An Ethical Dilemma? Selling Something That You Can Get For Free

An Ethical Dilemma? Selling Something That You Can Get For Free

Copyright 2004 Willie Crawford

At least once a week, I have someone point out to me that a big-name information marketer, software "developer," or company, is selling something that is very similar to a product that you can get for free. They see something fundamentally "wrong" with SELLING a product or information that can be obtained for nothing... if you search in the right place. Often, they point this out to me because they just feel the need to protest something they view as somehow "wrong."

First of all, if you search long enough and hard enough, you CAN find free software that will do just about anything. Some very intelligent programmers create lots of software, which they happily make open-source, shareware, or freeware. These programmers do this for various reasons that we won't get into. These programmers will also give or sell you permission to modify their software slightly and put your own label on it. Is that "wrong?"

There are thousands of documents explaining practically any topic imaginable. The Internet makes it easier to tap into databases and find this information. Some people compile this free information that they find into reports or ebooks and sell it. Is that "wrong?"

After certain intellectual property has been around long enough, if the copyrights aren't renewed through various means, it may become "public domain." That means anyone may then have the right to publish or distribute this material without violating copyrights or intellectual
property rights. Is taking an old book that belongs to
the public and selling it as your own "wrong?"

Having been trained as an economist, I try to see things as they are rather than as they should be. In economic terms this is looking at things in a "positive" rather than a "normative" fashion. It just means looking at things with a scientific rather than a moral or ethical eye. I don't avoid the moral or ethical issues, but try not to judge others based upon my opinion.

So back to the question... is selling something that you can get for free "wrong?" Since we've already said that you can find practically any software or information for free if you search long enough and hard enough, the answer actually lies in why people will pay for the same "stuff"
anyway.

Free does NOT mean without cost. When you buy branded software or repackaged information, the marketer is theoretically reducing your risk. The marketer conducted the research, and located a product that met a specific need, and then made the public aware of it. The marketer investigated dozens of pieces of readily-available software, perhaps modified it, and then "certified" it as capable of meeting your needs.

Another very big reason that the market is willing to pay for something that can conceivable be obtained for free, is because of the search cost. There is a cost of time, energy, and other resources, in investigating options. The marketer has invested that search cost and charges you for that service. Depending upon how you value your time, you may gladly be willing to pay for something that you could have eventually located for free... and then tested to verify that it was exactly what you needed.

Very often, a creator of intellectual property is not a marketer... and doesn't understand the finer points of marketing. So a terrific piece of software, a book, or an idea, just.... sits. A marketer with an above-average grasp of human behavior and psychology can step in, "repackage" that product, and the market will devour it.
Should that product have been allowed to languish rather than some marketer stepping in, fixing the bad marketing, and profiting from it. If the product improved the lives of end users, who would have otherwise never noticed the product, then clearly the marketer is providing real value.

So, where is the dilemma? The dilemma is in the perception that the marketer selling a product that didn't cost him anything... or very little, is doing something wrong. It is purely a perception. However, whether on-line or off-line, people who locate "stuff" that the market wants, and charge for that "service" are clearly serving a need. If they weren't serving a need, then the market wouldn't pay for it.
The reality is that people have marketed information since the beginning of commerce. Both on-line and off-line, there are fortunes being made ferreting out information that the market wants, and then providing it. It's the
PERFECT way to make your online fortune. Provided that the product is of the right quality, it should certainly not be considered a question of ethics. Doctors, lawyers, realtors, teachers, religious leaders... they all charge you for readily available information that they have "repackaged" and put their brand, or seal-of-approval, on.

When you're doing research, and you discover a product very similar to one being marketed under a different label, it IS very eye opening. However, it is not generally a matter of ethics (in my opinion). It's no different than an off-line supermarket selling the identical product side-by-side for two different prices. Often the store brand is made at the same factory, with the same formula, as the name brand product. They are sold side-by-side for different prices. The higher price is justified by the brand identity and "certification" that goes along with that.

