dimanche 16 mars 2008

Are Paid Surveys a Waste of Your Time?

Recently ,while visiting one of my favorite business forums, I ran across some interesting comments concerning paid surveys. The gyst of these comments was that taking online surveys is a waste of time. Here is my answer to those comments... .... Just because you didn't earn any money with surveys, that doesn't mean that they are a waste of time. Like any other online opportunity, it takes time and effort to build an income with surveys. Many people who have failed, say the same thing about SFI, Goji, Empowerism, and dozens of other online stay at home job opportunities. But, thousands of members of these same companies are making good money every month. Try to convince them that they are wasting their time, and they will laugh at you. Meanwhile, their bank accounts just keep filling up with cash! Survey takers can earn a solid second income. It may not be more than a few hundred dollars each month, but it's enough to pay the light bill or the phone bill, or maybe both. It takes time to build up a steady stream of business, but the same thing applies regardless of what business you choose to pursue. The biggest downfall that new survey takers face, is a lack of knowledge of the activity itself. Hopefully, the following will give you a good starting point. To earn money with surveys, you consider doing the following:
1. Study. Don't expect things to be all rosy just because the ad looked good when you signed up. Take the time to learn the mechanics of the survey business. This will allow you to identify your particular niche.
2. Continually update your registrations as your survey company updates their data base. New marketing firms are looking to test their products all of the time, so the data bases will constantly grow.
3. Create a seperate Email account just for survey business, and make sure that you turn off all of the spam filters for this account. Often, surveys will trigger a spam filter, and you will never even know that someone wanted you to take part.
4. When you fill out a questionaire for a potential survey, you might find out that you don't qualify for that particular survey. Send a thank you note and ask to be considered for future surveys.
The magic words, "Please and Thank You" never go out of style.
5. When you are offered surveys that result in points, coupons or drawings, fill them out! These are often used as qualifyers by different companies. By completing them, you show that you are serious about participating, and as a Beresult, you increase your chances of being contacted with cash offers.
6. truthful and give complete demographic information when applying. Don't pretend to be a 24 year old woman, when you are actually a 35 year old man. These companies have junk filters too, and they can see through this nonsense in a New York Second.
7. Search for forums that concentrate on surveys. You will be pleasantly surprised by what you find. There are folks out there who are willing to share what they have learned. Take advantage of that help to refine your survey skills.
One of the keys to running a successful stay at home job, is to establish multiple streams of income. Each of these streams might only provide a few dollars each month, but with enough different sources, you will find that you are able to earn a substantial second income. Paid Surveys can provide a terrific income stream, that will continue to grow as you become more knowledgable and experienced with them. You may not get filthy stinking rich by completing surveys, but if you follow these seven steps, you stand a good chance of earning enough to pay a couple of extra bills each month. Besides, its fun!

9 Ways to Make Money On-line

Are you making money hand over fist with your website? If you are then you don’t need to bother reading this article because it is not for you. If you are like most of us your website sales are slow and unpredictable and you need to think of new ways to make money online without taking more time and effort. All of your time should be dedicated to producing your product, right? Well, here are just a few ways to make a little bit or a lot of money online without any effort.
1. Affiliates Sign up to become an affiliate for other businesses that are on the net. I only sign up with the companies that I honestly would recommend to anyone. All that you have to do is refer your customers to these sites. Once one of my referrals makes a purchase, I receive a small payment. With some of the affiliate programs the fee is quite large.
2. Google Ads I was not too sure about this one but I signed up and I am now convinced. The first week that I had Google ads on my website I made $.18 and the next week I made $6.45! Wow! Big boost. If I keep this up, I just may be able to pay for my web host by the end of the month!
3. Google Search Works close to the same way as the ads. People use your search tool, make a purchase and then you are compensated.
4. Amazon Another great tool that will trickle in a few dollars here and there, all for 10 minutes of your time putting a little code into your website and Amazon does the rest.
5. Selling Ad Space You could sell ad space if you have a site that has high traffic.
6. Selling Subscriptions to Your Newsletter If you have a newsletter that has high demand information, you could charge for your newsletter.
7. Selling Ad Space in Your Newsletter Sell ad space in in your newsletter. Same drill as with ad space on your website. Just put a box on your newsletter with a note inside it that says "Your Banner Could Go Here" Then have a page that tells how many subscriber that you have, how often your newsletter goes out and what type of content it usually contains plus the price per ad.
8. Selling E-Books Do you know something about your craft or hobby that you know people would pay to learn as well? Then sell it in an e-book. What a great way to make a little extra money. You take the time to write a good quality e-book then just fill the orders. You could even set it up so that once the e-book order has been processed and paid for, it goes out automatically using an auto responder without you even having to lift a finger, except to go to the bank to collect your money.
9. Consulting - Offer your services Do you sell wedding supplies and know all of the best suppliers around? Do a little research and offer your services as a wedding coordinator. Offer your assistance to the people that want to plan their own wedding, but need a little bit of help.

5 ways to Make Money Online with a Website

There are many ways to make money online and the best way for you is to simply be creative with your skills, knowledge, and abilities. However, the following five options are powerful ways to make money online with a website and definite something you should consider.
#1 Knowledge
You can always sell your knowledge, which many times is the best way if you are an “expert” of any type or subject matter. People are looking for your knowledge and input, regardless if it is self taught, learned in college, or wherever. People are always looking for answers online, so if you sell your knowledge you can simply make money from what you know.
#2 Affiliate Programs
Become an affiliate for products based on your website theme and then simply promote these programs where you earn money from referrals. It is easier than it sounds and only takes you creating a website full of rich content.
#3 Hard Goods Selling
hard goods is a traditional way of making money and it transfers to the online forum as well. No matter what hard goods you have to sell you can certainly find a buyer online. Create a website that focuses on your goods, have a good shipping plan in place, and then start selling online.
#4 E-books
Selling e-books, articles, and other written materials is also a powerful way to make money online and if you are good at writing it is certainly something you should consider. You can have your own website selling pre-written topics or else you can also write on demand, whatever works best for you and your web business.
#5 Auction Goods
Auction web sites are also very powerful ways to make money. The reason for this is you can sell a wide variety of products, do not necessarily need your own website although it helps, and can change your products from time to time as you need to. Many people enjoy working and selling via auction sites because any number of things can be sold from old personal items to new products as well.
The best way for you to make money online is for you to do something that you like and enjoy. When you do some thing you like and enjoy you will be able to commit yourself to doing it fulltime. The reason for this is working online can be difficult at times and if you do not enjoy it then it will be difficult for you to be successful making money via your website.

