Internet Marketing and Domestic Intolerance

Focus
It's fairly safe to assume that most people strive for a productive happy life. Those with masochistic tendencies might be an exception.
Internet marketers, in general, are industrious individuals who are keenly focused on whatever they are currently doing. However although this is an admirable quality in itself, at times it can have negative side effects.

The Nature of Internet Marketing
All projects can be thought of as complicated machines which are made up of many parts and cogs which when synchronised facilitate the machine's useful capabilities. The Internet Marketer building a project will go about the business along repetitive lines.
Although being focused on a particular part of a project, the experienced marketer will always have a clear mental vision of how the current work will fit into the machine which is being constructed.
Any interruption to a marketer's focus could be catastrophic!

Interruptions
I'm surprised that my nearest and dearest don't get more upset than they do on coming into my office when I am engrossed in trying to solve a marketing problem.
I am guilty of not recognising their presence and certainly not listening to anything that is said. In my defence I can only say that were I to lose my focus it could mean hours of lost work.
Many are the times that I've found a cold cup of tea – which I can't remember asking for in the first place – on the desk. An unloved, dried up cheese and pickle sandwich was once discovered the next day perched on top of a speaker cabinet!
So what are the answers that might be relationship savers?

Strike a Balance
In the interest of domestic harmony, a balance has to be struck which encourages all parties to take an objective rather than a subjective point of view. In other words each has to have a reasonable understanding of the other's computing aims. 
It is important to recognise that people who use computers fall into 2 main categories:-

• Those who want to contact others, find out about things or be entertained etc. These are activities which require little or no technical knowledge other than to navigate well known software applications.
• Those who want to make money by selling their own or other marketers' products/services. This category will have to be familiar – for obvious reasons –  with most of the requirments of the first category.

Lack of Computer Literacy
Even in these days when the internet is becoming virtually a 'must have' item in most households, there are still those who are very intolerant of anything relating to computers. This smacks of dogmatism and sheer short-sightedness.
Since such things as paper bills for example are rapidly becoming things of the past, anyone who is not computer literate will be dependent on someone who is.
In the interests of a non-confrontational shared existence where should responsibility lay?

Taking the Lead
Marketers must always be prepared to talk to and educate others in the concepts of what is trying to be achieved. What would certainly be helpful for a non computer literate person is to know a starting point which could quickly progress to money making capabilities.
It's a fairly common scenario that if in a partnership one is making money for the family, this prime mover will be held in awe by the other. 
This is the strength of the internet that it could eventually lead to an independent wealth producing situation and where better to start than Affiliate Marketing.
If both members of a domestic partnership are involved in online marketing it can be assumed that intolerance will more than likely be avoided.

Affiliate Marketing
This is a logical starting point because a newbie doesn't have to immediately produce and market a unique product.
To do it right and be successful has to be learnt from existing marketers which might not necessarily be the existing marketer in a domestic partnership.
On a personal level, I found a coach/mentor who teaches the skills of Affiliate Marketing by a series of FREE VIDEOS and anyone who wants to make a main or secondary income from this business should start today by clicking on the link below. Don't delay ...take action! 

AFFILIATE MARKETING COURSE

Need To Know

Soon we will all need to be 'computer literate' in order to manage our lives. In most things there are choices but bureaucracy and big business are gradually eroding our options in practically all walks of life. Irrespective of an individual's computing needs and ambitions certain important items need to be recognized and addressed.

A Personal Viewpoint
My main interest is Information Publishing. I want to spend most of my time doing this rather than trying to sort out technical issues.
I would imagine that very few people who are in the market for information products or suchlike, would be the slightest bit interested in program coding for instance.
Product vendors are notorious for saying that what they are selling does not involve any technical knowledge. However they do not explain what they mean by this.
What is absolutely necessary is that users can find their way around the product they are using, with as little hindrance as possible.
I write only in terms of the related elements my own experience has uncovered.

The More Mature User
Many Senior Citizens, through no fault of their own, will be forced to learn new disciplines when they should be enjoying the benefits of earlier hard-working times.
However there are some who already possess computing skills and want to do something of a non-physical nature in their twilight years.
Perhaps Internet Marketing will earn some of them greater monetary rewards than were ever possible in their earlier lives.

Buying Products
Although there are a lot of freebies on offer, these are usually a pre-curser to up sells from which realistic product value will usually be derived. Online payments, for most marketers, will almost certainly be unavoidable.
Before shelling out on software a prospective customer should have a basic knowledge of computing logic. This is even more important before purchasing expensive hardware. 
Regarding purchasing hardware from high street retailers, it is advisable to have a list of questions prepared. This does not apply solely to internet marketers. 
Computing logic will normally come by  trial and error 'button pressing', having knowledgeable friends, finding a trustworthy mentor or generally listening to others.
Regarding software  prospective purchasers should always ask themselves the following questions ...

• Is it really needed?
• Will it do everything I want it to do?
• How is it used (video tutorials etc.)?
• What are it's benefits?
• Will it conflict with any other similar software already installed?

nb. When making a purchase, the purchaser will have had to opt-in and subscribe to a vendor's list. This is comparable to a fish becoming well and truly hooked and can be both a benefit and a hindrance.

