Free Affiliate Programs - how students or anyone can work part-time at home

 
Are you a college or high school student who only has time for a part-time job but can't find one that pays enough? Hate your boss and/or can't stand your co-workers? Have you been searching long and hard for a route to financial freedom that doesn't involve any bosses except for yourself? Do you have a web site? If you have a web site with some traffic (or even if you don't, on my blog you can learn how to make an online living without one), you can make money by having links to online merchant shops appear on your web site. When a visitor to your site clicks on the link pointing to the web site of the merchant you are affiliated with, and then proceeds to buy something, you get a commission of that sale. Depending on the merchant, this can range anywhere from 5% - 75% of the sale. There are also some merchants who will pay for each click or each lead generated from your site. A lead is a new visitor to the site or shop that inquires about information, prices, or prize/coupon offers.

By having these links on your web site, you are called an affiliate, and the links are called affiliate links. An affiliate program isn't literally a program it's a business arrangement or agreement. Affiliate programs are also commonly known as associate programs, associates programs, partner programs, referral programs and sometimes bounty programs.

For anyone new to Internet marketing and work at home businesses they provide an excellent, high value opportunity in that it's a way to earn money without producing your own product!

To register into an affiliate program is almost always free, and through the affiliate program merchants control panel all you need to start making an income is the linking code, a way to monitor the traffic through your links, and to see what commission you have earned. Visitors who click your link to the merchants' site are called "click-throughs" and the percent of click-through visitors that purchase something on the affiliate merchants' site are called your CR, your Conversion Rate. Likewise, your CTR, or Click-Through Rate, is the percent of visitors to your site that end-up clicking on an affiliate link An affiliate program is not a MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) program, since the affiliates only earn from sales, leads or clicks. Some affiliate programs offer what is called a "Two-Tier" program and this is in most cases not considered a MLM program. MLM programs are sometimes called a "Matrix" or "Downline" program and often have an unlimited number of sub-affiliates you can sign up under you. Your downline is everyone who has signed up under you and likewise your "upline" is everyone who signed up above you.

There is also networks operated by third-party companies and individuals where multiple merchants and affiliates use a common software and administrative infrastructure (usually just a simple admin section of a web site) to recruit affiliates and monitor the traffic from their sites. These types of networks are often called affiliate networks. Both the merchants and the potential affiliates need to register with the network. Usually most affiliate networks are free to join because they get a part of the commission but some do charge a fee. Affiliates can find links to the online shops of hundreds of merchants to use on their affiliate driven web sites. Examples of affiliate networks are Commission Junction and ClickBank. You can find links to affiliate networks on my blog (link at end of article).

I am of the opinion that the best affiliate web sites are the ones made from a high demand, low supply niche dedicated to one of your hobbies or interests and something you know a lot about and can provide good value to your visitors. However, if you are not great at writing articles you can find article directories and content sites. Visit my blog to find links to article directories and content.

What will work best for you wont necessarily be the same thing that works for others, you have to experiment and diversify your methods. The most important factor will however depend upon the kind of traffic you have and can generate and the interests of the individuals visiting your site.

Himalayan Goji Berry

 
Goji Juice, believed to be the most nutritionally dense food on our planet, was formulated by Dr. Earl Mindell himself with the same ethereal signature of the original Himalayan berries used by ancient healers for centuries.

The Miracle Well

Beside a wall near a legendary Buddhist temple during the Tang Dynasty (around 800 AD) a well covered Goji vines has been dug. Over the years, numerous Goji berries had fallen into the well. Those who meditated there had the gleaming complexion of good health, and even at the age of eighty they had no white hair and had lost no teeth, merely because they drank the water from the well.


Why the Himalayas?

The Himalayas are a mountain range that extends along the boundary between India and Tibet. This remarkable mountain range was created when the continents of India and Eurasia collided in extreme slow motion. Since the two continents were composed of rock that was approximately the same density, neither border scraped beneath the other, as usually happens when large landmasses start to move together.


Instead, both edges were shoved towards the sky at the rate of a few centimeters per year. Mount Everest, the highest peak of the Himalayas and the tallest mountain in the world, is more than 29,000 feet high, and it is believed that some 40 peaks in this mountain range are higher than any other spot on earth. They continue to rise a little bit higher each year.