5 keys to making money online

Would you believe there are tens of thousands of people who have found ways to make money online? Not only that, but their incomes are significant and growing, due to little competition and low cost of entry. If I can do it, then there is no reason why you can't. You can literally begin making money right away. There are many, many, opportunities online, but here are the 5 factors you really need to consider, to guarantee your success:
1. Set your goals. As with any business you need to set goals. Goals help you visualize where you want to go, and keep you motivated when you get up in the morning. You goal may be to earn $500 or $10000 a month, it may be to take that dream vacation, or it may be to give up your job. These are all great goals. It is imperative that you write them down and reread them often. You need a short term goal - e.g monthly goal, to keep you motivated from day to day and a longer term goal 1-2 years - to keep you on track and prevent you from chucking it in. I am confident that if you adopt a positive attitude and embrace your goals then you will soon be making money online.
2. Take time to research. As I alluded to earlier there are many people making money online - and there are thousands of different businesses that you can try. The internet is a mine field of information and “making money online” opportunities are not difficult to find. However you will need to decipher the genuine opportunities from the scams. Many online promises are just methods to extract money from you. Some do's and don'ts
DON'T fall for the “get rich quick schemes” that promise huge returns in record time DO try and email or telephone for more information DO search online for feedback on the opportunity e.g. try name of opportunity + scam DON'T part with money without consulting a friend you can trust and/or sleeping on it.
3. Find something that you like. You're the boss now - so do yourself a favor and choose something you enjoy. This will greatly enhance your chances of success. A few things to consider: Do you enjoy writing? Do you enjoy talking to people? Do you enjoy working on the computer? Do you have a flair for sales? Are there particular things that you are passionate about e.g sports, music? Do you want to be contactable 24x7? Do you want to have flexible/fixed hours? Personally I like to work on my computer on my own time and my choice of internet business matches this. Find out what suits you, and you can weed out the business ventures which are not for you. Don't settle for second best - choose something you are comfortable with.
4. Find something worth your while. While it is a good idea to avoid the sales pitch that promises the sun, moon, and stars; it is also important that you don't take the safe option - that guarantees $5 an hour for sending emails, filling our surveys, or licking stamps. These amount to you underselling yourself, because the opportunities of making money on the internet are so much greater. Look for systems which offer a good monthly return for a few hours work a day - if you find something with a residual income all the better.
5. Anything for an easier life! One of my motivations for venturing into internet marketing was to create an easier life for myself. As I sat in my day job I used to think - “There must be easier ways to make money” - and there are! Earning a living online means that you have the luxury of working from home and choosing your own hours. It is important that you can exploit these perks, by being able to take time off, take extra vacations and spend more time with your family. You need to avoid the 40-50 hours a week for the sake of your sanity.
You have taken the first step by reading this article - you now just need to act upon it. I wish you the very best in your online endeavors.

TOP 5 HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS

Since competition in terms of health insurance is on the rise, it is no wonder that more and more forms of health insurance are being designed. Among these, there are few that are popular and they are briefly described below.
Individual Insurance: Ensuring a person individually is a common mode of insurance. One may be selective about what s/he wants in a plan through this process. Accordingly, one has required premium is calculated, and the insurance plan takes effect.
Group Insurance: Another type of insurance is the group arrangement. Through this type of insurance, one is compelled to abide by what others are going for, and this is dependent on the insurance providers. They are the ones that decide what is feasible to include in a plan, and on that basis, a group insurance can take place.
Indemnity Plan: This plan allows one to go to any doctor when one needs to; there are no restrictions on this, and it is believed to be more of a traditional plan. One does not need permission to go to a particular health care provider. However, usually what happens is that the member pays 20% of the total fee for treatment while the insurance provider pays 80%. In addition to this, there is a period through which one pays up in this manner, and then the company takes over paying the whole 100%.
HMO: The Health Maintenance Organization is one that allows a member to select a particular doctor off the panel. It is these selected doctors that will deal will with members' problems. The selected doctor is the one that will be approached for checkups of any kind, and if there are problems with a member that cannot be handled by him or her, the member is referred to specialists.

Health Insurance and health care

Health insurance is something that everyone needs today. The rising cost of visiting a health care provider or a hospital stay makes it imperative that everyone have some type of health care coverage. Government statistics estimate that over 40 million people in America are not covered by any type of health insurance on any given day. That's an enormous number of people who really are taking a financial risk. Even if you're on a tight, limited budget, it's very important that you pick up some kind of affordable health insurance.

Even if you only have a plan that covers unexpected hospitalization, your peace of mind will be greatly enhanced. Keep in mind that a catastrophic health insurance policy can come with a high deductible before their coverage kicks in. They don't pick up the cost of preventive physician visits or emergency room visits to get a few stitches.

Some questions to ask when considering affordable health insurance.

1) Can your and/or your family afford to pay ALL your medical expenses if you're sick or injured?

2) How much is the deductible?

3) How much are the premiums?

With a little searching and comparison shopping you find the best rate for your personal affordable health insurance.

Spy Matrix Spy Phone: The Ultimate Spy Cell Phone

Perhaps the most advanced portable bug on the market today is the Spy Matrix Spy Phone. This spy cell phone looks just like a regular phone, and it works just like a regular cell phone. The only difference is that is also a bug. This is the ultimate in listening devices. It is the best way to keep track of teenagers or significant others who show signs of straying. And, with a little ingenuity, you can even use this spy cell phone to perform surveillance on acquaintances and strangers.
The spy cell phone is especially helpful when you want to keep track of family members. This is because you can pass it off as a new phone for the family’s new cell phone plan. It is perfect. Give it to teenagers and you can go wherever they go. This Spy Matrix Spy Phone is equipped with a GPS tracker and a special microphone that picks up noises and conversation in its general vicinity. Not only that, but can also allow you to listen in to both ends of the conversation. You can know whether you teen are where she or he is supposed to be, and you can find out, from listening to what is going on in the room, whether there really is a study group.
A secret phone number allow you to activate the spy cell phone without the subject knowing that you have done so. You call the secret number (there is a second real number for regular calling purposes) and the phone quietly turns on and begins giving you access. You can “forget” it in a room or leave it to “charge” and hear what others are saying. This is a device that is also useful when performing professional surveillance for clients. No matter what you want to use the phone for, the spy cell phone is a device that few people would suspect as being a bug — especially since it works just like a normal cell phone in all respects.
Stop wondering what is really going on and find out for sure. When you have the Spy Matrix Spy Phone you do not just have any phone. You have a real, top of the line spy cell phone.

Finding The Right Cell Phone

Ten years ago, cell phones were just beginning to appear. Today, it seems every person on the street has one. However, not all cell phones are equal. How do you find the best one?
Ask yourself what qualities are important to you. First, the physical aspects. Do you prefer flat cell phones or those with a flip? Are slim cell phones more attractive, or does size really matter?

Cell phones seem to come in all shapes and sizes, and color can also be a determining factor. Have you seen the changeable covers? Who knew cell phones would become such a fashion statement?
A critical factor to consider is ring tones. Some cell phones come with standard rings that could drive anyone crazy. Others have downloadable tones, letting you show off your taste and personality. If you've ever been on a crowded train where six cell phones started ringing at once, you know how important it is to have the pleasant ring tone. No one wants to draw negative attention.

Cell phones have all sorts of new features, and they keep improving. Some cell phones allow you to take pictures. Other cell phones give you internet access on the road. And like most technology, there are new improvements made on a weekly basis. Remember that you'll be paying for these features; make sure you'll use them before you spend the money.
Manufacturers of cell phones have done extensive research to find out what is important to you, the buyer. The carrier, though, is also important to consider. What good are cell phones, after all, if you can't get service? Find out who in your area has the widest service and the best rate plan.

Most of us have become spoiled by our cell phones. It's hard to remember the days when no one could reach you until you got home from class or from work. Cell phones have opened up our lines of communication considerably. (Sometimes it's questionable whether that's a good thing….) The fact is, it looks like cell phones are here to stay. Is it possible anymore to escape? Of course! The best thing about cell phones is that you can use them when you need them, but sometimes the best cell phones are the ones that are turned off.

Online Poker

You love to play poker. You’ve tried to find your friends for a late-night game. Everyone seems to have plans. Don’t worry, you’re still going to have a great time playing online poker.
Just as in every other aspect of life, the Internet has opened up wonderful great new opportunities in the world of poker. Site that offer online poker are some of the most visited sites. They’re very popular for the more experienced poker players as well as the “newbies.” Online poker is a non-threatening way for those that have never played the game to learn and have lots of fun.

