]]> http://three01.com/?feed=rss2&p=45 0 http://three01.com/?p=20 http://three01.com/?p=20#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:34:30 +0000 three01.com http://three01.com/?p=20 Copyright 2005 Elaine Currie

Free Internet advertising is sought after by most Internet marketers and one readily available source of free Internet advertising is the Internet forum. For Internet marketing novices, I’ll briefly explain how free Internet advertising is obtained from Internet forums.

Basically, Internet forums are message boards where members can exchange information, obtain advice or just chat. There are Internet forums to cater for every topic you would care to imagine (and a few you would probably prefer not to dwell on). The Internet marketer advertises his product simply by posting messages on the forums. There are some Internet forums that forbid the posting of advertisements but, on many of these forums, it is still possible to obtain free Internet advertising by use of a signature file. The signature file is a short piece of text which can contain a link to a website and which can be annexed to every posting a member makes on a forum message board.

If you have never tried forums as a source of free Internet advertising, you should bear in mind that there is an unwritten code of etiquette which need to be observed. The following are some of the unwritten rules which need to be followed if you intend to use forums for free Internet advertising for your business.

Read the Forum Rules

You need to read the rules of any Internet forum before you try to post a message there. I know this sounds obvious but it is clear that many forum users don’t bother to read the rules, despite the fact that the forum registration process inevitably includes a requirement for the applicant to check a box indicating that the forum rules have been read and will be adhered to. Don’t just sign up with the idea of getting as much free Internet advertising as possible from the forum. Many forums prohibit the posting of affiliate urls anywhere apart from in the members’ forum signature file. If you become a member of one of these forums without reading the rules and start posting your affiliate urls in messages, you will quickly find yourself labelled a “spammer”. In case you didn’t know, spammers are considered to be the lowest of the low on the Internet. If there was a virtual prison for Internet crime, Internet advertising spammers would have to be kept in solitary confinement for their own protection.

Lurk Before You Leap

Internet forum etiquette demands that you spend a little time “lurking” ie logging in at the forum and reading previous and current threads before you even think of starting to use the forum for free Internet advertising. Although lurking is not an official rule of Internet forums, it is largely accepted as an essential part of the unwritten code of behaviour. The practice is very useful. Lurking will enable you to get the feel of how a forum works, you will be able to ascertain the tone of the messages, the type of subject matter which is welcomed and the level of expertise of other forum members. You might even find that a particular forum is not for you and this could save you the embarrassment of posting an inappropriate message on the forum.

Be Subtle

You know that you are visiting the forum merely for the free Internet advertising for your website but it is better not to make this obvious if you want other members to react well to your advertising. Forums are rather like private clubs where members strike up friendships and make business deals. If you rush in waving your “FREE INTERNET ADVERTISING” placard you will not become popular, other members will consider you to be an abuser of their “club”. You will do much better if you quietly introduce yourself and keep the free Internet advertising down to a whisper in your signature file.

Remember Your Manners

How hard is it to say “thank you”? If you visit a forum and receive valuable advice which helps you in some way, take a moment to post a brief message of thanks to your advisor. If someone helped you out of a spot in the bricks and mortar world you would thank them. Remember that people who post on Internet forums are real too and they are under no obligation to help you. It is as easy to make a friend with a warm word as it is to create an enemy with a harsh word and you never know when you might meet these people again.

Help Whenever You Can

Help other people whenever you can. Even if you don’t have any specialist knowledge, you will find occasions when you can pass on good advice. If you received advice that took you to a solution, post a message to say how the advice helped and what steps you followed to sort things out, this will act as a signpost for other people who might find themselves in similar difficulties. Even though you joined the forum with the idea of using it merely as a form of free Internet advertising, make time to give something back. People will be more inclined to take an interest in your advertising if you become known as a helpful type. What goes around comes around and, in any event, the reputation of being a problem-solver is a bit of free Internet advertising in its own right.

Be Moderate

The majority of Internet forums have moderators to ensure that members stick to the rules. The job of a forum moderator is to keep the content of the forum appropriate. Remember, it is not just a place where you can indulge in free Internet advertising, so keep your messages within the forum rules. Any graffiti posted by members will be cleaned up by the moderators so that the forum environment is preserved for all members to enjoy. If you wish to retain the respect of your fellow forum members, make sure your posts never need to be cleaned up, be your own moderator. As well as sticking to the forum rules on content, you should also keep your messages moderate in tone. The Chambers dictionary includes the following definitions of “moderate”: kept within measure or bounds; not excessive or extreme; temperate. If you avoid drama and pathos in your forum posting and keep your messages moderate, you will not attract “flamers” and you can quietly enjoy your free Internet advertising.

Ration Your Reading

Internet forums can be addictive. There is a serious danger that you might log in to a forum with the idea of posting a message or two in order to get your daily ration of free Internet advertising but, the next thing you know is that half an hour has passed by while you have been engrossed in reading. There is nothing inherently wrong with spending time reading posts made by other forum members, it’s free entertainment and that’s fine. The problem is that, if you are trying to run an Internet marketing business and you lose yourself on forums for half an hour every day, you will be wasting something like half a day during the course of each week for the sake of posting a couple of links back to your website. That is not an economical use of your time. In fact, if you account for the value of your time, you will find you are actually paying a high price for your free Internet advertising on forums.