As an Internet marketer it is important that issues such as this be studied. Many people who start businesses on the Internet have never run or studied how brick and mortar businesses operate. This article is an attempt to fill in a bit of that missing training... or at a minimum - create discussion :-)

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Willie Crawford is a corporate president, published author, seminar speaker and host, tele-seminar speaker and host, retired military officer, karate black belt, master network marketing trainer, and lifetime student of marketing. He shows people how to actually generate substantial income on-line using very simple, easily modeled systems. An example of such a system that you can study and duplicate is at:
http://ProfitMagician.com

When CMS Met SEO - Using the Power of Content Management Systems

When CMS Met SEO - Using the Power of Content Management Systems

Copyright 2004 Gobala Krishnan

Search Engine Optimization revolves around providing useful, unique content on your website and making sure that search engines can find and understand it easily. 'Organic SEO' as it is called, puts emphasis on optimizing hundreds of keyword rich content pages as 'spider-bait' for search engines, with Google being the most popular target.
While organic SEO in itself boils down to a few simple techniques and a lot of hard work, the most tedious of those is always adding and managing content. If you're a webmaster lost in a world of dead links, missing pages, distorted images and a site structure that beats any maze, you're not alone. Such is the nightmare that many Dreamveawer-and-Notepad type of webmasters hide.
What is CMS?
CMS, or Content Management Systems, is a great alternative to using manual WYSIWYG HTML editors, website builders, and all the others kinds of expensive website tools in the market. CMS applied solely to the purpose of creating and managing websites are also knows as Web Management Systems.
A short excerpt from StepTwo.com on the definitions of CMS:
" A content management system (CMS) supports the creation, management, distribution, publishing, and discovery of corporate information. It covers the complete lifecycle of the pages on your site, from providing simple tools to create the content, through to publishing, and finally to archiving. It also provides the ability to manage the structure of the site, the appearance of the published pages, and the navigation provided to the users."
Advantages Of Using CMS for Your Website
Here are a few often overlooked advantages of using CMS for your web project, from a search engine marketing point of
view:
1) Easily Create, Publish and Manage Content
With page editors that resemble a word processor program, adding content with a CMS interface is simple and fun. Most CMS software also allows you to change the location of your content pages and links easily, while the back end processes takes care of updating the links throughout your site.
Done manually, reorganizing a website's content, particularly a large one, can cause a webmaster some pretty restless nights.
CMS also allows the website owner to outsource content remotely from willing contributors. With built in access level hierarchies, users can register as Authors and start submitting articles and news. This is then automatically sent to the next in line, the Manager, and on to the Editor and finally the Publisher or Administrator, and then it can be automatically published on the front page as new content.
And SEO specialists know that search engines love new content, above everything else.
2) Create a Solid Website Structure
While search engine spiders can maneuver your website like a human being can't, they too are fond of websites with good structures and easy-to-find content. Most CMS software can automatically create menus and navigation from categories that you set. Once you create a new category or subcategory, you can instantly publish it on all your pages, with the click of a button.
According to popular SEO wisdom, search engines spiders do not index pages more than 3-4 levels deep on your website structure. In response to this, some CMS software also allows you to put all your content on the first level, for example "http://www.yoursite.com/article236.html'. However, using the CMS' control panel, you will still be able to see all content within their respective folders and subcategories.
3) Search Engine Friendly Capabilities
This is perhaps the most significant development in Content Management Systems. As more businesspeople and SEO begin to dig deep into CMS, the need for spider-friendly pages has taken center stage. Recent advancements have enabled CMS users to install modules (sometimes already built in) to make it appealing to search engines. The latest CMS software can create keyword rich pages, titles, meta tags and even anchor text.
That, coupled with advanced search engine spiders being able to go deep into databases to index pages, is set to turn Content Management Systems into the next big organic SEO tool. In fact, search engine friendly CMS even makes organic SEO specialists, sad to say, sort of 'obsolete'.
Make CMS Work for Your Web Business
Most content management systems are available for free, or at a minimum costs, under the GNU General Public License (http://www.gnu.org). While there are literally hundreds of available CMS out in the market, these websites are a good guide for choosing a right one for your website or internet
business:
CMS Comparison: http://www.cmsmatrix.org
Try Out Various CMS: http://www.opensourcecms.com/
Search Engine Friendly CMS: http://pss.sfidreamteam.com

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Gobala Krishnan is an internet marketer and home business owner. Visit his site at http://www.home-business-association.com today to learn how you can set up your home based or small business for maximum profits.