Traditionally, when you thought of poker, you would envision a bar room full of the questionable types, or a back room filled with smoke, where betting and danger evolved. All that has changed. Playing online poker you’re just as likely to be playing against the stay-at home mom or the office professional, as you are the average Joe who likes to play poker.
Online poker brings the game to every corner of the world, and allows everyone to enjoy the challenge and the excitement of winning. Don’t worry about gambling away the kid’s college money. Online poker offers you the chance to bet with free money as well as real money. So, whatever your cup of tea you’re sure to find an online poker site that will suit your desires.

You’ll find your favorite poker games online, everything from Texas Hold’em to Caribbean Stud Poker. If you’ve played it offline, more than likely you’ll find a version of the game when you search for poker online.
For many, poker online is more fun than playing offline. There’s many reasons online poker is so popular. Mainly it’s fun and exciting. Also, you don’t have to go anywhere except to your computer to play. Online poker is available anytime of day or night. If you’re not one of “the guys”, you can play online poker and no one will know the difference. Poker online is also a great way to learn and become skilled in a variety of poker games. That way when you do get the chance to play offline you’ll be ready.
After a few rounds of poker online, you may not even want to play offline. The excitement online is just as real, and the fun is great. It will liven up your day no matter what’s happening in the real world. Give online poker a try.

Finding The Right Poker Table

When purchasing a discount poker tables today, you are faced with a true problem. You can get a second mortgage on your house and buy a casino quality table. Or you can collect some cans and spend a few dollars and buy one these tables on a table.(typically called a table topper) These make your typical living room table into the hottest poker spot in your neighborhood. The only problem with these table toppers, is quality. How can you know you're getting a quality table at discount you ask? Check here for starters: http://www.the-poker-outlet.com/burgandy-poker-table-top.htm
Some of these answers depend who you buy it from. You can look for your tables at online sites, at your local novelty store, or even department stores. These places may or not be relatively safe depending on their return policy. Other less secure places include fly by night Web sites that are here today, gone tomorrow. Buy from one of these, and you may not be able to return a lemon table that breaks on the second deal.
Trusted online sites, though, offer the best product that you won't even need to worry about returning. Their selection of discount poker tables usually includes those really expensive full-sized tables, as well as the table over a table types.(table toppers)
In whatever kind of table you look for, check out the green (can vary in color) felt first. This is very important. This should be smooth to the touch, smoothed out, and secured on the table. Check for strange lumps or breaks in the felt that could interfere with all the chips coming your way. These lumps could interfere with dealing. There is nothing worse then a card being flipped over during a deal! Good models typically also come with inset trays for each player to hold drinks (beers!) and chips, the poker kind and the greasy kind.

Some fancier table in a table discount poker tables will also have black vinyl along the closing surface so it's easy to place on any table. All of them make it easy to fold up and store them between games. This is especially important if you're wife, or husband, does not allow you to play very often.
In conclusion, take your time. Believe me I know your anxious to find a table and have your buddies over. I was very happy with my table. I found a professional casino table with padded cushions to rest your arms on and it had sturdy folding legs so I can store it away when done. It was the best of both worlds. Good luck and remember you do not have to go all in!

Ways To Lower Your Auto Insurance

Nowadays, auto insurance is really expensive. A typical insurance policy can cost a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars a year. And the insurance rates you pay are hugely dependent on the insurance company or agent, your age, your car type, your driving record, and even the area you reside in!
You should never go without auto insurance though, despite the costs. Almost all the states require you to protect yourself with a minimum amount of liability coverage. Naturally, the bare minimum is not adequate enough for the average car owner. And as you add in additional coverage for your car, you realize that you will be paying a fairly large sum annually.
So, understanding auto insurance can actually help you to decide on a suitable insurance policy that won't vacuum clean your wallet! Here, we have gathered 10 of the best tips for lowering your auto insurance, by as much as 40
Always compare insurance policies. There are states which regulate auto insurance rates, but the insurance premiums can vary by hundreds of dollars for the exact same coverage. It is definitely worthwhile to shop around. The first thing you can do is to check with your state insurance department. They often provide information about the coverage you need, as well as sample rates from the biggest companies. You can also ask your friends or look up the yellow pages. Checking consumer guides and asking insurance agents can pay off as well. You can easily find out the price range for your insurance policy, as well as discover the lowest prices in town. However, you should not be shopping based on price along. The insurance company should provide good service at the best price. Excellent personal service is available as well, and they provide added conveniences, although they cost a fair bit more. Ask the company how you can lower your costs, and also check their financial ratings. The rule of thumb is always to get three price quotes from three different companies, and pick the one with the best value.
It can also be a good idea to increase your deductibles. When you file a claim, the deductible is the amount you pay before the insurance company pays for the rest of the damage. A higher deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage can lead to a much lower premium. For example, increasing your deductible from $200 to $400 can reduce your premiums by up to 25àHowever, you must ensure that you have the financial resources to handle the largest deductible when the time comes. Remove certain types of coverage from your policy. Almost all the states require liability coverage for your car, but the rest of the coverage is probably dispensable. However, you do not want to be underinsured if you're in an accident, so it isn't advisable to remove all of your additional coverage. Optional coverage includes medical payments, uninsured motorist, collision, and comprehensive coverage.
Drop collision and comprehensive coverage for older cars. If you drive an older car that's worth less than $2,000, it's probably more cost-effective to drop collision and comprehensive coverage since you'll probably pay more for the coverage than you'll collect for a claim. You can find out the worth of your car by asking auto dealers and banks. Make sure your credit report looks good. Car insurance companies often look at your credit history as there is a correlation between the risk to the company and your credit history. If you pay your bills on time and maintain a good credit history, you can enjoy lower insurance rates.
Drive less. Insurance companies often offer low-mileage discounts to motorists who drive less than a predetermined number of miles each year. You can use public transportation more often, car-pool with friends, and take the train or a plane instead of driving to another state. And you'll save on more than your coverage as you'll need to spend less on gasoline (of which prices are incredibly high). Maintain a clean driving record. The company will give you a price break and you can save on your insurance policy after a specified period of a clean driving record. This means that you have no accidents, no serious driving violations etc, during this period of time. The simplest and surefire way to qualify for this discount is to drive carefully and defensively all the time. Choose a low-profile car. Insurance rates vary among difference models of vehicles. Generally, sports cars and high-performance cars tend to cost more to insure, mainly because they represent more risk of theft and the drivers are often the people who drive more recklessly. Newer cars will cost more to repair or replace than older ones, so naturally they can more to insure. Low-risk vehicles include station wagons and sedans.
Ask about safety and security discounts. The insurance companies sometimes offer discounts on your insurance if your car is equipped with the following: anti-lock brakes, air bags, automatic seat belts, car alarms, tracking systems. These reduce the injury risk to you, as well as the chances of your car being vandalized or stolen. Finally, ask about other discounts. You may receive a discount if you buy more than one type of insurance from the same company or if you insure multiple cars under the same policy or company. You may also receive discounts for taking a defensive driving course, staying with the same company for a few years, being a driver over 50, good-student discounts, and being an AAA member. If you already have adequate health insurance, you can also eliminate paying for duplicate medical coverage, thus lowering your personal injury protection costs by a substantial amount.