]]> http://three01.com/?feed=rss2&p=20 0 http://three01.com/?p=35 http://three01.com/?p=35#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:53:31 +0000 three01.com http://three01.com/?p=35 There are thousands of websites offering free internet bingo. Many websites that offer a free internet bingo game offer prizes and some even offer the opportunity to play for cash. Internet bingo is very affordable and it doesn’t get any more affordable than free. Access to the internet has changed the way people entertain themselves and online games are a very popular pastime globally.

A free internet bingo game can entertain the biggest bingo fanatic for hours and hours on end. Internet bingo free is available 24/7 so no matter what a players work hours free internet bingo is always available. Many sites offering free internet bingo are supported by advertising and the more popular a site the more the site owner can charge advertisers. A popular free internet bingo website is able to offer substantial prizes ranging from plasma televisions to luxury cruises.

Many pay bingo websites that offer free internet bingo require the player to sign up and some require players to establish an account with a credit card before they can access the free internet bingo game. Other free internet bingo websites are only a mouse click away. Truly free internet bingo websites usually only require the player to establish a username and password.

Generally in the world of free internet bingothere are two kinds of games, no download, and download which require the player to download the site’s software in order to play. Most free internet bingo websites maintain chatrooms where players become part of a global neighborhood. Players are very likely to find themselves chatting with someone from a different part of the world.

Most internet bingo free websites offer a vast selection of games. In addition to traditional 75 ball games players are likely to find 90 ball games which are wildly popular in the UK and Europe. In England and Australia bingo is also known as ‘housie.’ It is also wise to learn the various terms used by bingo fanatics for the various numbers called. For example 88 is known as ‘two fat ladies.’

Playing the free internet bingo game can give a player hours of entertainment and enjoyment. Log on and give it a try.

free internet bingo

]]> http://three01.com/?feed=rss2&p=35 0 http://three01.com/?p=23 http://three01.com/?p=23#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:25:34 +0000 three01.com http://three01.com/?p=23 Internet marketing means many things to many people.Internet Marketing is an all-inclusive term for marketing products or services online – and like many all-inclusive terms,Internet marketing refers to the strategies that are used to market a product or service online, marketing strategies that include search engine optimization(SEO) and search engine submission, copywriting that encourages site visitors to take action, web site design strategies, online promotions, reciprocal linking, and email marketing – and that’s just hitting the highlights.

If you’re new to Internet marketing, then focusing on search engine optimization and web design as a starting point; for many sites, the most traffic still comes from search engines and directories.Its not about selling vitamins to your friends and neighbor. Internet marketing is very easy but it isn’t an overnight proposition; One day could be weeks, months could be years of Internet marketing before your Web site becomes viable. Don’t stop reading yet — There would be little or no money investment in the early stages of internet marketing ans Micro business can earn 5+ figures annually online.Internet marketing, also referred to as web marketing, i-marketing, online marketing, or e-Marketing, is the marketing of services or products over the Internet.

. Internet marketing not only refers to digital media such as the Internet, e-mail, and wireless media; however, Internet marketing also includes management of digital customer data and electronic customer relationship management (ECRM) systems that why it is sometimes considered to have a broader scope .

Internet marketing ties together creative and technical aspects of the Internet, development, including design, advertising, and sale.Internet marketing refers to the placement of media along different stages of customer engagement cycle through search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), e-mail marketing, banner ads on specific websites, and Web 2.0 strategies.

Internet marketing is growing faster than other types of media as compare to 2007.Because as compare to traditional off-line media its very easy to track exposure, response, and overall efficiency of Internet media —through the use of web analytics for instance—Internet marketing can offer a greater sense of accountability for advertisers. Marketers and their clients are becoming aware of the need to measure the collaborative effects of marketing (i.e., how the Internet affects in-store sales) rather than soloing each advertising medium. It is very difficult to determine the effects of multi channel marketing, but it’s an important part of ascertaining the value of media campaigns.

]]> http://three01.com/?feed=rss2&p=23 0 http://three01.com/?p=30 http://three01.com/?p=30#comments Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:52:45 +0000 three01.com http://three01.com/?p=30 Today (free of charge, zero money down, no shipping and handling) I’m providing you with a list of tips that, when followed, will cause your aura to radiate “INTERNET EXPERT” like a big, bright neon sign.

I suggest at least a modest attempt at making the following practices somewhat automatic for you. At the least, devotion to these practices will keep others’ eye-rolls, snickers, and impatient sighs at bay. At the most, you may find yourself being carried about on your co-workers shoulders all day, caught in an outpouring of endearing stares, listening to shouts and cheers of respect somewhere along the lines of “Hear hear for the Internet Expert!”

TIP #1: Never ever use the terms “AOL” and “Internet” as if they were completely interchangeable.

