publications for printed placement too. You will be surprised at the jump in your Website traffic. And these are people who, having read your release, are already interested in what you offer.

Press releases - they are a cheap way to boost your Website traffic, enhance your industry image and generate qualified sales leads. You gotta love them!

Al Kernek - EzineArticles Expert Author

About the Author

Al Kernek is a marketing consultant and the author of Put Your Business Online, a step-by-step guide written for entrepreneurs and small businesses that explains how to successfully create and promote a low-cost Website. You can learn more about Internet marketing and affordable consulting at his Website, http://www.smallbizsmartmarketing.com

 
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Email is a vital part of doing business online, but are you setting yourself up for SPAM complaints? If you are accused of spamming, whether it’s true or not, there are serious consequences that could potentially shut down your online business.

Are Your Emails CAN-SPAM Compliant?

The CAN-SPAM law has caused quite a bit of confusion about what is and is not acceptable when sending out business or commercial related emails.

Here is the link to the official Federal Trade Commission’s webpage “The CAN-SPAM Act: Requirements for Commercial Emailers” that explains the CAN-SPAM law and how to comply.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/canspam.htm

Pay particular attention to the second paragraph:

“The law, which became effective January 1, 2004, covers email whose primary purpose is advertising or promoting a commercial product or service, including content on a Web site.

A “transactional or relationship message” - email that facilitates an agreed-upon transaction or updates a customer in an existing business relationship - may not contain false or misleading routing information, but otherwise is exempt from most provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act.”

UCE is Unsolicited Commercial Email - Bulk emailing to people that have not requested your information and you do not have a business relationship with. Things like purchasing bulk email lists or sending advertisements to those who have not specifically requested them.

A “Transactional or Relationship Message” is completely different. This type of email covers any type of message a person specifically asks for. It also covers emails sent to people that have purchased something from you, because now there is an established business relationship. Such messages include: opt-in eNewsletters or eZines, thank you emails, receipts, etc. Be careful to not cross the line into UCE emails.

What IS SPAM

An email message not in compliance with the CAN-SPAM law.

An email message that you don’t remember giving permission to receive may be perceived as SPAM.

What is NOT SPAM

An email from a friend of yours is not SPAM.

An email that you asked for is not SPAM.

An email from someone that has an open-ended invitation for them to send you email like a newsletter or tips of the week is not SPAM.(Unless you have previously asked them to stop sending you email.)

An email thanking you for your recent product purchase is not SPAM.

Avoid Being Accused of Spamming

Even one SPAM complaint against you could potentially shut down your online business. ISP’s have a tendency to act first and ask questions later, if at all. Being accused of spamming can cost you big money and it’s best to avoid it at all costs.

Make Sure Your Email Message is Compliant with the CAN-SPAM Law.

Build your own opt-in or double opt-in email list. It takes longer, but is by far the safest way to protect yourself from SPAM complaints.

Keep records of all subscribers and those that unsubscribe to your mailing list. Include the date, email address they signed up with and their IP address, if known. If you use an automated system, it’s very easy to do this. I would not recommend trying to keep up with it manually.

If you do wish to build your email list using a lead or subscriber service, make sure their method of gathering subscribers for you is ethical. They usually include an ad for different opt-in offers and the person can pick and choose which lists they would like to join. They then directly subscribe to your email list. Make sure to read their policy on what to do if you are accused of SPAM. This is different than opt-in list providers (below).

Avoid Opt-In List Providers. These services sell “targeted” email lists that are gathered by others for you. The quality of these type of services varies a great deal. If you want to use this type of service, make sure the service you hire is building a list for YOU and it consists of double opt-ins. If they are just using a cut and paste version of lists that already exist, you could be in trouble.

Don’t ever purchase or send to “bulk” or “targeted” email lists, including those cheap ones sold on CD’s, no matter what the people selling it are telling you. They will be most likely the beginning of your undoing!