5 Steps To Buying Your Car

Most people do not enjoy buying a car. A survey conducted by CNN revealed that 75% of people would rather visit a dentist than face visiting a car dealership. It's not that people don't want a car - it's just that there are so many pitfalls to negotiate and not everyone can be sure of the right steps to take. Here are a few points to keep in mind to make the process easier.
1. Ask questions, lots of questions. Try to ask sensible questions that will enable you to base your decisions on solid ground. But don't be afraid to just ask and only stop when all your concerns have been properly addressed.
2. Do not let emotion drive you. Pretty cars with all the bells and whistles can blind you to the truth. More often than not you will end up paying more than you need to if you buy with emotion. Be impartial and see the car for what it is and not what you may have fallen in love with.
3. Know exactly what you want before you put a single foot inside the dealership door. An open mind can be easily manipulated, and usually not in your favor. Use brochures, etc, beforehand to determine exactly what you want within your budget, and don't be swayed by smooth talk.
4. Talk to the dealer about the price and not the payments. Dealers who keep referring to the "easy" payments could be avoiding the issue of overall price, and you need to know why. Do your homework and you will know exactly what price fits into a payment plan to fit your budget. But if you focus on payment, you may end up paying more than you bargained for.
5. Know when the time has come to make a decision. That decision could be to walk away, or it could be to close the deal. You should constantly monitor how you feel about the offer being made to you. If it all feels right, then stay with it and see it through. But if you get even just a tiny twinge of something not quite right, be prepared to walk away.

Buying a car is not always easy. It's not something most of us do very often and we all want to make the best use of our money. But with sensible and careful planning, and an awareness of the five points above, you can buy the exact right car for you at the exact right price for you. Happy motoring!

Secret of Credit Card Numbers

Have you ever really looked at your credit card and tried to figure out what that huge string of numbers really means? Do these card issuers have so many customers that your account number has to be 16 digits long? You may be surprised to know that all those numbers you see actually do stand for something, and it's not just who YOU are. Let's take a look. Most of the major credit card companies operate on the same system when choosing a credit card number. Other cards like gas cards, department store cards and phone cards go their own way. Let's concentrate on the ones that all play by the same rules. The very first digit in the series will be a 3,4,5, 0r 6. This number designates the type of card as follows:
3 = a Travel & Entertainment Card like American Express or Diners Club.
4 = Visa and Visa-branded debit cards, cash cards, etc.
5 = MasterCard and MasterCard-branded debit cards, cash cards, etc.
6 = Discover
American Express and Diners Club use the second digit to identify the company. That means that Diners Club cards will start with either "36" or "38", and American Express cards will use either "34" or "37". The remaining numbers in the series are used for different purposes depending upon the card type and issuer.
In most cases, the next group after the opening series of numbers represents the routing number of the card-issuing bank, the group after that is the user's account number, and the final digit is a check digit. The check digit is a number that is calculated by applying a special formula to all of the other numbers. The check digit is the result of that formula and is used as an anti-fraud check. To keep things from getting too confusing, look at your card as you follow along for the next steps.
American Express
The American Express Card uses digits three and four for type (business or personal) and the currency of the cardholder's country of origin. The next digits from the fifth through the eleventh are account numbers. Digits twelve through fourteen indicate the card number within the account and the last digit is the check digit.
Visa
With Visa, digits two through six represent the bank number. Beginning with the seventh digit and running through the twelfth or the fifteenth represents the account number and the last number is the check digit. Since all Visa cards do not have the same amount of numbers in the sequence, the number of digits in a group may vary.
MasterCard
For MasterCard, the second digit, through to anywhere between the third and the sixth digit is the bank number. All remaining digits, except the check digit at the end of the series, identifies that cardholder's account.
Now that we've gone over it all, you're probably wondering why you were ever wondering in the first place. Just remember though, knowledge is power. Some things are just fun to know.

Free Credit Card Merchant Account

If you have been doing business for a few years, you probably have heard about the benefits of opening a free credit card merchant account to expand the availability of your products and services. However, there are so many banks and other financial institutions competing for your business that you may be unsure which one to partner with in this exciting venture. One attractive option is to look for a free credit card merchant account offer.
Applying for a merchant account is easy and often can be handled online in a few moments’ time. However, it may be difficult to know which bank to choose. One may offer a lower transaction fee for credit card processing. Another may vie for your business by offering a no-fee installation of credit card processing equipment. But you could benefit more from a free credit card merchant account if the card does not come with hidden fees or limits.
Start by shopping for a merchant account with banks that offer low-interest rate credit cards or a no-rate credit card merchant account. If your favorite bank does not currently offer this type of deal, ask about one. Perhaps they will consider offering you a special deal if you are a valued customer. Otherwise, when considering a merchant account credit card from a relatively unknown institution, compare the terms of the card to those from other banks to make sure you get the best deal. Sometimes a “free” credit card deal may actually hide or incur unexpected costs. For example, while you may not have to pay any up front costs when opening the account, like an application fee, you may be billed later for an annual membership fee that entitles you to use the credit card. Failing to pay this fee may result in the cancellation of your credit privileges. A free credit card merchant account should be free in every sense of its use, so ask about contingency fees or possible changes in terms later on as the economy shifts. You don’t want to get comfortable using the card only to find in a few months that you are being billed for services you did not expect to pay for.
A free credit card merchant account can be just the thing to launch you into e-commerce use, however. You can use your credit account to purchase credit card processing equipment or other innovations that will upgrade your company’s image to impress customers and draw in new clients. Or you can use your free credit card merchant account to experiment with other marketing techniques, attend conventions, or try a new line of merchandise or services. If you have demonstrated skill in using business credit responsibly and in keeping with your business income and expenses, this type of credit card account may be just what you need to move your business forward and expand company interests or operations for your customers’ benefit. Check out all the terms and conditions when you apply to get the best free credit card merchant account.

A New Way To Learn: Online

Many of the most universities in the country are realizing that no everyone can attend regular classes to obtain a college education. As a result almost all of them offer distance learning programs that allow students from anywhere in the country to get a university education and even get an online degree.
There are many barriers to overcome in order to get a college education. They range from cost to motivation to accessibility. Many young people and their families simply cannot afford to pay the tens of thousands of dollars that is necessary in a regular degree program. Others live in remote areas of the country that make it impossible to attend college without major support and subsidies.
Distance learning allows them to overcome many of these challenges by connecting to the school of their choice through the Internet and enrolling in online degree granting programs in their field of choice. They can get a college education and still help out on the farm at home or they can work to support themselves during the day and take online classes at night.
These types of programs have transformed the higher education landscape almost overnight. Many millions of American kids will follow their college dreams right after high school, but they are now being joined in the academic world by military veterans, housewives, and thousands of other people who want a second chance at living out their dream.
Distance learning has democratized the higher education system in this country and it doesn’t matter now how much money your family has or what stage of life you choose to continue your education. An online degree from a reputable and accredited program is worth just as much as if you went to that school for four years right after high school.
If you could picture an online classroom you would see a wide range of ages and life experiences sitting at their home computer, engaged in the pursuit of an online degree. Their enthusiasm to learn is just as great as those who sit in a regular classroom or lecture hall at the university. But what may strike you the most is that these people who are studying for an online degree have a zeal for learning and a motivation to get ahead that any university professor would love to see in his much younger class. These people desperately want to get their college education and distance learning will help them get there.

