Arts and Crafts Boutique

If you're a talented artist or crafter, why not sell the things you make in your own online store? You could display photographs of the handmade items you have for sale on your website, or open up an online store via a popular arts and crafts marketplace such as Artfire or Etsy.

Ideas From Pinterest

Blogging

Blogging is becoming an increasingly popular way to make money, and if you have one--turn it into a business. You can sell advertising space on your blog, or take it a step further with affiliate marketing and promote products and services for a reasonable commission.

Consulting

If you have expertise in a particular field, you might want to consider starting an online consulting business. To be a professional consultant, you should have experience, knowledge, excellent communication skills, and a reputation for success in your area of specialty. Develop a website that includes your educational background, credentials, and experience to promote and sell your consulting services.

Auction Sales

Auction sites make it easy to sell almost anything--and if you have a growing inventory of new or used items to sell, you can turn it into a full-time business. An online auction business involves photographing items, listing them on an auction site, collecting money from customers, and shipping the items you sell. Many auctions sites give you the option of opening up an online store making it easier for repeat customers to find you.

Tutoring

Online tutoring is another great business idea that can take off right away. Once you determine which subjects you want to tutor and the age-range of students you are best qualified to work with, create a website to promote your business. Include a little bit about your background, your qualifications or experience, your schedule of availability, and the cost of your services.

Freelancing

Writers, illustrators, photographers, graphic designers, and programmers who want to work for themselves can make money online as freelancers. A professional website featuring their best work will allow potential clients to get a sampling of their talents. Freelancers can also browse job posting sites and message boards to find work online.

Recruiting

If you're good at networking and have superb communication skills, recruiting might be a good business for you to get into. Companies looking for qualified individuals to fill open positions will often hire recruiters to do the searching for them. When your efforts result in a new hire, you'll receive a decent commission in return.

Web Building

Web building is always in demand--and if you're good at it, it might be worth turning into a business venture. A catchy website, web building experience, a creative spirit, excellent troubleshooting skills, and the ability to communicate effectively are the things you'll need to make this type of business successful.

Affiliate Marketing

Promoting products and services for other businesses is what affiliate marketing is all about. It's an easy way to make money as it requires minimal time and effort. Your endorsements posted on your website or blog will do all the work for you, making this a smart business idea indeed.

Stock Photo Sales

If you've got a knack for taking interesting photos, don't let your talent go to waste. Individuals and companies are always on the lookout for reasonably priced stock photos--so why not sell your own? You can sell your stock photographs on your own website or work with a company that deals in them.

There's no shortage of possibilities when it comes to online businesses. You can start any one of these online businesses before the day comes to an end.

Guest post from Bailey Harris. Bailey writes about insurance quotes for InsuranceQuotes.org.

Good Domain Name
The first step to branding your online business is getting a good domain name. The domain name should be easy to remember and it should accurately describe your business. Getting a domain that is the same as your business is often the best, but this is not always possible.

Shorter domains tend to be the best for branding. Also, pick a unique name. Getting “this-place-sells-good-stuff.com” normally isn’t very good for branding. It is not very unique and it is long. Be sure that the domain name works with your business. Getting “free-website-building.com” when you don’t offer free websites can turn off clients.

Video Marketing
Video marketing is often very easy to do with today’s technology. You just need a webcam and a YouTube account to get your video online. Making a funny or educational video often works the best. Many people browse online videos and they tend to rank very highly in search engines.

Ensure that the video includes your logo at the bottom. Also, put your URL and business name at the very beginning and end of the video so people know what your business is. You can often build up an online reputation with just a few videos.

Social Media
Another very common branding strategy is to leverage social media. Start by making an account on the major social media websites your online business caters to. If you have a B2B company or one that exclusively caters to professionals, then consider using LinkedIn. If you sell to teens, then Facebook or Twitter might be better.

People like talking with companies they buy from. The best way to give them this communication channel is through social media. Use a social network to post news about your website and bring up any new products, sales or anything else interesting to your customers.

Search Engine Optimization
The best way to brand yourself online is by making people aware of your website. The most popular way for people to find a website is through a search engine, so search engine optimization (SEO) is a great way to increase your exposure.

SEO is the methodical mix of on-page and off-page techniques that boost your rank in the search engines. Making great content that is sprinkled with keywords and building external links can bring your website to the top of Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Most businesses pay for SEO, but you can do it yourself. The best way is through article marketing and blog commenting. Just make articles and link them back to your main website, and go on blogs that cover your niche and leave comments that link to your website.

Offline Marketing
Sometimes the best way to get your website noticed is by not advertising online at all. Offline marketing though the newspaper or with brochures can give your website the boost that it needs for better branding.

Instead of making up new content and creating links to get a search engine ranking, you can print a flyer and get someone’s immediate attention. Often offline marketing is great as a boost for your branding, but it should not be your main strategy. The printing and advertising costs are often higher than online marketing, making it difficult for a new company to consistently use this method. However, it can really cut through the search engines to bring your Web business the exposure it needs.