Making Payments
Doing this safely so that no one can make unauthorized raids on your bank account, applies to all users - not only internet marketers.
Only ever buy from secure site. The domain name of secure sites will always be prefixed with 'https' rather than plain 'http'. The 's' means 'secure.'
Most secure websites feature a padlock icon somewhere in the browser bar. If the padlock is clicked the site's security verification certificate will appear.
A good habit is to regularly log in and check your bank account: this will ensure product payments are in order.

Opt-Ins
All vendors want buyers and prospects to subscribe to their email lists. Be prepared to have your email in-box loaded with stuff you aren't interested in!
Sooner or later pop-ups could take over the work space on your monitor.  
Accidentally opening emails can be dangerous in that malware might be imported.

Attachments to emails
Only ever open attachments if the source is known and verified to be virus free.
It is always advisable to have top rated anti-virus software installed on your computer as soon as possible.

A final thought
Try to avoid clicking on links which seem to be offering 'must have' freebies such as scans. Scans will often indicate many hundreds of faults in your system. The scan might be free but fault removal will cost. There are many firms in cyberspace looking to raid pockets; and not all of them are above board.
Even if computer owners don't go further than the free scan, they will be plagued for ever with pop-ups etc.
When in doubt look for the services of a knowledgeable friend.

The Webinar on Thursday 27th.

Thursday evening was not a good one for me: my broadband had a wobbly so I missed the webinar. 

For those who got to it, I hope you derived benefit from Sarah's teachings. She does at least one per month and I've never failed to learn something new and of value from each and every one of them.

I hope many budding internet marketers will see the sense in using Sarah's expertise and mentoring skills in order to further their ambitions.

I have now taken down the post relating to the webinar.

After my disappointment I want to listen to one of my favorite songs. In the 1950's when I was at grammar school our French master would regularly play this record to us.

I know a lot of people enjoy listening to Charles Trenet aka The singing clown. You might too.

  

Acronyms

Computing is becoming an increasingly essential activity for so many of us in our daily lives. When anything untoward happens to our hardware or software it can make us very unhappy.
I've got problems at the moment - I have had for the last few weeks - and this is the reason I've not been publishing any posts.
Anyway, with luck,  I'll soon have everything fixed  but in the meantime I've purchased another machine and I can now resume doing something other than wrestling with something I need technical help with.
I'm sure that most people will know that NASA stands for 'National Aeronautical Space Administration' and that NATO or nato stands for 'North Atlantic Treaty Organization.' but even for those who don't it's not a matter of life or death. What is worth knowing is that these short descriptions are known as acronyms.
Being an avid reader and writer I have to take particular notice of acronyms because having seen a full description of something early on in an article, feature or report, I know that later on it will only be referred to with it's shortened description, ie it's acronym.
It can be an absolute interest killer if a reader has to keep going back  to earlier sections to remind themselves as to what it all means. Not only this but time might well be an issue.
Some acronyms are well known. Take AA for example - but in this case are we talking about the Automobile Association or Alcoholics Anonymous?
In the english language there are only 26 letters in the alphabet, so it follows that certain acronyms can have more than one meaning
Computing science is loaded with acronyms. Internet marketers will be very familiar with PPC, CPC, CPA and the like. These are just a few examples of very many acronyms relating to computer advertising and internet marketing.
Knowing the meaning of acronyms without having to use valuable time repetitively checking this out, is second nature to established internet marketers, but for the newcomer trying to break into the business, it's not so!
So here's an important lesson I want the latter to take on board - it will never be a reason for regret and will certainly prove to be time well spent!
Make a list of all the acronyms encountered, find out their meaning and commit them to memory. Don't finish here: Each and every time another acronym appears add it to the list and do the necessary research etc.
Since some factors are described differently (by different coaches maybe) there might well be acronyms with different letters but meaning the same as that of others which at first glance seem to have no connection with what has been previously understood.
There are many acronyms which article writers devise to suit but others such as CPA (cost per action) have constant meaning in the internet marketing world. It is acronyms such as the latter which need to be researched (googled maybe) and committed to memory.
I am confident that for those erstwhile marketers who follow these simple actions, will with experience, save themselves a lot of time.
To make money from  internet marketing it is better to allocate as little time as possible wrestling with the technology. Money will be made from what is put in front of the public; so product creation must be the primary consideration.

For those who haven't an immediate product of their own but want to make money quickly I suggest  learning how to sell products as an AFFILIATE is a good starting point.

 
 

Internet Marketing Mentors

I bought into Sarah Staar's 'Licensed Product Team' some considerable time ago. I consider this to be one of the best purchases I have ever made.

Sarah specializes in video marketing which appeals to my way of learning because I like to be 'virtually' present at seminars and workshops etc.

Observing the reactions of a roomful of people comprised mainly of wannabe internet marketers – who have paid big money to be physically present – is a reliable measure of the product's popularity and value.

She is very big on webinars and question and answer sessions. I certainly never miss out on any of these: I always seem to manage to find the necessary time.