More than 18,000 species of exotic plants grow in the regions in and around the Himalayas. Many are found nowhere else in the world. The hardy, long-lived people who inhabit these mountains-living and working in extremely high altitudes and extreme temperatures-have found that around 8,000 of the plants unique to their ecosystems have healing and health-sustaining properties.

It is believed that the Himalayans were the first natural healers, sharing their knowledge with the ancient herbalists of China, Tibet, and India. One of their most valued secrets was the fruit of the native Goji vine, which had been thriving in the Himalayan valleys since the beginning of time. Those who came there to gain knowledge took the Goji home with them and planted it in their own valleys, thus disseminating the legend of this most spectacular and healthful fruit.

Since it is unearthing in the Himalayas, those who learn of the remarkable Goji berry are impressed by its unmatched health-promoting powers.


Wolfberry

The term goji berry technically refers to the Tibetan goji berry, also known as Lycium Barbarum (its Latin name). It is a member of a family of flowering plants known as the Solanaceae, a plant family which also includes within its ranks potatoes, tobacco, and tomatoes. Roughly eighty different varieties of lycium berry exist, including the Chinese Wolfberry (often touted by Chinese healers as a cure for male sexual dysfunction). It is a deep-red, dried fruit about the same size as a raisin. The Goji berry tastes to some extent like a cross between a cherry and a cranberry.


However, the Chinese Wolfberry is only considered a genetic cousin of Lycium Barbarum and not a true goji berry.

Goji berries thrive in confined valleys in million year old soil in wild and cultivated areas. Like bushes with vines, the plant reach over 15 feet. They are members of the Boxthorns, in the taxonomic family Solanaceae that also includes the Potato, Tomato, Eggplant and Tobacco plants. The southern variety has the Latin name Lycium Chinese while the northern species (Lycium Barbarum) grows wild in the sheltered mountain valleys of Tibet and Mongolia. It is the northern species that most of the commercially available Goji juice is derived from harvesting the berries which can be difficult since they are so sensitive. If touched while fresh, Goji will oxidize and turn black. Instead of touching, they are shaken onto mats, then dried in the shade.

The unique properties endemic to the Tibetan goji berry makes it one of the more fascinating fruits on Earth. As our knowledge of the goji berry is to increase, the consumption of the plant itself grows in popularity in other parts of the world. Until the, do yourself a favor and enjoy a delicious goji berry.

Shopping On-line - safely.

 
There are thousands of online stores selling everything, and giving you access to a wider range of goods and services than ever before at your finger tips - and at way lower prices than your corner store. But as the number of on-line shops grow - so does the number of people trying to make the "fast buck".

While the majority of stores offer a great service, consumers should exercise care when shopping on-line with a new site for the first time. There are a few simple guidelines to follow which should make your shopping experience rewarding and profitable.

If you are dealing with a company for the first time make sure you read the terms and conditions of the on-line store.

Also check their web site for a postal address and a telephone number - most genuine companies have no problem publishing their postal address on their website and should have a contact page with their address and company details on it.

Also read their privacy policy carefully.

Within the European Union, customers are entitled to a full refund when shopping on-line, if the goods are returned within seven days of purchase and the seller must state this on their on-line store. If a company does not state this, a customer is entitled to a full refund if they return the goods within thirty days.

The safest way to buy on-line is by using your credit card or paying by cheque. Cheques must to be lodged into a bank account to clear, and credit card payments can only be made into a company's bank account. If a company seeks payment by any other means, be wary - when you buy on-line you want your payment to be traceable.

Most reliable retail sites offer a ten to thirty day, full refund, but postal charges are normally not included in this. Standard practice is that the customer pays for the postal charges if they are returning an item.

When you do shop on-line, check your credit card statement. If you do notice unauthorised transactions, notify your credit card company. Credit card companies will follow-up your complaint and refund your card.


Every day there seems to be new reports of shoppers getting ripped-off when shopping on-line. A common way is where someone transfers money through a cash transfer company to pay for an object; the seller receives the money but fails to send the buyer the item.

Be very wary of these rogue scams. A reliable shopping site will have a credit card billing system, such as Paypal built into their website.

Tireless Servant Protects Your Car While You Sleep...

 
So here I am at the dealer about to purchase a brand new vehicle. My old car was a good one, but after being having it's frame and axle bent in a car accident, (that by the way wasn't my fault, but that's another story...) my old car was just never the same. It was about time I moved on, and got myself a brand new vehicle.