Stay away from email list whose source is FFA (Free For All). In fact, stay away from anything that has to do with FFA sites at all.

Always provide high quality content in your messages.

Avoid using the most common “Spam Filter Trigger” words. Words like “free”, “guarantee”, and “special” are likely to trigger your customers spam filters.

If you have an Affiliate Program, make sure you include an “anti-spam” provision in your agreement.

NEVER mention the word “SPAM” in your messages. Instead, use a message like “This message is for subscribers only. If you did not request to be subscribed to our list, please click the unsubscribe link below or contact us at your@emailaddress.com to be removed promptly.”

NEVER “Harvest” or “Capture” email addresses from any source. Especially any type of online group or community.

NEVER post your marketing sales copy to newsgroups or mailing lists that are owned by others without permission!

If You Get Accused of Spamming

You must act quickly and with a level head.

Don’t take it personally!

Remove the accuser from your email list immediately.

Contact the provider that the complaint was registered with and present your records of when the person subscribed, their IP address and let them know your email list is an opt-in or double opt-in list.

Follow the instructions given to you by the provider promptly.

If you follow the guidelines above, you can drastically reduce your chances of being accused of sending SPAM. Above all, before you send out any email message, make sure it contains high quality content that provides value to your readers. Ask yourself if you would want to receive the email message you are sending. If it’s all fluff and sales messages, rethink your message before sending. If you do ever get accused of spamming, make sure you take prompt action to minimize the damage.

Taylor Knight is the owner of MyEbusinessCoach.com. A unique concept in membership websites dedicated to making members a steady income through the power and flexibility of online business.

 
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One of the great benefits of email marketing is that it delivers measurable metrics. To run a successful email marketing campaign, you need to monitor and understand email statistics such as Open Rate, Click-Through Rate (CTR), Bounce Back rate etc. Understanding these metrics will allow you to improve your email marketing campaign and achieve better results.

1. Basic Email Metrics you should evaluate in each email campaign:

Open Rate - that is the total number of emails opened (in HTML format) divided by total emails delivered/distributed.

Click-Thru Rate (CTR) - calculated as the number of unique clicks on links in the email divided by the number of emails opened. It basically means how many people interacted with your email.

Bounce Rate - represents the total number of emails that were not delivered and bounced back. There are several reason why the email was rejected such as the email address is no longer valid, a server filtered the email out, or the recipient’s mailbox was full and over quota.

Based on your unique email marketing campaigns objectives, you can measure more advanced statistics such as:

- Number of Emails Open based on Region/Country
- Number of Click-Thru based on Region/Country
- Number of Sales based on Region/Country/referring URL
- Conversion (Click to Sales) Rate
- Total Revenue per campaign
- Return on Investment (ROI) per campaign

2. What metrics you should focus on?

Well, this really depends on your campaigns objectives. Open rate is a very important indicator to some extent however to get a better picture of your campaign performance, it should be analyzed in combination with other metrics - such as click through rate (CTR) and click to action rate (conversion rate).

Why is that? Because CTR and conversion rate are able to tell you how many recipients took an action you wanted them to take, such as purchased your product, signed up to your newsletter, downloaded the whitepaper etc. Whereas the open rate will only tell you how many people read your email. So in order to measure the effectiveness of your message, you need to go beyond the open rate down to the action level.

3. How to boost the Click-Through Rate (CTR)?

Savvy email marketers not only want to get the email opened and read but also want to know how many people clicked through (measured by CTR) and they want this number to be as high as possible. There are few key points in each email you should review because they critically influence the open rate and CTR. Those are:

Subject Line and Greeting:

Make you subject line attractive. Subject line is one of the most important factors that may affect your email campaign results. However, please do not over “optimize” your subject line otherwise it may look like spam email and the client could delete it without opening it. Keep the subject line short and specific, and if possible address the subscriber by his/her name.