Example no-no: Someone asks if your company has a website. You reply, “Oh yeah! We’re totally on AOL!” Big awful buzzer sound here. AOL is NOT the Internet; AOL is simply one of many browsers that allows you to maneuver about the Internet. It is also a company that likes to put holographic CDs covered with infomercial-like promotions in post offices in attempts of persuading more people into using their services.

TIP #2: Click correctly.

When you’re surfing about the Internet, you likely get from place to place using hyperlinks (a.k.a. “links”). You should be aware that links require nothing more than a single click from the left button on your mouse. Double (or triple . . . or quadruple) clicking and right-clicking on links when you simply want to be taken to a different location are a few of the primary causes of those behind-your-back eyerolls you may not know people have been sending your way. Remember this: With links on the Internet, “one-click, that’s it.”

TIP #3: Remember that search engines are for searching, not for typing in complete URLs.

This means that you do NOT need to head over to Google or Yahoo Search or any other search engine to reach the specific website you already know you want to visit. Instead of typing “www.google.com” into your address bar and then typing in the URL of the site you want to visit in the search box. . . just SKIP going to Google and type the URL of the site you want to visit in the address bar instead!

TIP #4: Understand the term “download” and know how to pull files off the Internet onto your computer when you need/would like them. If you are unclear about the term ‘downloading’, take a look at the simple explanation offered right here.

TIP #5: Use an Internet browser that’s not older than your average kindergartner.

I’ll tell you right now: if you’re using something along the lines of Netscape 1.0 (born 1994) or Internet Explorer 2.0 (born 1996)—you’re seriously not appearing Internet Savvy. To be completely honest, even the use of AOL or Internet Explorer 5 to navigate the web won’t help your image (or your overall Internet experience) all that much either. To appear savvy, consider downloading and using something a bit more recent, such as Internet Explorer 7, or Firefox 3.



TIP #6: When someone’s surfing the Internet with you and they ask you to “open up a new window,” do NOT furrow your brow and say “huh??”.

This will most definitely not make you appear Internet savvy. Instead simply reply (in an oh-so-suave tone, of course) “Why, of course!”. Then either hold down the “Ctrl” and then the “N” keys on your keyboard OR click on the “File” menu button at the top of the browser screen, then click on “Open New Window.” Many people find that having more than one browser window open at once is extremely handy for viewing multiple websites simultaneously. Try it out.

TIP #8: Whenever a friend or coworker asks a question that no one in the near vicinity can answer, calmly say “Oh I know that.”

Then excuse yourself for just a moment, run to your computer, hop on the Internet, access Google (or your favorite search engine), look up the answer, and return to the questioning party with an eloquent, detailed explanation. Simply being aware that the Internet is home to a mind-boggling amount of information about pretty much everything instantly makes you appear more savvy in general to those around you. It may also encourage you to search the Internet with more regularity, which in turn boosts your true Internet savvy—not simply the appearance of it.

TIP #9: DO NOT click on flashing advertisements that: a) claim you’re the sites 1,000,000th visitor, b) ask you what your favorite color is and show you 4 or 5 circles or hearts or something of the sort, c) state that you were randomly chosen from all site visitors to win $100, etc. etc. etc.

People who are Internet savvy know that those type of advertisements are nothing more than tremendous wastes of time.

TIP #10: For heaven’s sake: always remember that the Internet does not bite.

So don’t act like it does—especially when you’re in the company of others. Doing so will not make you appear Internet savvy.

And that, my friends, is a list of tips that should help you on your way. If you don’t actually become Internet-savvy, well then, I suppose at the very least . . . you can at least appear it. Have fun!

]]> http://three01.com/?feed=rss2&p=30 0 http://three01.com/?p=8 http://three01.com/?p=8#comments Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:20:54 +0000 three01.com http://three01.com/?p=8 Talk to me more or less Internet TV?

1. What about IM.com? Is it worth it?2. How about Satellite TV for PC? Will I really get channel from all around the world at no cost, legally, and without risky my computer? It just got it and…

I want to monitor material live tv on my internet and run a usb to my hd tv,?

can anyone help me do this. I cant and will not pay $70.00 to $100.00 a month to the cable company. I know there are sites I can progress to for a download, but I can assure you, it…

Which would you fairly own: TV or Internet…?

I want both! Haha. But if I reeeaaally had to choose one, then I guess it would be the Internet. Without TV, I could still download TV programmes and watch video on YouTube and stuff. But without the…

where on earth is the TRUE internet?i get the impression approaching i m watching ad on tv!buy buy buy…wasnt resembling that few years ago.?

What is most annoying is that i get the same sites back,no business what string i give to search engines.I read there are billions of sites on the lattice and my impression is that there are a few hundreds.I know they…

How can i start an Internet TV?

Its through a tv tuner card by which u get access to tv & then u can record & ratify those videos from there on to the internet.here’s some more detail abt that card:A TV tuner card is a computer component…

Does watching mass on TV or the internet fulfill your religious responsibility?