Online Degree Programs

Contemplating earning a degree online?
Depending on the course of study and field of specialization you’re interested in, there are lots of accredited degree programs that offer an excellent and convenient educational experience. There are over a hundred undergraduate and graduate online degree programs. Too many to list here, so I’ll just give you a small sampling of some popular educational programs to get you started:
AIU Online – Earn your degree online in record time. Degrees in: business administration, criminal justice, information technology, visual communications.
DeVry University – Students have the ability to interact with faculty and other students while they earn their degree. Degrees in: business technology, information systems, human resources, business administration.
University of Phoenix – A superb national reputation for providing working professionals with quality education. Degrees in: business technology, education, nursing.
ITT Tech – ITT Technical Institute offers accredited online programs that can help you develop the knowledge and skills that can be used to enhance your technical career.
Kaplan University – Earn your degree, advance your career, and do it all without missing a day of work. Degrees in: business, criminal justice, technology and design, paralegal. Certificates in: forensic nursing, legal nurse consulting, financial planning.
Walden University – For 30 years, Walden has helped adult learners balance their personal and professional commitments while earning a respected degree. Convenient online Ph.D., masters, and bachelor degree programs.
The Art Institute Online – Start your career in design with distance learning programs that focus on multimedia, web, game art, graphic and interior design.
Clayton College of Natural Health (CCNH) – CCNH can prepare you for a rewarding career in natural health, holistic nutrition, naturopathy, and herbology.
University of Liverpool – Earn a masters degree from the university for business professionals worldwide. Liverpool has earned an international reputation for high quality.
Concord Law School – Nationally recognized Concord Law School offers a Juris Doctor (JD) degree and an Executive JD degree that can be earned 100% online.
As you can see, there’s a large variety of educational opportunities awaiting you online. Whatever your goals, whatever your dreams, you can now more easily achieve them at your own pace, and in the comfort of your own home.

Web Hosting Basics

If you have decided you or your company is in need of a website, you will have to purchase web hosting services from a hosting company. There are many different web-hosting companies to choose from, and they can easily be found on the internet. If you do a quick search for them in any search engine, you will find that there are almost too many to count. Choosing the company that is right for you can be a harrowing experience, but there are really only a few basic things to consider.
The first factor to consider when choosing a web hosting company is how much space they will give you for your account. If you merely want a single page on the Internet with little or no graphics, you can get by with purchasing an account with the smallest amount of space available. However, if you are planning to create a full e-commerce site with multiple pages and order forms, you will need to make sure you have enough server space to support your entire operation.
Before you sign your web-hosting contract, you will first have to choose and purchase a domain name. Though many of the names you might want are already taken, you can often find one that suits your needs, especially if you get creative with it. For instance, if your business is called Cards For You and that domain name is already taken, you might consider choosing More Cards For You or Cards For You Today. The possibilities are endless, and with a little thought you will be able to think of a snappy domain name. You can often purchase a domain name through your web hosting company, or you can purchase it through a private domain name retailer. These companies are very easy to find. Often times, if you type the domain name you want into a search engine, a domain name seller will pop up if the name is not already taken. You can purchase a domain name for a year at a time, or for several years, depending on how much you want to invest at the get-go.
Once you have a domain name, you will of course have to create a website to put on the Internet. There are many do-it-yourself web design programs that are fairly user friendly. Software like FrontPage makes web design a cut and paste, fill in the blank soft of affair. However, if you would like a more professional look, you can use programs like Dreamweaver or Image Ready to make your sites. There are always freelance web designers looking for work who are ready to take on your cause if you are not savvy enough to do it yourself.
Web hosting companies give passwords to allow you access your space on their servers. You can upload files and pages using their own interface programs, or you can utilize the upload tools built in to your web design program. Once you upload a page, it is important to make sure it looks correct on a variety of different web browsers. Because each browser interprets information differently, you may run into trouble if you build a site while only previewing it in Internet Explorer. There are often compatibility issues between Safari and Mozilla browsers that distort site tables and images. However, once you work out the kinks and create an excellent site, all you have to do is pay your web hosting bills, and your site will be available for the whole world to see. Web hosting companies usually offer options regarding payment plans. You can pay for a year at a time, or you can monthly or quarterly to maintain your place on the World Wide Web.

Choosing a Web host

There are some simple rules to follow when looking for a web host. The first rules is to avoid free hosts whenever possible, it is easy to think that a free service is preferable to paying a monthly fee however with web hosting this is defiantly not the case.
Paid hosting has several important advantages over free hosting. Firstly you will receive more useful features with paid hosting. Technical support will be much better with help available when you need it. Generally speaking Paid hosts will have much faster connections to the internet so your site will appear quicker. Most importantly with paid hosting you won't have to display a banner on each page advertising the Hosting Company and advertising to the world that you are on a free host. With excellent hosting packages starting from $6.99 per month there is no reason why you shouldn't go with a paid host.
The second simple rule concerns what operating system to choose. You will find hosts offering you Windows Hosting or Linux Hosting, it is tempting to choose windows as it's a name everyone knows and many people mistakenly believe that because their PC runs windows they need a Windows Host but in this case they'd be wrong. Whichever hosting package you choose you will receive a control panel through which you administer your site these are graphical environments through which you can control many aspects of your website from configuring your web mail and installing forum software to creating a database. Take a lead from the marble halls of business most major companies host their websites on Linux Servers. Linux Servers generally runs faster and are more secure than a windows server. This is partly due to how the operating systems are built. Windows try to include every possible function in the base package whilst Linux allows the host company to add the functions they need.
The final thing to consider when choosing a host is the list of features they offer. If you don't know much about html you can look for a host that supplies you with free website building software and some of the better ones will even supply free Domain names. You should look at a number of different companies and compare what they offer as standard with their hosting plans. Technical aspects to consider are; the amount of disk space available to you and how much monthly bandwidth you have to use. Look at how many email accounts you can have the more the better. Customer support features should not be overlooked check to see what their response time is and if it's anymore than an hour look elsewhere, also consider if they offer a money back guarantee. Look to see what additional services they include in the package for example do they offer daily backups? Make sure that they offer support for PHP as this is quickly becoming the programming language of choice with web programmers.
To conclude when choosing a website Host look for a paid host with Linux hosting and then compare the packages on offer from a variety of companies.

Diet and Fitness

1. Balance-A balanced diet must contain carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamin, mineral salts and fiber in well proportionate quantity. Carbohydrates are the source of energy so these play an important role in balanced diet. Intentional inclusion of all foods from fruits to vegetables and meats to grains.
2. Moderation- portion control, small quantity at regular intervals. I had to laugh when I heard the results of a 5-year study costing millions of dollars the government ran to find out why the population of the US is getting heavier. The results…they determined we eat larger quantities! 'Super Size it!'
3. Variation - wide variety in foods,means higher chances of complete nutrition. And variety in your workout routine means a greter chance of sustaining it.
It is a well-known fact that poor diet leads to diseases, like obesity, even cancer and heart disease. The link between diet and physical fitness has well been established and recognized as a science in itself. It's the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. How do you balance diet and fitness? What changes in your diet and fitness regimes will prove to be the most beneficial ones? These questions may have been on your mind for a long time but you didn't know where to start. I let the paralysis of analysis prevent me from getting started for a long time. I wanted the 'perfect' fitness plan. My advice? Just get started anywhere, but get started. There are the solutions at your doorstep. First and foremost, you need to ensure that the diet you are on, supplies you enough strength and energy to carry out the fitness training which means:
The basic fitness diet should:
1. Have a wide variety of foods-- wholegrain breads and cereals for vitamins and minerals, leafy green vegetables for iron fueling, fruit for adequate fiber, lean meat and Fish (lowers cholesterol and helps prevent cancer) and low fat dairy products.
2. Enable you to have optimal weight and energy to carry out daily activities with ease.
3. Enhance quick and complete recovery during exercise.
4. Supply enough fluids to have maximum hydration. 5. Provide both short and long term benefits and ease of maintenance.

Does Online Dating Work?