Intangible Benefits Can Add Up for Those Who Work from Home

Intangible Benefits Can Add Up for Those Who Work from Home

Copyright 2004 Mal Keenan

Working from home offers benefits that just aren't available to anyone else. Whether monetary or lifestyle, these benefits can far outweigh those found at a job as an employee. Whether you work at home already, are thinking about it, or your life circumstances now make working from home either necessary or possible, be sure to think these benefits through as you evaluate your options.

It isn't always the financial benefits that are a primary motivator. Quick financial rewards can and do occur, but many people are willing to take a reduction in immediate financial rewards in order to enjoy the intangible, but very real and powerful, benefits they will find working from home.

One of the most powerful draws to working at home is the sense of time freedom you can gain by being able to make your own schedule. You can freely set appointments, do your shopping, and run other errands to your own schedule, rather than trying to fit everything in to a lunch hour or on the way home from work when everyone else is doing the same thing. You are able to attend your child's school plays, teacher conferences, and other important events without feeling guilty for being away from work. You are able to schedule leisurely lunches, stop to watch your favorite afternoon talk show, or spend some time with friends visiting from out of town. You may need to start work earlier or work later in order to do these things - but the point is that those are all options when working for yourself.

With time freedom also comes perhaps the biggest and most important long-term benefit of all - more opportunity to stay connected with family, friends, and community. Staying at home with a newborn or sick child, taking a special day with your significant other, volunteering at a church or civic organization, pursuing your own hobbies and interests - all can contribute to both your own emotional health and that of your loved ones.

In addition to time freedom, another big benefit of working at home is relief from stress. Of course, any business will likely bring its own form of stress, and working for yourself in any business is no different. But there are certain stressful situations that can be avoided by working at home. And the less stressed you are, the more energy and enthusiasm you have, energy that can be spent on your family or business!

The daily commute can literally be a few feet to an office or other work area. There's no rush to get up, get dressed, gulp down breakfast, and fight through crowded rush hour streets. There's no commute home at the end of the day either, and that time and energy can be put to use working on your business, doing something for yourself, or being with your family.

Not only can you work according to your own schedule, but you can work at a pace that feels comfortable for you as well. When you schedule projects either for yourself or your customers, you can realistically set an appropriate time line that works for you. Many office and other jobs are driven by constant, never-ending, rushed, multi-tasking deadlines. Sometimes bosses can be overbearing because they themselves are driven by pressure from above to complete projects quickly, or by their own internal pressure so they will be recognized for potential advancement. Things can be much more relaxed at home, if you plan accordingly.

Even tasks as simple as being able to grocery shop when the stores are less crowded, stand in much shorter lines at the vehicle registration department, or set a doctor's appointment sooner because of a more flexible schedule can all relieve life's stresses just a little bit.

Collectively, then can make a big difference in an average day for anyone working from home.

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Mal Keenan is editor and publisher of Home Business Tips
Newsletter: http://www.home-business-tips-newsletter.com/
For an affordable home business you CAN believe in click
below:
http://www.workathomebiz.info/pluginprofitsite.html

How To Find The Top Keywords Relating To Your Theme

How To Find The Top Keywords Relating To Your Theme

Copyright 2004 Jeff Schuman

Have you ever wondered what people are searching for online? More specifically have you ever wondered what people are searching for as it relates to the theme of your website?

Let's say you have a website built around the theme of music downloads. Here are 2 easy ways to get a list of keywords you can use to build your home page and then build more pages around each specific word.

1. Do a search by typing in music downloads here:

http://www.pixelfast.com/overture

As of November 2004 the keyword phrase" music downloads was searched 1,068,310 times. We can also see that "free music downloads" was searched 1,169,992 times.
As you look down the list you will find all kinds of combinations of keyword phrases with the words "music downloads" included in them.

You can build specifc web pages centered around each keyword phrase. You will find that lesser searched keywords have less competition and therefore will be easier for you to make it to the top of a search engine and generate free traffic.
For example the keyword phrase " free mp3 music download" was searched 22,360 times. This would be a great keyword phrase to target in comparison to the more generic phrase "music downloads."

2. Take a look at what people are willing to pay for a keyword here:

http://www.team-schuman.com/7searchkeywordtool

When typing in "music download" it brings up the keyword, number of searches, and the top 5 bids. It also brings up a complete list of possible keyword phrases and what people are paying for them. You can use this information to find affiliate products relating to each specific keyword phrase and then build additional web pages relating to each specific one. You can add these keywords to your home page and then join 7Search as an affiliate and add pay per click text to your pages.
Then get paid by 7Search when someone clicks on an ad relating to that keyword. I do this to generate hundreds and thousands of dollars each month. It is a great way to make some money on your site for generating traffic to it.