If so, can you just have it on in the milieu, while you are doing some work, or something? Could you get an iPod video, for example, and get Mass out of the way on your day after day commute? Would…

tv or radio or internet ?

Which of the ones would you pick as a wish to have and do.. pick one and tell us the use why you like that one instead of the other..If i didnt had anything and that i was simply to…

Would you to some extent survey internet video or TV shows?

Do you find it more convenient to watch shows on TV or the internet? tv shows.

Can anyone notify me what are some biddable internet service providers that tender elevated speed internet and cable TV?

I live in Knoxville TN but any names would help….and phone #’s if you hold them….I go to online college and my ISP won’t come out til saturday…well I’m basically screwed because I won’t know how to get my work in…

at&t vs comcast for tv,phone,internet?

I had comcast for basic cable and just not long switched to u-verse at&t for internet & digital cable w/ on demand and dvr. I have at&t for local & long distance phone. I recently saw an advert for…

Verizon High speed internet plus direct tv VS Comcast Internet and Cable?

Any suggestions would be great First off Verizon high speed is very expensive and not that quickly…maybe if you got FiOS but DSL is slow now. That person said Comcast Cable internet is much faster and they give you a…

have any body tride any of those internet cable tv website deal do you bring back hbo , mtv etc. does it work?

i came accross several websites that offer internet cable tv for very cheap prices here is one example http://www.sattellitetvonpc2007.com/have any body tried one of these ,does it realy work do you get real cable channels resembling mtv hbo spike discovery history…

Why does an internet video player show solid bright colors similar to an outmoded scrambled cable TV passageway?

I have a new computer and with some (not all) video players, it comes up near bright blocks of colors like watching a scrambled cable channel 15 years ago. Do I need to install something resembling Flash? or something else?This…

How can I cope next to waiting for my cable TV and internet to be fixed?

My Cable TV and internet is not working and I was told if I yell and shout about my Cable TV and internet not working and call time warner roughly my cable TV and internet not working that it will not…

how to download a movie or tv series surrounded by the internet?

i love watching,pls somebody help me.what do i need ?what website?what software?and pls tell me how to do it within laymans term,or at least from A to Z steps. i really want to learn this item. I am about to…

what are some moral sites for Internet TV?

http://www.veoh.comVeoh was just featured yesterday contained by USA Today as the best internet TV site on the web compared to others. They offer everything from uploaded home videos to lattice television shows. Also, if you like to post your…

Wireless router. I only kicked cable company and started satellite TV. I hold to win DSL for internet.?

The max speed for my DSL is 3 mega bytes. After connecting to a wireless 54G linksys wireless router, my speed is down to about 0.38 mbps. What can I do to increase the speed of my internet service?? please help…

what is th best road to see tv on the internet? i want to scrutinize films and tv series.?

trying to watch stuff on free links is just annoying now because so plentiful dont work so if any one knows a good service thats not too expensive let me know! Hi, a couple of links that might give a…

how can i manufacture my trellis show on tv and internet next to my friends?

i want to make a web show with my friends how product it and download it on a site like youtube or one similar, let lots of people know give or take a few it and hope it takes off…

What website can you download or survey tv shows on the internet for free?

I need a website or software where you can download all the conventional tv shows which are shown on cable and sky digital for free? youtube

What type of cable does at&t uses for internet? can you capture free cable tv beside it close to comcast??

if att uses coax cable con you get free internet? many people speak u can get free tv just like comcast is it true??also what type of modem do they give/rent/buy??what do you cogitate is better comcast att? why? …

TV or Internet?

if you had to live without one which would it be? me id enjoy to say internet thats a hard question, possibly t.v. cuz i can watch all my favorite t.v. shows on the internet

Which site is the best to examine internet tv?

i know about ovguide and veoh, but I want to know if there’s anything out there that would force me to get a 32 inch lcd right away to hook up to my computer. Hulu, a foreign television streaming site,…

More Internet TV Questions Please visit : RunAsk.com

]]> http://three01.com/?feed=rss2&p=8 0 http://three01.com/?p=48 http://three01.com/?p=48#comments Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:05:43 +0000 three01.com http://three01.com/?p=48 If you are tired of having to dial up to the Internet in order to check your e-mail or surf the web then satellite Internet could be the right choice to help you get connected to the rest of the world faster and more reliably.

 

The primary problem that is presented with dial-up is that you are not always connected to the Internet. Instead, you must obtain a connection to the Internet through your phone line. This can result in multiple problems, including the fact that while you are surfing the Internet, your phone line is busy; making it impossible for you to place outgoing calls or receive ingoing calls unless you want to splurge on the cost of another phone line just to have dedicated Internet service. 

 

The difference between dial-up Internet connections and satellite Internet connections is that you do not have to dial-up to anything to connect to the Internet. In fact, you do not have to establish a connection at all with satellite Internet. Once your satellite Internet service is set up with your provider, you are always connected. Provided that your computer is turned on, you will always be connected tot the Internet. You do not have to log in or enter a password in most instances. Your phone line is not tied up because your connection is not placed through your phone line. Instead, your Internet connection is established using a satellite dish and a receiver that receives signals from fixed satellites orbiting high above the Earth.