There are many internet marketers whose business includes mentoring. Sarah is one such person. One of her strengths is interviewing fellow mentors and marketers, thereby demonstrating the need to work with others in the business.

These interviews can be very valuable for those trying to establish strategies in internet marketing and information publishing. There's always something new to learn in this business.

Sarah also invites along fellow mentors/marketers to tell their individual stories of how they've developed and succeeded in the internet marketing niche.

I hang on every word which people such as Rob Cornish and Martin Avis utter! This is to name just two – there are many more to help Sarah's clients.

It seeems like I've been a licensed partner for ever but I've only opened up a very small percentage of the products which comprise the package that Sarah has suplied.

I like to tell things as they are and I must admit that Ms. Staar has a few little foibles which I find annoying.

For instance – like many other people – she uses 'OK?' far too frequently. The majority of folk will do so because they're not sure of their facts or where they are going next. With Sarah I'm sure it's just habit.

Also, I was watching one of her workshops when she said she was going to demonstrate how to produce a video. Since this activity is one of her strengths and something I really wanted to know the finer details of, I was overjoyed.

However, she spent so much time trying to sort out her computer equipment that nothing useful transpired and the audience were left wearing a variety of largely blank expressions.

Sarah ended up this 'non-demo' by uttering the much overused cliche 'it really is that simple.'

I personally can overlook these one or two things that I've found less than perfect because of the sheer quantity and quality of her products. The lady over-delivers.

I hope others will feel the same way because then it's pretty certain that mentors such as Sarah, Rob and Martin will keep us all up to date with internet marketing fashion and culture changes etc.

To learn about making money from third party products or from your own creative efforts, click on the request below...

I WOULD LIKE SARAH'S HELP   

Hackers

In the early days of my efforts to break into internet marketing I was beset by the problem of not having a clue as how to proceed. I needed genuine help and any hindrance was far from welcome.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but having spent weeks trying to teach myself – mainly by trial and error – how to get a URL and hosting for a website, amongst other important things, I gave myself a pat on the back for having achieved a measure of success.

Despite laboriously trying to 'do things' with the website I'd managed to build, my progress was ultra slow but I'm a very determined geezer who doesn't fall at the first fence.

One day I put my site's URL into the browser and got a screen full of rubbish chat. I called on a mate who knows about computing.

He immediately said "You've been hacked."

"What shall I do?" I lamely enquired.

"Get on to whoever hosts your site" Paul replied.

When I did this they must have thought I was a right dumbo – which in fact was a fairly accurate assessment of my ability. The guy on the other end must have been tearing his hair out as he tried to tell me how to change my password and re-load my files from my computer to the web.

I was elated when my re-published homepage re-appeared!

It was about this time that I discovered Rob Cornish and started following his blog on a page called Gain Higher Ground.

For anyone wanting to learn more about how to counter these abysmal hacking scum-bags, Rob has written a very good post relating to the subject of hacking.

I read all Rob's posts and recommend others do likewise. Just click on his name in the sidebar to the right and follow his words of wisdom. You won't regret it!

A basic understanding of Internet Marketing

I'm sure that there are very few individuals who can truly say that they are experts in every component part of the internet marketing business.

I'm a retired engineer who has always been accustomed to looking at a project and getting an understanding of how the essential bits and pieces interact. Getting a basic understanding is one thing but doing the necessary manipulation to make things happen is best left to experts in that specific action.

I know that I spout a lot about what affects me but I think that analysing the problems I have experienced is the only true way for any commentator in this business to be taken seriously.

Following on from this it should be obvious why I listen to the teachings of SARAH STAAR  and other internet marketers. They have learnt the business and done what we all want to do – make money from it!

I have always fancied my chances as an information publisher but cannot profess to being a 'technological geek' – although this would be extremely useful. Think about it  –  there is not enough time to make use of being a universal expert whilst making use of your core expertise to make money. Making money puts most other things on to the back burner!

Established marketers will not waste their valuable time trying to find out how to thoroughly learn computing skills for instance, but outsource where their time is better spent on the skills which directly make them money.

Outsourcing is often used by information publishers who are looking for articles to put on their websites. The activity can be applied to a multitude of disciplines!

Thinking along these lines I've recently had an idea for a new ebook, the premise of which might centre on the formation of local groups working together as equal partners. At this stage there are a lot of wrinkles to be straightened out and the thought process is ongoing.

As highlighted in this post, I'm a great believer in personal experience as a way of identifying and solving problems so in  future posts I will get more specific when talking about some which have affected me badly but must have affected others also.

My next post will look into how to counteract the hackers. Until then – stay focused.

My Blogroll

I've just had a look at an email I've saved from way back. It pointed me in the direction of a product where the vendor was going on about something called CFA.

I discovered that it stands for CONSISTENT FOCUSSED ACTION.

What makes this significant for me is that despite setbacks and a whole host of negatives in my quest to achieve success as an internet marketer, CFA has kept me moving in the right direction.

What a brilliant discovery – and I didn't even recognise this fact. It's probably because I love the business and all that it entails.

I have had some success in the last few days, having discovered how to provide extra value for my readers by starting a blogroll of other bloggers who I respect. The first 2 names can be found on the right-hand side of this blog.