Dating Online is currently the Internets biggest craze, and its here to stay! But does it actually work?
I mean, there are tons of Dating websites, but their success with matchmaking is kept rather low key, and I found out why.
A lot of websites that I researched were either free or had rock bottom membership fees, and I found that these were the worst to go to, bar a few exceptions. Eventually I found a handful of websites that I could trust and were worth the money that they were charging, but it just took so long to find these trust-worthy sites.
So I signed up and begrudgingly paid the membership fee. One of the most important aspects I learnt early on is that your personal profile that you place on the dating website should be immaculate! By this I mean spend time modifying and perfecting your profile, as this is what counts the most! The last thing you want is to be receiving messages from other adults who are just not right for you, its better to make contact with another adult who is very similar to yourself, than to make contact with 10 adults who only share a few similarities. Eventually I started meeting other people who were very compatible to myself, and as a result have made 2 great friends who are now a major part in my life and have been going out with my long-term girlfriend for over a year (I’m planning a trip to New York at Christmas, so that I can propose to her!) Online Dating has worked wonders for me, even though it’s taken time to get their, and I Strongly believe that if you spent time looking for the right Dating website, that’s suits you and your needs then you will also have similar success. This thought gave me a brainwave. I thought how great it would be if their was a website that had a list of all the best Dating websites, that listed these trustworthy companies, so that the biggest hassle is taken away and you can start meeting and communicating with other adults, without having to waste time looking for the best companies. So that’s what I did. I designed a website that was split into sections for American Singles, Gay personals, Jewish Singles and Christian Dating, with the best dating websites for each category. It is full of information about Online Dating, with reviews of every Dating website and loads of interesting, related articles. There is also help on the best way of writing your personal profile.

10 Reasons to Use Online Dating Sites

1.Most people are pretty busy these days. You can imagine how many times you would have to go out and socialize before finding the right partner. Then consider how much you end up spending week after week. You may meet the right person the first time you go out, but you and I know that this is highly unlikely. This procedure more often than not ends up in a lot of wasted time and a lot of wasted money too. However, dating sites(in general) cost nothing to register and or search.
2.Dating sites (the good ones) are in the main, free to join. Only costing you money when you have linked up with someone and intend on meeting with them or communicating further. This is a great feature because it means you will be aware of the basic geography, the hobbies, nuances, hobbies, and other interests before you meet. This is so much less time consuming than dating different people over and over before you find that 'right' person or even just the essential pieces of information.
3.From time to time you can also place advertisements on these sites which stimulates response and gives you a wider field to choose from.
4.You can remain anonymous (recommended) and protect your identity until you're ready and comfortable enough to disclose who you reallly are. If you decide the other person is not for you, you can easily and tactfully end communication without any animosity or even further contact.
5.Some people moving to a new location like to establish relationships and friend before they arrive at their new abode, allowing settling in to be that much easier. This is very often relevant to single parents. There are sites out there that are specific to single parents dating which make the job of meeting that much easier.
6.You may be having difficulty meeting people of the same faith or religion. In this case, there are niche dating sites that service this need in almost every major religion or faith.
7.Equally important is the need to service alternative dating requirements for those who seek pursuits outside the mainstream world of dating. There are many sites to choose from in this category to a point where choosing a good alternative dating service can become confusing and almost frustrating. Look for a Dating Site Review Service to assist you with this. Most of these service sites will have carried out some reviews in addition to weeding out the good from the not so good. If you don't find a particular site on a dating site review service it usually means the owners were uncomfortable with the site and will not include it in their pages or they haven't got around to reviewing it as yet - If the latter is the case, send them an email asking them to review that particular site. Most will follow through and you will find a review in as little as a few days in some cases. If it does not turn up on their pages, there could be something wrong with it.
8.Adult dating also falls into the above category due to its large following. Fortunately, the same solution applies. Just find a dating site review service that has done the 'hard yards' on your behalf and click away. The good review sites are free and will guide you to the better service suppliers.
9.On the subject of Dating Site Review Services, some of them supply newsletters which keep you informed and up to date on new services, promotions (ie.Romance Tours, Dating Events and Speed Dating etc.) and of course other exciting freebies. It is always worth subscribing because you can always unsubscribe if you want to. Just make sure they mention that in their 'sign up box'. Some independent sites have their own newsletters but common sense tells you that you are more likely to receive a more diverse range of information and promotions from the Dating Site Review Service than from just one independent dating site. This occurs because they will screen a whole swag of offers from a host of sites rather than just one before they onsend them to you.
10.Another cool free service from responsible dating sites and review services are the articles which frequently guide you in the right direction with dating trends and tips for successful dating and romance. I hope this article has opened you eyes to just a few of the many benefits and features that can be obtained when using dating sites to help you.

Secrets of affliliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a very hot topic on the web right now. Not surprising when you consider the fact that a vast majority of successful online entrepreneurs make their money from affiliate schemes and programs. Since the early days when Amazon was being set up and founder, Jeff Bezos was establishing affiliates as key marketing tools for any online enterprise, affiliates and affiliate marketing has come of age.
The amounts of income being made have clearly transformed affiliate marketing into a very serious business. There are more and more affiliates comfortably raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars every month.
The first important affiliate marketing secret to bear in mind is the reason why affiliate marketing remains the most effective way of marketing any online enterprise. It is all about the power of the referral. It is rather awkward when a website is trying to promote itself directly to prospects. Actually very different from the situation where somebody else refers the business to others, including people they do not know personally.
This works out superbly for several reasons. Firstly the affiliate as a consumer themselves is able to quickly identify the strong attractive points of the business that will best attract others like them.
The other little known affiliate marketing secret is that most of the top-earning affiliates have their own websites and blogs. Having their own websites gives these affiliates a tremendous edge over others. The sites are usually very closely related to the affiliate program that they are promoting. By having their own site, they are able to harvest the email addresses of the traffic to their sites.
Usually, most people you send to your affiliate site will not end up purchasing anything. However when you have their email addresses in your opt-in email list, you can continuously market to them and the affiliate will automatically end up with a much higher conversion rate from the traffic they generate as opposed to an affiliate without a website who just sends traffic to their affiliate website. This is the affiliate marketing secret that makes a difference between affiliates struggling to pull in a good income and those comfortably making hundreds of thousands of dollars.

7 Steps Of Mega Adsense Earners

The Google AdSense program is like finding money in the street. Kids in High School are making thousands of dollars a month with Adsense... Housewives, Retiree's, Mom and Pop's who've never made a dime on the Internet have created full time incomes by simply placing AdSense Ads on their web site or blog. Then you have the "Super AdSense" earners. We have all heard of them... the Elite few who are on track to make half a million dollars a year or more promoting AdSense sites. Do not be mistaken though... these people are not building like your Mom and Pop's do. They have systems in place that create sites for them... people who build sites for them... they have outsourced and automated many of the tedious tasks such as posting to blogs and searching for keywords.
While most people cannot emulate everything these Super AdSense earners do... many of them you can. Here are 7 Required Steps you can implement today to copy their success.
1) Starting today... treat your AdSense business like it is a REAL business and track what you do. Begin tracking what you are doing that works... as well as what you are doing that does not work. This will keep you from making the same mistakes over and over, and you can repeat the steps that have worked in the past. As simple as this step seems... most people do not know the reason(s) to their success or failure.
2) Utilize the latest tools and software available. The Super AdSense earners are not any smarter than your average person. I know many people think they are... but for the most part, they are regular non techie people. They are smarter in one respect though... they use the latest tools available to them to automate most of the tasks involved with researching and creating sites. They use the latest keyword, site creation and search engine optimization tools available. The tools they use are their secret weapons.
3) Quit chasing the Mega Dollar keywords. You cannot compete with the search engine experts who create sites for the $80 payout keywords. You may get lucky every now and then... but in the long run, you are better off building sites for the low to mid range payout keywords. The competition is less, and your chance of success is much higher over the long term.
4) Choose broad niches and break it down. Choose a broad subject as your main theme (lets use computers for an example). From there... break it down into as many sub niches as possible. Using Computers as the example... you could build sub niches/sites like laptop computers, computer hard drives, computer keyboards, etc, etc. You could literally build hundreds of sites around one major theme and stay totally focused. Once you have exhausted every possible sub niche of that major theme... choose another main theme and repeat the process.
5) KISS Keep your sites easy to navigate and forget the fancy graphics that distract your visitors attention. Unless you are just building AdSense sites for the fun of it and to impress your friends... the purpose of having the site is to have people click on one of the ads, right? Then keep the site layout simple... dump the scrolling banners, dancing chickens and colored scroll bars... they are distractions.
6) What is the purpose of your web site? Your web site cannot be everything to everybody. If you have a full fledged ecommerce site, with products for sale... links to other products, it is not a good site for AdSense. If the primary focus of the site is to sell products... let it do that. Do not distract or confuse your visitor with to many options or choices. The best AdSense sites are AdSense only content sites that sell nothing. They are sites that "Tell"... not "Sell."
7) Be consistent. This is not one of those deals where you build one site and you are done. Refer back to Step #4. You must continuously build in order to be successful. Think of it as planting a crop that you will harvest in a month or two, and the sites you build are seeds. Once the seeds have grown and matured... you will reap the harvest. The more seeds you plant... the larger the harvest.
To sum it up... utilize the tools available to automate as much of the process of building sites - doing research and building keyword lists as you can. This alone will help keep you organized and on track. Be consistent in building... treat it like the business it is and you will reap the rewards of your harvest.