 

The cost of satellite Internet is also much more affordable than dial-up Internet in the long-run when all factors are taken into consideration. In some cases you might be able to find a dial-up connection that is cheaper, but you must also taken into consideration the amount of time that will spent trying to log on to the Internet, getting kicked off and trying to download what you need.

 

The cost of satellite Internet service is fixed and does not rely on varying amounts of usage per month. Most satellite Internet providers also provide a tiered level of service packages so that you can choose the option that best suits your needs.

 

For example, if you only need to surf from home and email frequently, then you will typically be able to choose a less expensive home package option. If you do a lot of heavy surfing on the web, share photos and download music frequently, then an advanced package may be the best option. There are also usually options that are ideal for homes and/or businesses that have computers surfing the Internet simultaneous and who send and receive large files. Regardless of which option you ultimately choose you will have the peace of mind in knowing that you can get connected to the Internet anytime you like without having to lose valuable time waiting for a connection. Furthermore, you can take advantage of high speed Internet service regardless of where you live.

]]> http://three01.com/?feed=rss2&p=48 0 http://three01.com/?p=36 http://three01.com/?p=36#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:51:18 +0000 three01.com http://three01.com/?p=36 There are thousands of websites offering free internet bingo. Many websites that offer a free internet bingo game offer prizes and some even offer the opportunity to play for cash. Internet bingo is very affordable and it doesn’t get any more affordable than free. Access to the internet has changed the way people entertain themselves and online games are a very popular pastime globally.

A free internet bingo game can entertain the biggest bingo fanatic for hours and hours on end. Internet bingo free is available 24/7 so no matter what a players work hours free internet bingo is always available. Many sites offering free internet bingo are supported by advertising and the more popular a site the more the site owner can charge advertisers. A popular free internet bingo website is able to offer substantial prizes ranging from plasma televisions to luxury cruises.

Many pay bingo websites that offer free internet bingo require the player to sign up and some require players to establish an account with a credit card before they can access the free internet bingo game. Other free internet bingo websites are only a mouse click away. Truly free internet bingo websites usually only require the player to establish a username and password.

Generally in the world of free internet bingothere are two kinds of games, no download, and download which require the player to download the site’s software in order to play. Most free internet bingo websites maintain chatrooms where players become part of a global neighborhood. Players are very likely to find themselves chatting with someone from a different part of the world.

Most internet bingo free websites offer a vast selection of games. In addition to traditional 75 ball games players are likely to find 90 ball games which are wildly popular in the UK and Europe. In England and Australia bingo is also known as ‘housie.’ It is also wise to learn the various terms used by bingo fanatics for the various numbers called. For example 88 is known as ‘two fat ladies.’

Playing the free internet bingo game can give a player hours of entertainment and enjoyment. Log on and give it a try.

free internet bingo

]]> http://three01.com/?feed=rss2&p=36 0 http://three01.com/?p=4 http://three01.com/?p=4#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:26:17 +0000 three01.com http://three01.com/?p=4 Melanie Benson Strick is not a doctor, but she specializes in treating a condition she calls the "Bright Shiny Object Syndrome."

"When you are chasing a new, bright shiny object every day, you’re going to be overwhelmed,” Melanie explains. “When I tell people I have a formula to break free of that syndrome, they get curious and want to go the next step with me."

And that is how Melanie morphed into an engineer of sorts – she identifies where her clients want to go, and she designs a process to get them there.

Melanie’s creative approach is featured in a new book, "The Official Get Rich Guide to Information Marketing on the Internet" by Robert Skrob and Bob Regnerus, because she cleverly turned her Internet marketing savvy into a cash cow.

Melanie started out as a trade events organizer and later worked for Motorola, helping the company establish the 9-1-1 call centers. "But I began to look for ways to have more fun," she recalls. "Lifestyle coaching seemed like an interesting field, where I could use my previous experiences."

However, Melanie realized she couldn’t just plunge head-on into her new career. "I was pretty naïve to think I could just go out and become a coach because I didn’t know how to pull this together," she says. "I had no clue how to recruit clients."

That’s when Melanie turned for help to consultant Alexandria Brown, who has been very successful in her own information marketing business. Alexandria looked at Melanie’s website and offered this assessment: the site, though eye-pleasing, would not attract customers. "She said it was a waste of space on the Internet because it was not doing anything for me," Melanie relates.

In fact, websites cluttered with too many graphics and too much useless information is counterproductive, Skrob notes. "The more choices you put in front of people, the longer it will take them to make a decision and the less likely they are to be happy with the choice they make. When the number of options gets really overwhelming, people often respond by making no decision at all. So when it comes to getting responses from your website visitors, ONE is the magic number. When you present your visitors with ONE yes-or-no decision at a time, you’re more likely to get the results you want."