Just click on a name and be transported to a world of valuable information. These first 2 people have not been chosen at random – eg they are both men who do not waste too much time banging on about how much money THEY'VE made – but tell exactly how to 'make things happen' for MY BENEFIT.

I've been reading posts by Rob Cornish – that's his picture on this post – for the last year or two, and can safely say that he and others like him have been instrumental in getting me to where I am today.

You are sure to find informative posts – which are worth close study  – by reading their blogs.

Please take advantage of the fact that I'm trying to make access to such valuable information ultra easy. It will pay dividends!

Thinking in bed

In this post I'm going to talk about how powerful 'THOUGHT' is in the pursuit of business riches. This is the main reason why I offer everyone a free video of Napoleon Hill's book 'Think and grow rich.' Just to remind you, you can get this by going to my page by clicking HERE

I think about Internet Marketing strategies all the time  and no,

it's not at the expense of other stuff I should be thinking about. When it comes to thinking I'm an expert multi-tasker; and this didn't come without a lot of conscious effort.

As I've said before, in order to keep my enthusiasm and mindset on track, I regularly listen to a chapter of Mr. Hill's great book. I thoroughly recommend this to everyone who wants internet marketing success. Do everything possible to KEEP UP TO SPEED and DON'T SLACK!

All business strategies start with thought and in particular as to whether a market exists in your chosen niche. I'm not going to go into details here other than to say that Sarah Staar, whose teachings I respect more than any other internet marketer, can explain this action better than I ever could.

I apologise to the other talented internet marketing teachers whose noses may be put out of joint by this statement  but rest assured I respect them all. It's just that Sarah's style and extensive content really appeals to me.

Probably it's because as I get older and don't seem to need as much sleep that although I may feel tired I spend the first few hours after retiring for the night just ... dozing and this is when I do my best thinking in relation to internet marketing. Unfortunately a lot of this thinking is wasted for the following reason.

We marketers like to keep a notebook and pen to hand so that we can jot down those thoughts that may be forgotten by morning unless they are recorded immediately.

Just finding the light switch or pull cord is never easy in a semi-comatose state, never mind where the notebook and pen are ... and what about the specs?

Ah well while I'm wrestling with this problem I'll listen to some music. It always seems to help my thought process. Come and join me ...

 

Internet Marketing with Sarah

I will now get back to writing posts about the subject that occupies most of my waking hours, INTERNET MARKETING or more precisely, Information Publishing and Marketing. Yes, this relegates my concern about Leicester City's results to no more than a distant second place  -  and that's some statement for me to make!

I've said it before and I'll say it again on many more occasions, that the internet has provided all of us today with the wherewithal to gain monetary independence.

The majority of us have some particular skill or skills which have saleable value and which others are desperately seeking. This information is crying out to be put into words. It can then be published on the web where these other people can obtain it.

The fact that a person is not very good with words is no more than a minor hiccup because product creation whether in written, audio or video format, is easily outsourced at reasonable cost.

I see very few obstacles to success in this field but here below, are a few reasons why some are sure to fail unless they mend their ways.

·       They have no drive to move on and develop

·       They don't want to put effort into anything

·       They live on fantasies

·       They lack determination

·       They have ideas but do nothing with them

·       They find it hard to concentrate on anything

Now I'm going to give you a piece of advice which cannot be bettered if you want to succeed as an Internet Marketer...copy the strategies of those who have learnt how to and... done it.

Although I've never to date met any of these experts  -  I know who they are. One lady in particular has inspired me above all others. Her name is Sarah. Not only is she an excellent teacher but in less than a decade she has gone from knowing very little to being a top marketer.

Don't take my word for it but find out for yourself by seeing the quality of some of her FREE video products. Don't put yourself under pressure by having to immediately create your own products but learn from Sarah how to sell other creators' work as an affiliate. It is just so easy to do!

Click  HERE to learn from Sarah how to make money from affiliate marketing.

  

Scotland...Wot's it all about?!

Although I'd much rather be talking at some length about Internet Marketing and in particular about the FREE audios I hand out on my website www.netfount.com  

Today I'm wearing my political hat because tomorrow there's something going on to the north of Hadrian's wall.

I don't intend to say much in terms of realistic comment because I think that the rest of the UK should have ignored the issue completely right from the very beginning. Yes...The Scots should have been left to sort everything out for themselves without our stupid politicians getting involved.

I can't believe that our politicians are talking about increased devolved powers in the event of a NO vote.

Let's face facts. According to the polls, approximately 50% of the population north of the border hate the English with a venom that defies logic so why on earth would the English want to be saddled with such people?

I do feel sorry for the Scots because , for whatever reason, they've become saddled with a leader who doesn't know what he's going to do after a YES vote.

Since the rest of the UK have not been asked whether or not they want Scotland to remain as part of the great UK fraternity  -  and under what conditions  -  the English, Welsh and Northern Irish can be excused for hoping for a YES vote despite not knowing the future implications.

Whatever the result we can all hope that after the dust settles, we will all be better off and the Scots' decision will have been vindicated and they will not send any yobs down to Wembley to break the crossbar. After all, to my knowledge, the English have always respected such great stadiums as Hampden Park and Murrayfield.