Find a Hidden Fortune in Your Website

Most people never bother to look at the statistics program that comes with virtually every website because few realize the goldmine of information it contains.

Your website statistics hold the key for understanding your traffic, improving sales and increasing the overall effectiveness of your online selling. Whether you realize it or not, your website has 'critical numbers' that enable you to measure the overall success of your Internet presence.
Any serious website operator should understand the four most important numbers: Hits; Unique, Targeted Visitors; Leads; Sales. Hits - Hits are typically page views, whether by the same or different visitors, and indicate overall activity on the site.
A lot of hits shows activity (usually a good thing), but doesn't necessarily mean you've had a high number of visitors. Search engine 'spiders' and surfers hitting their back buttons also up the hit count.
Research has shown that, depending on the size of your site, the ratio of hits to visitors will range anywhere from 2 to 1 all the way up to 12 to 1.
Unique, Targeted Visitors - people surfing to your site who have not been there before within a certain period of time. Depending on the statistics program you use, a unique visitor may be someone who hasn't been to your site in a day or a week, while in other programs a visitor remains unique until you reset the stats.
You must understand how your stats program classifies unique visitors so you don't mistakenly believe your site is getting 30 unique visitors a day only to find out it is the same 30 people coming back day after day!
A 'targeted' visitor means that the visitor has an interest in what you are selling or promoting, this is usually demonstrated by keyword searches at a search engine or by clicking targeted advertisements. It does you no good to attract general traffic to your site - you want unique, targeted visitors actively seeking your product or service.
Leads - a valid email address usually makes the best 'lead' since people can and do give fake names and addresses online. If someone won't give you a valid email address, chances are they won't give you their credit card to make a purchase either. Email leads enable you to measure interest and to follow up with prospects. Once you know the number of unique visitors to your site you can calculate the percentage of leads you develop and concentrate on ways to improve your conversion by testing different offers and headlines.
Sales - the number of sales as compared to unique visitors represents your most critical statistic because it tells you whether or not you've made a profit. For every hundred visitors to your site, how many sales do you make and how much money do you net? Most failed dot-com's never bothered to answer this simple question. Selling on the web is a 'numbers game' - learn how to make the numbers work for you!

3 Better Ways To Search Online

Nothing creates a more frustrating online experience than pulling up your favorite search engine to find something simple and coming away empty handed after an hour of searching.
Search engines - those sites that allegedly help you find what you want online - can cause no end of grief if you don't know some simple tricks that will vastly improve your search results.
Suppose you wanted to find information regarding 1954 Ford truck parts. Most people would search this subject by going to their favorite search engine and typing in 1954 Ford truck parts. The search engine would hopefully return results for sites that matched those keywords.
However, search engines usually also return results including sites containing only some of the words in your search.
So in this example you would also get sites not only about 1954 Ford truck parts, but on 1954 Fords, Ford trucks, truck parts, and trucks. Virtually everyone knows the frustration of typing keywords (the topic of your search) into a search engine, clicking the search button, and then facing the prospect of sorting through a million pages (literally) to find what you want.
For everyone experiencing search engine frustration, these suggestions should quickly improve your results.
Tip 1 - To aid you in searching more efficiently, most search engines allow surfers to perform "Boolean" searches. This feature narrows the results to only those websites containing all the words specified, but not necessarily in the exact order. Those searching for 1954 Ford truck parts would enter 1954 AND Ford AND truck AND parts into the search box to find sites containing all of those words.
Tip 2 - Using quotation marks around keyword sets yields even more specific results. "1954 Ford truck parts" should produce only those websites containing this exact phrase somewhere in the website.
Tip 3 - The more specific you get right up front, the better. If you want to look for antique car parts for your 1954 Ford truck, start your search with "1954 Ford truck parts" and work from there. Don't start with "1954 Ford" because you'll probably just waste time sorting through everything from cars to magazines to collector clubs. It would also help if you searched by the model and any other specific information. If refining your searches doesn't get you where you want to go, several programs exist to help you search more quickly and effectively. Copernic (www.copernic.com) examines multiple search engines then compares each engine's results against the rest to determine the best sites. The program then ranks the resulting sites and displays them for the user. Copernic's free version allows users unlimited searches for websites. Web Ferret (www.ferretsoft.com) also offers a free program that queries multiple search engines and displays the ranked results in the user's web browser for easy surfing. With the addition of millions of web pages every week, continuously honing your search skills represents one of the smartest investments of time and energy any serious web surfer can make.

Top Ten Tips For Auction Success!

If you were to look through eBay, or any other online auction site for that matter, you would find that many people make some very basic mistakes. And, they repeat these mistakes over and over again. As indicated in my book "eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak" with a little common sense these mistakes are completely preventable. So to prevent you from making these very same mistakes I have put together the Top Ten Tips For Auction Success.
10. Shipping Always state what your shipping price will be. And, Do Not try to rip off your buyers by inflating the shipping price to increase your profit. Believe it or not, people do have a fair idea of what shipping costs should be. If they feel you are inflating your shipping price they will not bid on your item and may not look at any of your other auctions either from fear of being ripped off.
9. Customer Support You must respond to all emails regarding your auctions. Yes, responding to emails is time consuming. But, if you don't, that potential bidder will look else ware for the product and you will have lost yourself a customer.
8. Reserve Price Do your research on the price for your item. If you must use a reserve price keep it real. If you over price your item you will not get as many bids. And, while all good marketers know there is a time and place for the Reserve Auction, you may actually get more bids using no reserve pricing at all. Do your research to help you make this decision.
7. Item Condition You must let bidders know what condition your item is in. Is it new and in it's packaging, or used but like new condition. Does it have any imperfections they should be made aware of.. A potential bidders will want to know what condition your item is in before making any bids.
6. Terms This could come under the heading Customer Service. If you have terms on your auction page that read something like this "Not Responsible For Item Once Shipped" or "Item Sold As Is" you will lessen the number of bidders for that auction. Be a responsible eBayer, have insurance on the item that your buyer can purchase. And be sure to have some sort of guarantee on your products.
5. Feedback One of the most important parts of your eBay Business. Feedback is a method eBay uses to allow buyers and sellers to record their experiences with each other. Then, others can check out the feedback of any eBayer they wish to deal with, to see if there has been any negative comments left. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep your feedback rating positive.
4. Auction Start/Close Time You must plan your auction start/close time around the bidders you wish to attract to your auction. If the product you are selling appeals to the working woman, the best time to start/end your auction would be in the evening or on the weekend. Always create a profile on your product and what group of the population you are selling to.
3. Item Description Not enough information or too much rambling of information will discourage people from bidding. So too will to many typos. Your item description must be clean and concise. Succinctly provide all the information required to describe the item sufficiently and create buyer interest.
2. Image You need to use an image on your auction page. Remember a picture is worth a 1000 words! Potential bidders will want to see what the item looks like before they make a bid. With digital cameras, being so affordable these days adding a image to your auction page is easier then ever. But, make sure the image is clear and well lit to show it's detail or any imperfections it may have. Also, keep the image at a reasonable pixel size so your auction page doesn't take to long to load.
1. Headlines This is the most important issue for getting more bidders to your auction page. You must include words that people will search on eBay. And, you must make your headline enticing, so potential bidders will click it. If you are selling an antique make-up table a headline saying old vanity table would not pull in a lot of bidders. But, if you said something like "Vintage Vanity Table - Mint Condition - Collectors Item" not only would you get more potential bidders to view your auction, you would also be using words people would search eBay for. Your auction title would appear in searches for Vintage, Vanity Tables, Collectors Items. Therefore, allowing even more potential bidders to see your headline.