Here are examples on 2 of my websites. You will see the text ads for the Top 10 websites at the top of each page.

http://www.team-schuman.com
http://www.sites-plus.com

If you are looking for top keywords being searched in a broad range of categories then subscribe to the "Keyword Report" here:

http://www.team-schuman.com/wordtracker

Click on the link for Keyword Report and you will receive the top 500 keywords people are searching for delivered to you by email every week. Then use the Overture and 7Search keyword tools to find more specific keywords you can build websites and web pages around. This is a great strategy and a great way to get started making money with your own theme website and web pages around that theme.

Remember this simple point. People go to the internet to find information. They will type in all kinds of keyword phrases and variations of those keywords. The more web pages you can build targeting those specific keywords the better off you will be when it comes to increasing your website traffic and making more money online.

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Jeff Schuman is using this strategy to create new websites around specific keywords relating to a theme. You can see his Top 10 Make Money and Top 10 Small Business Websites here:
http://www.team-schuman.com
http://www.sites-plus.com

Running Your Online Business

Running Your Online Business

Copyright 2004 Jeremy Gislason

I had a very nice conversation with one of our members a while ago regarding her business. She has been in business for 11 years with her current company, which is a traditional business started long before the Internet came around.

She has been successful for those 11 years and is still doing very well. She started her online business several months ago with the same products as her traditional business. The problem was her online business was only costing her money and to date she has made no sales, but has spent over $1,500 in advertising and marketing--just for the online side of her business alone.

Here is a news flash. Business is Business! I do not care whether you are on the Internet or in a shopping mall. The same basic principles apply to both businesses.

1) You have a product

2) You need to advertise to get customers to buy your product.

3) You need to support your customers who buy your product from the advertising you did.

4) You need to build a loyal customer following, so you can maintain a profitable business.

Many people believe that because they are selling online that some of these steps can either be skipped or they need to go overboard in one area or another. Customer service on the Internet is for the most part--non-existent.

Companies that tell you they will get back to you in 48 -

72 hours might as well tell you they are closed.

The bottom line regarding selling online, whether you have your own product or you are just going to focus on reselling affiliate programs, you will need to advertise, and you will need to take care of your clients.

There is no magic about online selling. As an example, our members purchased an ISOR membership for a reason and other people will purchase for similar reasons. We work very hard at ISORegister, Inc. to ensure our members and treated fairly. We provide toll-free phone numbers, 7-days a week support, we answer our emails the same day we receive them.

These are a few of the things we do that 99% of the online companies do not.

You do not have to get your own toll-free phone number or work 7 days a week. What you do have to realize is that if you are reselling an affiliate program or your own product that you are in business for yourself.

You have a choice as to how you want to run your business.

You can sit back and wait for sales to happen or you can go out and make sales happen. Run your home business like you expect to be treated by other businesses. Do not spam people; do not buy a bunch of worthless hits, do not pay someone to get you posted in the top search engines.

Run your new home business just like a real company because it is a real company and you have a real opportunity to be successful or to fail. The only difference between an online business and a traditional business is location and in some cases inventory. Everything else is about the same. You have a product and you want to sell that product to people who want your product.

Think about this...Remember, building a business takes time and patience. If you are promoting affiliate programs do not sit around waiting for someone to find your affiliate page. In addition, too many people think that once they have put up their own website the traffic is just going to pour in. This is not true as anyone with a website knows but it is a reason so many people get frustrated and quit.

You need to go out and promote your website or affiliate program and you need to be aggressive in your approach.

There is nothing magical about running your Internet business. This business is run the same as any traditional business and it will succeed or fail depending on what you put into it.

Read any book or bio from anyone who has ever started and run a business and you will see that everyone put a lot of time and energy into their business. Do the same and treat your own business or affiliated businesses like your own and you will do fine.

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Jeremy Gislason, Vice President of ISORegister, Inc. has over 15 years of offline and online business experience.