So I'm going through the usual list of standard options, and things I just got to have in this new car, when a guy car browsing next to me says, "Nice vehicle. Going to keep it on the street, or in your garage?". I said "Well, in my development, we have assigned parking spots, so I will keep it as close to my unit as I'm able".

He replied back "You better consider a custom car cover then, you want to protect your investment." A car cover, I thought to myself, I wouldn't have even considered that. I thanked the gentlemen, and continued with signing the papers for the new car.

I asked the dealer what he thought about car covers, and he said "They are a great investment if you don't have a indoor place to park your car. They help protect your vehicle from the elements, not to mention, other people." Seems I hit on a topic he knew about because he kept on talking.

"You're going to need a custom car cover for this vehicle, being it's a SUV, and there are plenty of places you can find that make them" he replied. He then went on to explain that not only will it help to retain a higher value of the car, but it will have less wear and tear, and it would help to avoid the usual nicks and scratches you get.

Most of the time you speak to people in casual conversation, you either forget what they were saying, or you just brush it off as nonsense, but I have to say, this time I sure am glad that complete stranger mentioned this to me. Protect what you have, get a better return on your investment, and keep your car looking newer, longer, with a custom car cover.

Building Solid Web Site Strategies Aside from SEO

  We often hear people griping and lamenting about how Google, Yahoo, or MSN reduced their site's rankings, causing a huge loss of profits and business. These people surrender to the fact that their favorite search engine failed them and their business and are resigned to finding another search engine to advertise on, not realizing the real fact that they may just be committing another mistake waiting to happen.

Aside from pitfalls of the site itself, the most common mistake in this type of scenario is simply relying too much on a search engine to rake in the customers. This blatant fact of ignoring other avenues of online marketing is a common practice that leaves many companies and webmasters looking for other full-time employment at more established companies.

This type of "SEO is everything" perception is most prevalent in businesses that are new to Internet marketing. It should be avoided at the onset and throughout strategies and business plans to attract customers and leads, and Internet marketing and e-commerce should really be separated from other, more established ways of acquiring leads or sales.

Two simple reasons could be pointed out why over-reliance on SEO and search engines will kill your business:

First, search engines aren't doing business for you. They're doing business for themselves and for their owners. They would not care if your business took a sudden plummet because of your web site's loss of rankings. It happens by the thousands each day and search engines really could care less.

Secondly, if a search engine vanished or completely changed direction you'd be left with nothing. At this point you would've lost valuable time and money in focusing all your advertising efforts in that one single search engine.

The bottom line is to diversify your business strategy. You should always have a fallback or contingency plan. If you keep and follow other business tactics aside from SEO, a negative hit on your SEO arsenal will hurt you, but not completely cripple your business. There are other techniques such as e-mail marketing, banner ads, affiliate programs and direct marketing that can play an integral role in your marketing success. These techniques can prove to be as useful or, depending on your exact industry, even more useful than search engine advertising alone.

Some techniques to help you diversify your marketing plans are:

1) Try an offline contact building or ad mailing campaign. Prominently display your website's URL on printed materials. This would lead people to check out your site, and if they like what they see or find what they need, they may buy from you. Isn't that what you're after in the first place?


2) Don't focus all your strategies on one single technique, such as SEO. As the old adage goes, don't put all your eggs in one basket. The basket may fall and you'll break all your eggs. Diversity, diversity, and diversify some more.

3) Never under estimate the power of well-written press releases. There are many excellent online news submission sites that are being monitored by the major search engines. If you have a good press release with a healthy density of those all-important keywords, your press release (and hence your website) will appear on all search engines' news features.

4) Depending on your specific field of business, there may be online directories or vertical niche sites that cater to your industry. Seek them out and submit articles or press releases to them. Customers looking for information in your industry will find your site if the location is well targeted.

5) Keep your site updated. You may have regular news or features that search engines will quickly pick up. If you syndicate parts of your site, you'll reach a wider audience. A blogging or comment-type area of your site is good because it allows customers and visitors to write about your services or products, thus increasing content for your site and improving your search results. There's nothing better than free content, right?

6) Always keep an eye out on the competition. Learn from their tactics. See how their tactics are hurting you or giving you opportunities to offer something more. Then go back and revise your strategies based on what you find out from your opponents.