How to Make eBay Pay You $25,000.00 per month

There are many ways to take your business to the next level. There are a lot of strategies you could employ to bring in an extra $25,000.00 dollars each month. Unfortunately, few of those strategies are free, and even fewer promise to work for you as hard as the eBay Affiliate Program. The eBay Affiliate Program will be your business ally, equipping you with easy cash flow and more business tools than you can imagine.
The Program works with all kinds of businesses. No matter how long you have been in business, what kind of business you are in, what level of expertise you have, the eBay Affiliate Program can work for everyone.
The Program is by far, the most innovative and successful program on the Web. Members of the Program benefit from the ever growing eBay website, and earn money quickly just for referrals (as much as $45 per referral). Some of the most successful eBay Affiliate Program members have earned over $100,000.00 per month, and over a million a year. The only stipulation for joining is that you have a website.
The Program is designed to make it's affiliates successful, and they provide what you need to maximize your earning potential. You do not have to pay to become a member of the program – they pay you! Simply follow the five step enrollment process, and you will have access to the best business practices, a set of guidelines that the eBay Affiliate Program has put together to help you maximize your earning potential. You will also have, within your reach and at your disposal, a variety of tools to make your site more effective and to reach your full eBay earning potential. With the Editor kit, you can dynamically display eBay listings. With the Flexible Destination Tool, you can instantly create traceable affiliate links to any eBay URL. You will also have access to the Product kit, Keyword Linking Tool, API Affiliate Tier, Dynamic Landing Pages, buttons, banners, logos, and more. These tools are free for you, and will optimize your web site to become a money-making machine. The eBay Affiliate Program provides every member with a newsletter full of information and tips. The Program takes their obligation to their affiliates seriously, and they continue to provide you with new and updated tools to support your earning potential. Using the natural search, paid search, content site, and newsletter models, many websites are running their businesses while also tapping into the eBay Affiliate Program Resources. With the eBay Affiliate Program, you still have time and resources to run your business, but you benefit from the reputation and success of the market phenomenon that is eBay. If this sounds enticing, check out the eBay Affiliate Program. You may be meeting your next $25,000.00 per month business partner.

4 Steps to eBay Affiliate Success

Getting started with the eBay affiliate program is as simple as 4 easy steps. eBay knows you have a business to run, so they have created a step-by-step guide to see you down the road of success. With the eBay Affiliate Program, you could bring in an extra $25,000 a month, as well as gain access to many tools and strategies that will optimize the working of your website, its effectiveness with search engines and on the Web in general. Getting started in a successful venture has never been so easy.
Step# 1 To register for the eBay Affiliate Program simply to go http://affiliates.ebay.com/ and do a little research. When you have seen the unlimited opportunities for success that the eBay Affiliate program affords its members, you will next want to click on the ‘API Program Join Now’ button. At this point you will be prompted to select the platform you would like to join with. The platform you choose will influence the tier and type of business your eBay Affiliate Status becomes. Each platform offers unique advantages, and should be considered carefully. Once you have selected your program platform, simply click the Join Now button for that particular platform.
Step# 2 After you have completed your application, the eBay Affiliate network you choose will send you an email with your login details and instructions on getting started. The application process itself is easy, and simply requires some information about your business. This information helps eBay optimize the tools and guidelines they provide you for your success. The application takes only a few minutes, and is not sold to competitors. The Affiliate network you chose will be in touch with your personal information and you can get started with your successful new venture.
Step# 3 Once you have received your password and login information, you can proceed to the affiliate network site http://affiliates.ebay.com/tools/ to find eBay banners, text links, and search boxes. This website offers detailed tracking statistics. The tracking statistics will help you see which products and companies are performing best. This information will help guide you as you develop your affiliation with eBay, and will enable you to make the best decisions for your website’s performance.
Step# 4 The last step to success with the eBay Affiliate Program is to further grow your eBay strategy using the affiliate website and all of its many features. The affiliate website will not only get you started down your road to success with eBay, but they will provide you with invaluable tools to maximize your strategy. These tools and kits will help you transition into the affiliate member you want to be, and will continue to keep you updated so you stay current with trends and technology. These 4 easy steps take you from learning about the eBay Affiliate Program, to being a super successful eBay affiliate.

samedi 15 mars 2008

Using an 80 20 Mortgage to Avoid Mortgage Insurance

An 80 20 mortgage is also called a zero down loan or no money down loan. It is actually two loans, a regular home mortgage which constitutes 80% of the price of the home and a second mortgage or home equity loan that consists of 20% of the cost of the house. The idea behind this type of loan is avoiding mortgage insurance (PMI) by using the home equity loan as the down payment.Just about all mortgages require some form of mortgage insurance if you are unable to make a down payment of at least 20 percent. By obtaining a second mortgage or home equity loan for 20 percent of the homes cost you can circumnavigate this requirement by using that second loan as the down payment.There are variations of this type of mortgage such as an 80-15-5 loan. This means that the borrower got a main mortgage of 80 percent of a home's purchase price, a piggyback loan for 15 percent, and made a 5-percent down payment. This can be a good option if you have some money for a down payment but not enough to cover the entire 20%.The second mortgage can either be a fixed second mortgage or it can be a line of credit. If it is a fixed second mortgage then the interest rate is normally fixed for the entire length of the mortgage. Most fixed second mortgages are a 30 due in 15 which means that the second mortgage is amortized over 30 years, but is due in 15 years. The benefit of going with the line of credit as the second mortgage is that the interest rate is normally much lower than the fixed second mortgages rate. They can also be an interest only loan which could save you hundreds of dollars in mortgage payments every month.The 80 percent first mortgage can be a fixed-rate (15-year or 30-year), adjustable-rate (usually 5/1, 7/1 or 10/1fixed period ARM) or interest-only loan. Typically, the interest rate on the second mortgage loan is higher than the interest rate of the first loan. But because the borrower doesn't have to pay mortgage insurance, the overall cost is less than a traditional mortgage even with the higher mortgage interest rate on the second loan.Plenty of mortgage programs allow borrowers to buy houses with little or no money down, but they usually require private mortgage insurance, or PMI. Getting an 80 20 mortgage can be a good way to avoid the extra cost that PMI will add to your monthly payments.

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