Make things happen

When the time comes for a rich man to cast off the mortal coil, a favoured relative may fall into a bed of monetary clover and somewhere else someone may have used a magical skill to select the correct National Lottery numbers. Both results could be beneficially life changing.

Tongue in cheek, we should sympathise with them because they have now probably achieved their ultimate goal in life and there's little left but the pursuit of hedonistic pleasure. Just visualise what dire consequences can transpire when a person is merely saddled with a boring problem such as having to choose between using the Mercedes or the Rolls Royce runabout to visit Aunt Mary.

So what do you and I do? We knuckle down and get on with our pursuit of riches by more conventional means. I suggest that today nothing can beat using internet marketing for online business. Marketing public domain material makes for an excellent business opportunity.

Initially you should concentrate on getting your mindset in order and this is where public domain works can prove of immense worth. The philosophical teachings contained in publications such as 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill are both timeless and priceless. This book is just one of many best sellers which are now in the public domain.

If you want riches you have to make things happen and after deciding on a viable business strategy you need a burning desire to set the cogs in motion. Desire is next only to Thought in the quest for millions and is so important that it begs in depth analysis. Let us look at some major motivational aspects.

Number 1. Need.
Here we might have a person drowning in debt and with no source of income; their pride making any dependency on the Social Services out of the question. The initial desire in this case should be to clear their debt and having done that and learnt how to make money, only then to go to stage 2 which is to acquire great wealth. This should ensure that a state of poverty never re-occurs. The desire for ultimate riches should be so powerful that every obstacle will be negotiable with persistence.

Number 2. Fear of Poverty.
A global economic disaster may be imminent and tomorrow your job may be in jeopardy. It has not happened yet but the wise man formulates a contingency plan today, while he can still pay the energy companies and mortgage. The aim is independence. That 9 to 5 job has to go! One does not have to look far for an answer! The Internet has shrunk the world beyond belief and provides opportunities for all at minimal investment cost. My recommendation is to exploit its power and through desire and determination build a lucrative web presence. By developing personal skills and cultivating a burning desire to succeed, this phenomenal tool of the present day will become an efficient, silent and uncomplaining servant.

Number 3. Legacy.
This is more likely to be the motivation for the older person who is worried about mortality and the time left to do the right thing for family and friends. This perceived lack of time will create an urgent desire to build an adequate monetary pot so that loved ones will be well provided for.

Number 4. Peer Pressure.
Quite simply this is the desire not to be left behind by acquaintances who are well on the road to achieving their goals and delight in thinking or showing that they have more brainpower than you.

Number 5. Self Satisfaction.
Many captains of industry, science, invention and the arts etc. have gone from rags to riches through their insatiable desire to succeed. Any erstwhile entrepreneur will spend time studying the biographies and teachings of such eminent men and women and strive to emulate them. They will quickly realise that the study of these works is essential to wealth achievement which will be a source of great self satisfaction. It will also silence those critics who can't tolerate anyone they know being able to upstage them.
Go to  MY WEBSITE for A FREE audio of Napoleon Hill's best seller 'Think and Grow Rich.'

Number 6. Charity.
There are many such who do not require riches for themselves but are of a philanthropic nature and wish to give money to benefit the many who they consider deserving of their efforts. Their desire can be every bit as powerful as any of those who act mainly to improve their own circumstances.

Now for the bottom line. Never ignore the importance of such intangible factors as thought, desire, faith and imagination etc. They and many more intangibles are prerequisites for the accumulation of riches and need to be fully understood and made the basis for the formulation of any marketing strategy whether online or offline. The path from Dreams to Substance will be eased. Remember that procrastination is the enemy of progress so start now to turn desire into obsession and make things happen.

Phone and broadband problems

Everything seems to be going wrong for me at the moment. I've already told you about my office shift but now I've had problems with my phone line which have made it impossible not only to put posts on this blog but also to make any contact with the outside world from my landline.

I think I've sorted it (with the help of a friendly BT engineer) but my plans to talk about internet marketing have become seriously distorted.

I will now re-think the planning of my posts but suggest, in the meantime, that you download the FREE CLASSIC AUDIO and resolve to replicate what great entrepreneurs have always done.

You also know that I like the soothing quality of tuneful ballads with beautiful lyrics. This is something which has stayed with me from the time I was an impressionable teenager. I'd like to share with you, one of my favourites from long ago.

Take time out to listen to this song

Finding time

I'd really like to take time out and go up the pub to have a pint of my favourite real ale, but alas I'm too busy to even think about indulging myself.

As far as my life is concerned that's the norm and sometimes I envy those who can spend all day watching TV - or do I? No...not really. I much prefer to have too many interests than too few; in fact too few for a lot of people will often come down to none at all.

So what's been stopping me for the past week from sitting at my keyboard and keeping in touch with a wonderful audience.  Well I'll try to explain and please don't think I'm merely wheeling out tired old excuses.