ISORegister provides business and marketing solutions whether your business is 100% online or you run a traditional offline business such as a retail store, restaurant, or service.

http://www.isoregister.com/9810354341/jusco/isoregister.html

How to Evaluate an Affiliate Program

How to Evaluate an Affiliate Program

Copyright 2004 Sanjay Johari

There are thousands of affiliate programs offering wide range of benefits to their affiliates. However, many of these programs and the claims they make are not to be trusted. Good affiliate programs provide tremendous earning opportunities, but they need to be evaluated to distinguish them from doubtful ones. There are several factors to consider before someone decides to join any affiliate program.

Products: Organizations which operate affiliate programs generally have some products to sell. These products can be in form of physical products, e-products or services. It is important to ascertain that the organization has some products to sell and that it recruits affiliates to help them in running their business. One should be very careful with any organization that has recruitment of affiliates as their main business. It is best to avoid such organizations because their affiliate structure is like a house of cards which can crumble at slightest impact.

The organizations which have products to sell and market them thru affiliate programs cut down on the cost of advertising and distribution. This amounts to considerable savings which they share with their affiliates. If a new affiliate is already familiar with the products, this can be helpful but this is not a necessary pre-condition to join affiliate program. New affiliates can learn about the products quite fast.

Organization's Track Record : It is not difficult to find out about the organization before joining it affiliate program. Search engines are one of the sources which can be used for this purpose. Verifying the testimonials presented by the organization is another source of information. The organization should have proven track record of operating their programs for several years successfully. If the organization is new or just starting, the person starting the program should be well known with good credibility.

This is precaution against joining organizations which promise get-rich-quick scheme and then disappear.

Support Availble to Affiliates : Most of the new affiliates joining any affiliate program are new to the field of marketing on the internet. They need guidance and support for promoting their business and earning money for themselves. It is in the interest of the organization to help their affiliates to succeed. These organizations are in their business for considerable longer time than the affiliates, are more knowledgeable about their market and about the ways of promoting their products. They are in best position to provide their affiliates with proper guidance. Many organizations have excellent support system by way of trainings, tutorials, articles, books, marketing plans, marketing tools, forums just to name a few. These are generally available from websites accessible to the affiliates.

Apart form the promotional material and information available from the website, personal guidance can be vital.

A new affiliate may not be familiar with all the resources available and will look for mentoring at least in initial stages. It should be remembered by the affiliate that her success will add to the success of the organization, the organization is obliged to help her.

Payment : Another factor to consider is the mode and frequency of payment to the affiliates. The affiliate should make sure that this suits her. Just to give an example - many organizations make payments thru PayPal, but PayPal does not transmit money to all the countries. Such details should be checked before putting time and effort for any affiliate program.

Affiliate Structure : There are many different ways in which organizations build up their affiliate structure.

Many organizations have single tier structure in which affiliate is only paid commission for sale. Other affiliate structures are 2-level or multi-level deep in which the affiliate earns also from the efforts of personally sponsored members. In turn, the affiliate is expected to help her sponsored members to earn for themselves. This is one great feature of multi-level marketing leading to leveraged earning.

You can read my article on leveraged earning at this URL :
http://www.sanjay-j.com/artlever.html

There are still more variations in the structure. Some organizations allow a limited number of affiliates directly under each affiliate. There is no "ideal" affiliate structure. But it is important to have clarity in the structure and the affiliate should understand the structure.

Compensation Plan : There is lot of variation in compensation plans starting from simple commission to more elaborate plan in which affiliates additionally earn thru the efforts of their sponsored downline members and also from a common pool. I personally favor plans which have provision for leveraged earnings where teamwork really counts. Residual earning is another attractive feature of affiliate marketing which can build into sizeable income over a period of time. I am not against any compensation plan so long as it is understandable and appears reasonable. You have perhaps noticed that I have put this factor as the last consideration. However it is an important consideration after all other considerations are found acceptable.
Persistence Pays - It takes time to build up business with any affiliate program, no matter how good the program appears. After joining any affiliate program after thorough evaluation, one needs to stay with the program giving it time to build the earning. Get-rich-quick scheme do work some times but they are rare exception rather than the rule and cannot be depended upon.

This small slogan should be ingrained in the thinking when someone joins an affiliate program:

PERSISTENCE PAYS.

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Sanjay Johari contributes articles reglarly to several ezines. His website contains articles, information, ebooks, tools and more for operating home based business.
Visit his website for his choice of top affiliate program to join:
http://www.sanjay-j.com