Compelling Offer:

It should be obvious from the first paragraph what you offer as well as why the offer is important to the recipient and how he/she can benefit from it. The first paragraph should grab the attention so don’t write it too long. Include your offer on top of your email and make your offer attractive to the recipient (discount and free offers usually make users to click).

Call-for-action:

Always include “call-for-action” button or link to instruct the user to click for more details.

Spam issue:

“Spam” issue may affect your successful open rate tremendously. Most of the ISP and hosting companies have implemented the “spam filter” that can filter out suspected spam emails. Please try to avoid using any common suspected spam words such as “free offer”, “money”, “30 day guarantee”, “free trial”.

Message Design and Structure:

Use same colors and images in your emails; this will help people recognize your brand. When you have a lengthy message, try to include interactive links so people can access more information through your website. Also, very few people read the email word by word, most of readers just scanning the message to quickly find out what’s in it for them. Keep this in mind and structure your email - include headings to separate the message and use bullets so the reader can easily see listed features or benefits.

Today’s readers are busy people and it usually takes them just few seconds to decide whether to read your message or delete it. So construct your message carefully and monitor your email statistics to find out what works best for your business.

Ivana Giardi is Marketing Director at Apex Pacific, the leading developer of Internet Marketing and Web Promotion solutions. Apex Pacific helps organizations of all sizes increase their online marketing presence leading to stronger business results. If you would like to learn how to improve your website performance, visit Apex Pacific at http://www.apexpacific.com

 

September 12, 2008

Diamonds in the Spam

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There are those who turn apoplectic at the receipt of unsolicited commercial email, commonly dubbed spam. These are the same people who receive hundreds of bulk letters addressed to “Occupant” without batting an eye.

Getting rid of unwanted mail means sorting through the stack to pull out the important pieces and then dumping the remainder in the trash bin. The garbage piles up in landfills and ocean dumping grounds while the trees continue to fall to produce more and more paper.

Electronic mail can be quickly scanned and then deleted, disappearing forever into cyberspace, causing no pollution or build-up, and requiring no consumption of non-renewable resources.

My inbox is my conduit to the world, scanned daily with eager eyes for those unexpected morsels that appear out of nowhere. I have found delightful offers, developed new areas of interest, and have followed seductive links to websites that have become perennial favorites - all because of unsolicited messages.

My response is that, barring blatantly pornographic material, I like spam, and I hope it keeps coming. Unfortunately, those who feel the purity of the Internet has somehow been violated, have led to a cyber world where everything requires confirmation, double or triple opt-in lists, bouncing of incoming messages by non-intelligent filters, and evokes multiple complaints to ISPs who are forced to investigate and respond.

The Internet is so wonderful because it is highly resistant to the urge for co-option by the government, large corporations, and the rich and powerful. It is the great leveler where even the most humble can connect to the world.

Let’s fight to keep it that way, even if it means 30 minutes of our precious daily time is spent deleting unwanted messages.

Virginia Bola is a licensed clinical psychologist with deep interests in Social Psychology and politics. She has performed therapeutic services for more than 20 years and has studied the effects of cultural forces and employment on the individual. The author of two interactive workbooks: The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual and Diet With An Attitude: A Weight Loss Workbook, she can be reached at her Social Psych Blog drvirginiabola.blogspot.com

 
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We want to improve fishing in the region. Sediment is by far the most significant pollutant of the Northeast Pa Region’s streams. Sedimentation and other habitat problems have greatly diminished the quality of fishing in most streams. We will strive to improve stream conditions in the region by promoting soil conservation methods, including buffer zones of trees and shrubs along streams on both private and public lands. In order to do this will are offering our services to provide tree and plant seedlings at or near our cost to farms and organiztions that sign up acreage in crp.

Call us at 215 651 8329 Highland Hill Farm Rt 313 Box 517 Fountainville Pa. 18923. http://www.seedlingsrus.com

 
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