So Alexandria advised Melanie to restructure her website, adding a landing page that invited visitors to leave their e-mail addresses in exchange for a free report and an assessment of the potential client’s business. The report, which also included a CD and a subscription to an e-zine, helped Melanie connect with people who needed help building their own businesses.

With this new, focused website Melanie hit the jackpot. To attract more clients, she developed different levels at which people could access her information, ranging from a reasonably priced entry level to more elaborate packages. "This way I maximize my conversion of prospects into mentoring clients" she says.

It is no wonder that info-marketers like Melanie and numerous others profiled in the book, a sequel to last year’s "The Official Get Rich Guide to Information Marketing," became extraordinarily successful by packaging their expertise and selling it to others. "The development of the Internet has been good for every type of business," notes Skrob, president of the Tallahassee FL-based Information Marketing Association. "And there has never been a better time to be in the Internet information marketing business because it is responsive to and fueled by the ever-increasing pressure on people’s time."

The book, out in September 2008, "picks up where the last one ended," Skrob adds. "The last book taught the big picture business plan; this book shows how to implement that plan on the Internet. If you have an information marketing business now, you can’t afford to miss out on what the Internet has to offer. And if you’re just getting started in information marketing, the Internet will help you make your first sale more quickly and with less risk – just as Melanie did."

 

]]> http://three01.com/?feed=rss2&p=4 0 http://three01.com/?p=10 http://three01.com/?p=10#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:55:59 +0000 three01.com http://three01.com/?p=10 You timidly suggested to your nephew that you were considering a move to a faster form of Internet access. Perhaps you have heard the term “broadband connection.” He probably heaved a huge sigh of relief. “Finally!” he said. But when you asked for guidance on which service to choose, you soon were sorry you asked. In two or three short sentences, he left you behind, babbling in technical gobblydegook that you couldn’t possibly follow — when all you really wanted to know was, “What should I get?”

Breathe easy. We’ll explain what the options are for faster Internet connections (which is what’s meant by “broadband” or “high-speed Internet”), with just a teeny bit of “how it works” so you have some sense of what you’re choosing and why.

In doing so, we don’t expect that you want to become a computer wizard. All you want, we assume, is the ability to get the advantages of fast Internet access: a computer that is always connected to the Internet, that permits you to zip around Web pages faster than you imagined possible, and that opens up a whole new set of ways to waste time online. Oh, we mean, a whole new set of ways to be productive. Whatever.

Let’s start out with the key question, and then work our way back to the underlying issues.

Q: What should I get? DSL or Cable Service? Most technical people will give you all sorts of “this is how it works” answers, and they’ll talk about performance (that is, is DSL or cable service faster?) and setup (that is, how will you get your computer hooked into the modem?). There are differences between the technologies, and we’ll get to those in a moment.

But for someone who’s simply trying to find a simple and credible answer, the truth is that “fastest” is not really the most important issue. It’s just like choosing a car. Yes, auto enthusiasts discuss performance and 0-to-60 speeds and other things that matter primarily to other car aficionados. But if all you want is a car to commute to work, then what matters most is reliability, gas mileage, and the phone number of a mechanic whose work you trust. And affordable. It should be affordable.

In terms of high-speed Internet connections, that means:

1) Find out if you have a choice at all. In many places, you can get one kind of service but not another. (We’ll explain the reasons why in a little while.)

2) Choose a provider you trust. If you hate your phone company or if you are already irked with the cable TV provider, why add agony to your life? Choose the provider whose service you trust the most (or whom you hate the least, which may be closer to the mark).

3) When you check into pricing, be sure to find out about installation options. Many cable and DSL providers will come to your house or business to set up the network and Internet connection. If one provider does so and the other does not, your decision is easier. As with many things in life — such as garage door openers — it’s important to get your high-speed Internet service installed right in the first place, or it’ll never quite work correctly. It can be worth the expense to pay a professional.

4) If company-supplied installation is not an option, then ask your “local techie” — that same nephew who’s sure he knows everything — which type of service to get, and follow his advice. If you rely on family-provided technical support, then it makes sense to choose an option with which that family member is comfortable. Doing so avoids those nasty “I told you so” conversations over the Thanksgiving table.

5) Consider price as just one element of the equation. In most cases, the difference in cost is negligible. But your existing phone and cable company may be able to sweeten the deal; for example, some cable companies may offer a reduced price if you get Internet access, telephone services, and TV stations from them.

What — none of those things are about technology! Isn’t that the key issue? Shouldn’t I choose the one that’s better?

Yes, there are technical differences between the two kinds of service. There can be major speed differences. But in the real world, “convenience” is often much more important.

Q: What do DSL and cable services have in common? Both types of service provide an “always-on” connection. That is, they’re automatically connected to the Internet as long as the computer is turned on. You need not worry about busy signals or any connection/disconnection process.

Both are billed on a monthly basis, often on the same invoice with your phone or cable TV service.

Both work with your Windows or Macintosh computers without fiddling. They’ll also work with other operating systems, too. However, the typical high-speed Internet service technical support representative may be unfamiliar with the details of getting everything to work with your “alternative choice.” It may take extra expertise, and you may need additional help (that is, expect to buy the nephew a nice dinner).