My darling wife - she who has to be obeyed - has decided to kick me out of my office because she needs it as a spare bedroom. The conversion involves quite a few sweeping changes such as:-
Repositioning socket outlets

• Re-plastering
• New skirting boards
• Another radiator
• A new bed
• Equipping a new office space 
• Etc. etc.

The problem is that since I don't trust others to mess about with installations which I have done myself I've no alternative but to knuckle down and get stuck in. This is what is currently occupying my time at the expense of computer related activities.

I think I've mentioned it before but I'm absolutely useless at delegation. I keep telling myself that this will change but I'm not confident!

Please bear with me until I've finished this present bit of domestic trivia - please don't tell her indoors I described it as that - and I'll then, hopefully, get back to more interesting topics such as making money from Internet Marketing.   

  

Think your way to riches

'Think and Grow Rich' by the great business philosopher Napoleon Hill, (pictured above) was first published in 1937. At least 20 million copies have been sold and 70 years after this date it was rated number 6 in Business Week Magazine's Best Selling List. This shows that the secrets of achievement are today, still highly sought after, by those with entrepreneurial ambitions.

This fact acted like a magnet to my psyche for in early 2008 I decided that I was going to make my fortune as an Information Publisher and despite subjectively regarding myself as mega-talented, my instinct told me that this tome could seriously shorten my path to business success.

I was not to be disappointed. Using the phenomenal power of the internet I sourced a downloadable copy and shelled out some of my hard earned cash. No, I've not achieved super tax status yet, but I can honestly say that 'Think and Grow Rich' is fuelling my drive to an attainable goal.

It is my ever present companion. I must have read it cover to cover at least a dozen times and when I feel that the flow of my work rate or creative inspiration is in gridlock, I read an appropriate chapter which usually has the effect of putting me back on the critical path to success.

So what is so magic about this book that I should hold it in such high esteem? Primarily it starts with the author himself. Here was a man who rubbed shoulders with the great men of his time. Napoleon Hill was an original thinker who strove to find the answer to what makes some successful but condemns others to failure.

A defining moment in his life was when he met the great Scottish American industrialist Andrew Carnegie who encouraged him to interview people who had already achieved success. The answers he sought must then surely become apparent. This is not meant to be a history lesson but household names such as Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and Henry Ford were amongst the interviewees. Napoleon was also an advisor to Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

I consider the book to be an indispensable business intelligence tool. All businesses have specific requirements but despite business diversity, proprietors and managers must all come basically from the same mould and thus have similar characteristics with respect to mental capabilities.

Desire, persistence, imagination; an ability to plan and make decisions; to operate without fear and not to look for excuses, these all merit separate chapters in 'Think and Grow Rich.'

A point worthy of emphasis is that this publication is not exclusively aimed at those wishing for monetary achievement but it's teachings also have value for those whose primary objective is to improve their quality of life.

I like a good read; I like a good 'rags to riches' story and here I am not disappointed. 'Think and Grow Rich' relates many such anecdotes and it is worth mention that most illustrate how success came despite the lack of 'silver spoons.' The underlying message is that everything starts with an idea; a thought. The book states 16 laws of success condensed into 13 principles.

I like to sit back, close my eyes and relax and listen to audio rather than concentrate on the written word; so that's what I'm offering to you and all others who read my blog...a FREE audio of 'Think and Grow Rich.'

Just click here to navigate through to the download page and learn from arguably the leading business philosopher of all time.  

Learn how to be an Information Publisher

There has been a lot said recently about the perils of the dreaded alzheimer's disease. Ideally, reasonable fitness in body and mind is a prerequisite for quality life. Unfortunately this balance is often not enjoyed.

It can normally be expected that the elderly are more likely to suffer because physical activity is often diminished or rendered impossible. Senior citizens may not have been swept along with the technology of the computer age and will have little to fall back on when aches and pains set in.

From an early age youngsters are taught the basics of computing and for them it is merely a matter of channelling their thoughts in the right directions. 

Just using their smart phones etc., to send non-consequential chit chat emails or play games is non productive and the small percentage who use the technology with a view to their future success are likely to be valuable citizens of tomorrow.

So both young and old alike should strive to understand internet related concepts particularly as the internet provides each one of us a way to make money which compared to earlier decades is inexpensive and requires little more than logical thought and application.

Getting back to alzheimers it is recommended that the brain be kept active so this is a good reason why the elderly in particular should try to adopt some form of internet related activity should things of a physical nature be out of the question.

I'm writing this post because I've been in Information Publishing via the internet for six years now. Initially I knew little of how to build my business but my research showed that many of the old time business people who became household names had to ensure that they could last their chosen course.

The book by Napoleon Hill titled 'Think and Grow  Rich' was studied by all these entrepreneurs as a precursor to their subsequent great works.

I reasoned that if it was good enough for the Henry Fords of this world then it was good enough for me. To help all like-minded people who want to make money from publishing what they know, I would like to give away an audio version of this book (and others at future dates) so that successful actions can be replicated.

To get your FREE audio click here
  

   





   

Another political stupidity

My antidote to depressive thoughts and problems is to listen to music. Leonard Cohen the brilliant poet/songwriter/singer is one of my favourites. 