7) When all has been said and done, it would all boil down to having a website that has keyword-rich content and relevant incoming and outgoing links. Long-term ranking rely on this factor more and more with each passing day. Even if it means hiring a good writer to build your content, do it. The payoff is priceless.

E-commerce, Internet marketing, web business, whatever you may want to call it, might not necessarily be and easy or quick method. In fact, just like conventional avenues of business, it requires as much planning, thinking, and foresight to get the results you are after. The general rules we've discussed would go a long way to helping your online business prosper and profit.

Eulogy For A Good Book: PowerPoint and the Two Reasons You Need to Understand it

 
Good bye Moby Dick! Farewell Crime and Punishment! Adios National Geographic and Readers Digest!

PowerPoint and the generation of the 7th Millennium rules.

If you're a "Baby Boomer", PowerPoint will likely not appeal to you. Perhaps you will even feel it is evil. But I'll give you two good reasons you ought to understand and appreciate PowerPoint. Your children and grandchildren.

PowerPoint is the way the Generation of the 7th Millennium and beyond will cope in this fast-paced, frenetic world of iPods, search engines and micro-minute attention spans. (If man came on to the scene in the year 4026 BCE then 1975 would mark the beginning of the seventh Millennium

Yes, if you were a teen in '75, you remember reading novels and composing essays for your teachers and professors. On the weekends, you caught movies like Dog Day Afternoon, Mahogany, The Man Who Would Be King, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Love Story, The Stepford Wives, Three Days of the Condor and Monty Python and the Holy Grail ("Sir, by what name be ye known?" …reply? "Some call me Tim?")

A good plot, drama, and wit (ok, we weren't perfect then either) ruled the big screen.

But times have evolved. What was a "New York Minute" back then is a New York milli-second today.

The big screen stars born in that notable year include Drew Barrymore, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, and Kate Winslet.

In '75, there were five notable deaths -- Marjorie Main (Ma Kettle), Susan Hayward, The Three Stooges' Larry Fine and Moe Howard. The fifth death at the birth of the 7th Millennium was not noted for almost 20 years.

The death of which I am speaking is the death of reading and comprehension skills.

Many college professors trace the decline of student reading and retention to 1975, or the beginning of the 7th Millennium.

This is manifested by students who take no notes, wear stylish headsets that re-play lectures which were recorded by professors.

Look at how many professors today use PowerPoint presentations and give copies of the slides to their students to use as a study guide.

Do you really think students have time to read when the Internet furnishes information in lightning-quick fashion?

Why are newspapers folding, libraries closing and reader's club subscriptions falling? Perhaps the biggest indictment is the Internet. Yes, the industrial age has died and the information age is alive and well. That is, if you like looking at pictures in shades of PowerPoint blue


Delivering and receiving information has changed. There are a new set of rules for writing and reading on the web.

One sentence paragraphs are acceptable. None are longer than three sentences. On the better sites, articles are generally no longer than 750 words. That's because reading is done by scanning.

To engage a reader (or scanner as the case may be), psychological tricks like connectives are used to tie one paragraph to the next.

There are two kinds of copy on the Internet. One appeals to traditional readers, the other to the newer generation of the 7th Millennium.

The key to educating 7th Millennium students is PowerPoint. The challenge facing educators, speakers and presenters is creating a lecture that can stand on its own merit, utilizing Power Point as a visual aid rather than making Power Point the presentation.

The generation of the 7th Millennium becomes easily bored. Stimulating students' grey matter neurons requires using our own little grey box of tricks, using word illustrations and probing questions to elevate thinking. Power Point presentations combined with effective speaking tactics are a dynamic one-two punch in the lecture hall.

The future will remember non-predictions of the past as was the case with Jules Vern's novel conception of a facsimile machine several decades before its creation.

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and The Max Headroom Story will be 'novel' predictions of the future.

Moving forward, we will no longer look for 15 minutes of fame. No more New York minutes. On the web, things happen in seconds. Our future will soon become our past.

Perhaps the best we can hope for is that everybody will be somebody for 27 seconds. In a world of sound bites, images flashing before our eyes and action movies, the reality is that 27 seconds is an eternity on the net.

Capturing the attention of the generation of the 7th Millennium requires pictures, images, and attention-grabbing devices. PowerPoint is the solution. It is the salvation of tomorrow's classroom.

May we use Power Point Presentations wisely.