In most places, DSL and cable access cost about the same.

Q: How is Internet speed measured… and to what degree does it matter? When computer techies talk about Internet connection speed, it’s generally in mbps: millions of bits per second. This can be confusing since everything else in the world of computers is measured in bytes. Bits and bytes aren’t the same thing. But to put it in context: to send a photo that’s 2.2 megabytes (MB) when stored on your hard disk, it’ll take about 3 minutes for the transfer if you have a 5 Mbps Internet connection.

If we were to get technical, we’d quibble with the reliability of those numbers and whether they’re useful for more than a general comparison. So would your helpful nephew. If you later decide to explore the underlying technology, you’ll learn the reasons for this. But for now, simply assume that 6 Mpbs is faster than 5 Mpbs, as a useful oversimplification.

Obviously, most people prefer faster speed to slower. Many providers price their services accordingly.

Realistically, if you’ve been using a dial-up modem to access the Internet, it will all seem blazingly fast. If you’re planning to use the Internet for relatively ordinary purposes, such as e-mail, Web browsing, and instant messaging, then your provider’s “basic” speed is probably enough whether you choose cable or DSL. Speed matters a lot more if you expect to work with large files, such as movies, photos, music, games, and any other application that caused the computer salesperson to say, “Hmm, you probably should get a bigger hard disk.”

Q: Why do Internet providers list upload and download speeds separately? Should I care? One aspect of connection speed that is important is the difference between upload speed and download speed. Download speed measures how quickly the information on the Internet is sent to you, such as the email you receive or the Web pages that appear in your browser. Upload speed indicates how fast the information is sent from your computer to…well, to anywhere else.

In many cases, especially with cable service, the upload speed is much slower than the download speed. That sounds like a bad thing, but in most cases the upload speed isn’t a key issue. Think about how you got to this article. You probably typed something into a browser window (such as “compare dsl and cable service” in a search engine). You clicked on a couple of links. And that was about it. A few words of typing, and the clicks. Those didn’t need to speed up the line at warp speeds; you could manage it even if your typing skills are generously described as “hunt and peck.”

But the computer where this page is stored is sending you several pages of information — so you want the download speed to be fast. (This is a very simple example. Your “just a few clicks” could also have shown you a movie, which would have a lot of data to download!)

In some circumstances, the upload speed matters. But for ordinary home use it’s fine for the upload speed to be much lower than the download speed.

Q: How do cable modems work? A cable modem connects a single computer to the Internet using the cable TV network. If you have cable TV service in your neighborhood, you can almost certainly get cable service.

Specifically, the cable modem is a black box with blinking lights. It connects to the computer with a network cable, which may be Ethernet, USB, or some other kind of plug. No matter how old your computer is, it almost certainly has one of these plug-connections available.

Q: Do you need cable television to use a cable modem? No. You do need to be in an area to which the cable company provides service, and the cable company needs to physically get the cable to your location if it hasn’t done so already.

Also, expect a sales pitch on choosing cable TV service to accompany your new Internet access, perhaps with price encouragement (”do you want fries with that?”), but technically speaking there’s no need for you to sign up for HBO just so you can send e-mail faster.

Q: How does DSL work? DSL (digital subscriber line) connects a computer to the Internet using the same wires as a regular telephone line. Although it sounds like it will make your phone line “busy,” DSL doesn’t work that way; the phone service isn’t affected by the Internet connection. In most cases in the U.S., the DSL connection is a phone socket, and your existing house wiring carries both phone and data. It, too, may use a black (or white) box with blinking lights.

Q: Why is distance an issue with DSL? And distance to what? A key difference with DSL is that its speed relies on the distance to the “central office” or CO. That term sounds as though there are office workers slaving away doing paperwork, but in most cases the CO is a large building with a huge number of wires — no humans at all. The farther your computer is from the CO, the worse the signal quality, and thus the connection speed is decreased.

Don’t take out a tape measure. When the phone company judges your distance to the CO, they measure the wires installed between your home and their equipment, which is probably not a straight line.

While it isn’t a technically accurate analogy, imagine shouting to someone across a field. At some point, the other person won’t be able to hear you. If you’re within 5,000 feet of the CO, your Internet access speed will be faster than if you’re 15,000 feet away. And if you’re 22,000 feet from the CO, you probably can’t even get DSL service because the provider knows you’d never be happy with the performance.

There are different kinds of DSL service, and you may be able to use one of them even if you’re (relatively speaking) far from the CO; but you won’t be able to expect top connection speeds.

Q: Why are there different flavors of DSL? Do they matter? When people talk about DSL, they generally mean ADSL (Asymmetric DSL). It would be easy to get extremely technical here, but the simplified explanation is that ADSL is intended primarily for low use, with download speeds many times faster than upload speeds. That’s fine for most residential purposes.