Whilst writing this post  -  which you must admit would make any thinking person depressed  -  I have a break, sit back and enjoy the wonderful sound and words before getting back to the business in hand. Perhaps you can empathise with me.

Pick up any newspaper on any day and you are almost certain to learn of another political stupidity produced by a person or persons who we are actually PAYING to act in our best interests.

Here's the unbelievable latest. Some MP who holds a ministerial position in the Foreign Office has resigned on the pretext that his income doesn't allow him to live like a 'normal family man.'

YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP!

How does this stupid fellow think ordinary people live? I won't go into the figures because they are well documented all over the media but I will ask a pertinent question.

My question....What is the real truth of why he resigned? After all he is getting more than a back-bencher's pay for doing what in all probability is a low-key job with a posh name. I reckon there's a lot more to this than meets the eye...

My possible answer....He's getting away from parliament before he gets his collar felt because of some past indiscretion he thinks he might have made. Away from Westminster he probably thinks he won't be so noticeable!

Frustration and depression rules so....
Lets play that Leonard Cohen song again.  

Letter from America

Sitting at your computer keyboard wrestling with seemingly insurmountable problems can be soul destroying at times.

The answer from my point of view is to relax and take a few minutes out to listen to music.

Those with similar ilk will understand where I'm coming. We will all have numbers which are easy on our ears and this is one of mine so see what you think before you get your nose back to the grindstone.

Happy listening but don't forget to read my posts...by the way this number is by the Proclaimers.

Cheers for today

Monitoring Energy Consumption

This post is a follow up to the one I penned on June 27th 2014 when I talked about gas and electricity bills. I suggest you go back and read this previous post before the one which I have published below.

In the post of the 27th. I mentioned two important types of figure which are shown on all energy bills. It is absolutely essential that everyone who purchases gas and electricity from the major sources should clearly understand their significance. They are:-

• The units used up to the bill end date.
• The cost per unit.

The energy companies all use the kilowatt-hour as their energy unit for both electricity and gas. Electricity meters are naturally calibrated directly in kilowatt-hours so these figures are transferred directly on to bills but gas meters are calibrated in cubic metres. Not to worry for the conversion to kilowatt-hours is done on the bill and as long as the meter reading is correct, little can go wrong.

Although we are living in an increasingly digital world where software renders many activities automatic it's as well to remember that at certain stages human input is necessary and humans can always make mistakes. Robots have to be programmed by humans at some stage so it's not surprising that meter readers are not infallible.

Regular monitoring of electricity and gas meters can provide essential data should arguments ever arise between householders and energy supply companies. I take readings on the first day of the month and log them down in a suitable manner. It is then just a matter of comparing my figures with those on the bill.

Even if a meter reader calls round to a property there is no guarantee that his figures will get on the bill which the householder receives. Often the figures are ESTIMATED and not ACTUAL values. If an estimated figure is too low when compared with the householder's actual figure he may think that he's better off  and there could be a rude awakening at a later date!

The second figure on a bill which should always be checked is the unit price. I personally like to go for longer term price fixes so that the figure is always in my mind. The check then involves little more than a cursory glance. For others the price might be more volatile and dependent on prevailing market conditions, could fluctuate quickly.

Going back to logging meter readings, it can also have beneficial extras. Energy consumption for a lot of people is fairly constant (I'm talking in terms of units used...NOT price) so conscious attempts at exercising economies can therefore be monitored.

Also, if changes are made to an installation such as a new gas boiler or cavity wall insulation, changes in energy consumption will reflect the new conditions.

Well, I've given my version of gas and electricity monitoring/logging so I can only hope that you will find it useful but I will conclude by saying that if you have never done so to date, get hold of a recent bill and study it's contents closely.

Israel and Gaza

I feel that I've got to voice a couple of comments about the current Middle East crisis. It is impossible to ignore because it's just another global problem that has to be kept under control otherwise the repercussions on all of us cannot bear contemplation.

Not everyone on the planet wants to go about killing people  -  thanks be to whichever peaceful God you may support  -  but somewhere along the way fanatic led factions are intent on keeping the killing pot boiling.

World leaders are doing little to alleviate matters. Most of us do not take sides. It is common knowledge that after the second world war a chunk of Palestine was taken from the Arabs to form the state of Israel. The Arabs were understandably not too happy about this and an uneasy on-going stand-off has resulted which alternates between sabre rattling and war. BUT never PEACE!

I think that the main reason that Israel is taking it's present action in Gaza is because of what has repeatedly been made clear: 'WE are willing to share the area with our neighbours but all THEY want to do is wipe us off the face of the earth.' I can't think of any more compelling reason to do what it is doing.

The ex Israeli prime minister, Golda Meir once made the following two statements:-

• There will never be peace until the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.
• We can forgive the Arabs for killing our uniformed sons but we can't forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.

Trying to look for answers and from a neutral unbiased standpoint, I can see that what Golda Meir has said should have far more importance for ME peace than any input from the likes of the great ME peace envoy Tony Blair. This gives rise to another question...what is he doing now in this field, who's paying him and how much?

This hot humid weather

I don't want to make excuses but this hot and often humid weather is really killing me. Years ago I welcomed it but at present my serious geriatric time of life is making it difficult to derive much pleasure from these tropical conditions.

The worst thing is that I've got COPD. For those who know what this is you'll appreciate that I'm having difficulty breathing. Not only does this make me less than happy, it also makes it difficult for me to do what I like doing best of all, and that's to compose a blog post.

I had every intention today of carrying on with my analysis of how people should ensure that their energy bills are managed sensibly but I'm afraid I'm unable to do this important subject justice right now.

On the TV and in the press those knowledgeable medical people are advocating that it is best to keep moving and taking light exercise, so this is what I intend to do despite it being at the expense of sitting at my desk pounding a keyboard. I've had a good walk today but it's taken it's toll and now I'll have to end this post before I lose it and start making a load of excuses which you don't want to hear.

Please look after yourselves, particularly if you are in your senior years. Please bear with me until I can start writing sensible topics. 

Rags to Riches

In my last post I talked about the unsolicited mail that regularly comes through the post-box and how it should all (except flyers) be given a cursory glance before deciding what action to take.

OK...we all know that most of it is rubbish but in my last post, I did mention a particular type of sales copy which if nothing else is worth a read for it's sheer entertainment value.

You've got it...the glossy professional looking pamphlets, which invariably are direct mail shots from a publishing house. I'm now going to put my analytical hat and dispense a chunk of logic.

Now the sales copy might be aimed at selling one of the company's own products but it has to be fronted by an individual who has apparently made a cool couple of million over the past two years...and how? By exploiting a secret loophole in a system which the authorities can't close  -  so it's best to act FAST before they find a way to do so.

But why an individual? The answer is because a good rags to riches story is required to impress the targets, so the text can only realistically talk about an individual.

I'm just looking now at a sales pitch purported to be from someone who three years ago hadn't got a job; no chance of getting one; was buried in debt and living in an unloved one bedroom flat with peeling wallpaper.

As if this wasn't enough to make this guy think of slitting his throat he was married with a young child and another on the way.

If you are like me you will only consider dealing with anyone who is not treating you like an idiot. Any organisation or individual who does so cannot be relied on to dispense sound and useful information.

I conclude that most of these rags to riches stories are usually from a file of stock text which can be pulled out, modified and tweaked to suit.

Do you think that anyone with half a brain, drowning in debt etc. etc. and with nowhere decent to live, would even consider having another child? Well if you think that makes sense...I certainly don't!

I'm not saying that all unsolicited direct mail is rubbish because I'm sure a lot of good products are being marketed by these means but as soon as I read a fairy story, there is no chance that I will become a convert.

I've said that I usually file this stuff for at least a year and that is because the same stuff normally gets pushed out again. I particularly do this for the sales pitches which have time or number constraints such as the following:-

'This offer is for the first 100 applicants and will never be repeated in the future.' There's a laugh! Hang about long enough and you'll get your chance maybe. It might not be for another year but memories can be short!

I've only just touched on one facet of this type of marketing but I will be delving a bit further in future posts for I don't want to overload you too much with excessive reading at one stage. If you take my advice you will never be swayed by hard luck stories however good and potentially wealth creating the product seems to be.

 

   

Unsolicited Sales Copy

I'm back and I'm not going to bore you all with details of where I've been and what I've done. The first thing most of us have to do when returning to base is sift through all the mail which has been shoved through the letter-box.

Most of it is junk  -  flyers etc.  -  but here's where care must be exercised to ensure that 'the baby is not thrown out with the bathwater.'

All mail should be given at least a cursory look so that those bills  -  unwelcome though they be  -  are afforded due consideration.

Today I want to mention a category of mail which is anathema to most but to me is most entertaining with the result that although it falls into the junk genre, I spend a bit of time absorbing the text.

I'm talking about unsolicited sales copy where the sender is trying to relieve me of my hard won cash. This often falls into two types.

The first is in an envelope with the address typed on a stick on label and a second class stamp  -  also licked and stuck on. Inside is a simple computer generated sheet telling me what's on offer. Often it's about some betting service which the sender says is a well guarded secret which the bookmakers don't want to become common knowledge. This can be safely binned. It's most likely that it is a tipping service which uses tips from the popular racing press.

Many years ago 2 blokes who were in the same football team I played for, were invariably late turning up because they wanted to see a race on TV for which they'd sold a lot of tips.

They told me what I've just told you and also that if they tipped the top 3 favourites in any race they were almost certain to get some satisfied customers who would come again. These lads did this for as long as I knew them so their advertising must have generally paid off.

The second type of sales copy is where I get the entertainment I've just mentioned. This will be in a professional looking  envelope (probably A4 size), the postage will be franked and the address will probably show through a see-through panel.

Yes...all very professional looking  -  especially the contents  -  which will often be in the form of  a glossy printed pamphlet with several pages. As a sales strategy it must work for a required number of prospects as decided by the sender! In other words it must convert to the sender's satisfaction.

Now this type of sales copy I don't bin out of hand and although to me it's just so much more junk, I study the text and file it away for at least a year. Why's this?

I will tell you why in another post, for I've got a lot of opinions on these methods of trying to sell invariably tired and useless products.