In contrast, the upload speeds on Symmetric DSL (SDSL) are almost the same as its download speeds. That matters if you plan to do a lot of online gaming or to run any kind of Internet server (the latter is unlikely for home use, but the former is quite common if you have children at home). However, SDSL is more expensive than ADSL, and you usually have to be fairly close to the CO to be able to get the service.

There are a few other kinds of DSL connections. You’re unlikely to choose these, but you may want to be familiar with the names when you see them on price lists. Very high bit-rate DSL (VDSL) and Rate-adaptive DSL (RADSL) are of use primarily for businesses. IDSL is based on ISDN technology, and can connect from as far away as 50,000 feet with the currently used versions; it’s a lot more expensive because it’s based on another telecom technology.

Q: I’ve been told that one is slower than the other…? It depends on whom you talk to. Cable service detractors point out that you are sharing the connection with all the other Internet users in your neighborhood. Thus, one person playing an interactive game can hog all the resources and reduce your connection speed, particularly during peak hours (such as when the neighbor’s kid ought to be doing her homework).

Those descriptions make it seem as though you’re on a telephone party line (if you’re old enough to remember those…), with a neighbor listening in on your conversations. It’s not like that; the situation is much closer to waiting in a long line at the bank at lunchtime. They never seem to have enough tellers to deal with the sudden up-tick in customer demand.

On the other hand, the people who criticize DSL point out that residential DSL is also over-subscribed, and the Internet access speed suffers — another example of the missing bank tellers.

So the summary is: yes, one is slower than the other. But which is faster will depend on the area in which you live, and which service is more popular!

Q: What if I have more than one computer? This essay was written assuming that you have only one computer at home. But many families (and many individuals) use more than one computer, in which case you want them all to use the same fast Internet connection. To do so, you’ll need to set up a small home network, in which one computer (connected directly to the cable modem or DSL connection) acts as a referee for all the other computers in the house.

The setup for such a network is outside the scope of this article, but be reassured that it isn’t difficult to get one working. You should be able to find a local computer consultant (or brilliant nephew) to assist you if you don’t want to take on the challenge yourself. In addition, some providers will sell you networking setup at an additional price.

Q: Does it matter if I’m running a business, versus connecting to the Internet from home? Maybe. It depends on the nature of the software you’re running at your business, and how many people need to use the Internet at the same time.

For most small businesses, with only a few employees, there won’t be any difference between residential and business service, without regard to DSL or cable. A business in which several (say, ten or more) employees are concurrently using the Internet should probably examine the business services branch of the DSL or cable provider. These cost more than the residential versions but they also give you additional services, such as more e-mail accounts.

Another reason you’d need business-class DSL or cable services, even in a solo home office, is if you choose to run certain kinds of Internet software, such as an e-mail server or a Web server. Those applications require something called a “dedicated IP address,” which we’ll get to in a moment. Should you plan to add Internet servers to your business, you’ll probably need professional help. It’s more likely that you’ll arrange with another company to manage your Web site and e-mail, which makes the DSL versus cable issue much simpler.

Q: What’s all this stuff about “IP addresses” and why should I care? Under most circumstances, you won’t need to know what an IP address is. However, you’re sure to come across discussions about them while you’re shopping for broadband services, so you might as well have a basic understanding of the term.

Most simply: think of the IP address as the “telephone number” of your computer. Just as you need to know his phone number to call your nephew for help, the computers with which your computer interacts online need an address to reach it, at least for the duration of the current conversation.

With both DSL and cable connections, the standard type of IP address is called a “dynamic IP.” That is, the Internet service provider can change the IP address of your computer at any time. That’s never a problem when, so to speak, your computer is the one calling out. Just as it doesn’t matter to your nephew from what phone number you called him, the only thing you both care about is that you dialed the right number so he could pick up the phone.

However, Internet servers (such as the computers that manage and send out e-mail or host all the pretty Web pages you look at) must have an unchanging address, called a “static IP address.” It’s one option when you look at business-class DSL or cable modem service, and it does cost more.

Q: Do I need to buy extra hardware? Usually, you don’t need to buy anything more than the cable or DSL provider includes with the service. If your computer is an older one, you may need to buy a network card (the techie nephew might call this a “NIC”), which should cost about $10. If you decide to network together your home computers you’ll probably buy additional equipment. But in general, you don’t need to spend additional money.

Q: What about security? This is a bit of a tangent from DSL-versus-cable, but it’s an important item to mention for anyone who is considering moving from a dial-up connection to an always-on Internet.

In most ways, a faster Internet connection will be a wonderful experience. It will change the way you work online and give you more freedom to explore the world.

But there’s one disadvantage that someone needs to warn you about. You’ve probably heard about computer viruses, spyware, spambots, and other “malware” (malicious software). You’ll now be more vulnerable to it. One side effect of your faster connection is that it’s easier for Bad Guys to exploit your computer because the computer is more regularly accessible.

The result is that you’ll need to acquire anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and probably a software firewall — particularly if you use a Windows-based computer. (Other types of computers aren’t immune but they are much less at risk.)

]]> http://three01.com/?feed=rss2&p=10 0