Conclusion
There are many ways to boost your brand online. The name of the game is exposure. People need to see your website so the brand sticks in their head. These five methods can give you that exposure, and most of them are fairly easy to commit to without having to pay a huge price.

Author bio:

Tom Demers writes for Zintro, a marketplace of experts in various fields that helps connect investors, lawyers, analysts, entrepreneurs, and more. Find an expert by investment asset class or by region and in various niches.

How to Measure "Great Content"

You can start by replicating Google's Panda survey.

[http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-guidance-on-building-high-quality.html]

The search engine giant has released a series of questions that they asked test users in order to design their Panda updates. To test whether or not a piece of content is "great," you can start by running a survey based on these questions to see what people think.

If you want to get real serious, you can run the same survey on your top competitors and see if your article outperforms theirs.

Distilled has said in an SEOMoz interview that they could get conclusive results with just 20 test users. Through Mechanical Turk, they were able to get the desired results at just $0.50 per person, and they said even that was probably higher than necessary.

Of course, this isn't the only way to measure how your users feel about your content. Open up Google Analytics and start taking a look at your data there. Which pages have the lowest bounce rate, the highest time on site, and the highest number of pages visited afterward? Which pages have attracted multiple visits from the same person?

(Make sure you aren't counting yourself, and make sure you have a statistically significant number of users.)

If you want to stay ahead of the game, you can also consider drafting up some additional survey questions that go beyond Google's guidelines and really push the quality level into the stratosphere. Some examples:

- Did you want to finish the article?

- Do you get the sense that this has been said before or that this information is exciting and new?

- Did you want to read more pages on the site?

- Would you visit this site again?

- If you searched for an article on this topic, would you be satisfied with this result or would you look for a different one?

- On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, how would you rate your enjoyment of this article overall?

And so on.

The great thing about this approach is that you can test your articles before you ever post them. You can try a few variations, some of them a little on the risky side (in terms of saying things that could be controversial), and find out which version tests best.

Want to take things even one step further? Contact experts in your field and ask them what they think of the article. Not only will this give you more targeted advice, it also gets people involved in a way that makes them more likely to help you promote the article.

Website Content

Graphic Pinterest

How to Create Great Content

Now that you have some idea of what great content actually is, it should be quite a bit easier to start producing it. Here are a few guidelines that should make the process even more straightforward.

- Research constantly - This doesn't just mean keeping up with the blogosphere. It means digging deep and finding information that others can't easily find.

- Collaborate - The best content usually involves more than one person's input. This means more than just asking for feedback. It often involves interviews, quotes, debates, insider information, and otherwise bouncing ideas off of other people. Of course, this is helpful for promotion as well.

- Brainstorm - The best content is never produced by a mechanical and easily repeatable process. Keyword research and the like are just a place to get started. From there you need to start writing down as many ideas as you can, mixing and matching things that don't seem to go together at first. Only once you stumble across a truly original thought should you really consider your content idea "great."

- Jot Down Ideas Early in the Morning - This might sound bizarre, but it's backed by science. People are at their most creative when they are sleepy. In fact, the more focused you are, the less creative you become. Obviously, you need to be focused to get the actual work done, but odds are your best ideas will come to you when you are out of focus and your mind is wandering.

Conclusion

Hopefully by now you actually know what good content is, and you can avoid falling into the trap of telling yourself you have great content even if you really don't. Have you tried any of these strategies? What's worked best?

Author Bio

Stacy Dewald is a blogger for the official Moby TicketsWebsite.

Sell Assets
The average new businessperson funds 70% of his new business through assets. What do you have that you can sell off? While selling some bowls and old board games may make you some money, you should really just pay attention to the high-ticket items.

Are there any antiques or jewelry pieces lying around? Sell them off. You can also sell off your car. Just lease one so you have a car to get around. Leasing costs less because you are only making the monthly payment. Also, think about your house. Can you sell the house and comfortably live in a smaller one? If so, sell it off, buy a smaller house and keep the extra money from the sale.

Credit Cards
Getting a small business credit card can give you a line of credit from $10,000 to $50,000. While relying on a credit card isn’t the smartest idea, they can easily be used to pay for those financial needs lying around. If you do go the credit card route, make sure you have enough money to pay off the monthly fees.

However, the best thing about a credit card is that you don’t need to take out a loan or talk to investors when you need money. Just swipe the card, and you have all the money you need.

Bank Loans
You will need to submit a business plan, and you will really need to sell your business idea to the bank, but a small business loan may be the exact thing you need to get your business off the ground.

However, be aware that you will often need collateral to get the loan. Most new businesses don’t have much collateral, but you can usually use your house or any assets you have. Just make sure that you make payments. Otherwise, the bank will seize the assets.

Micro Loans
A micro loan is a small loan that you get from intermediaries. These people are funded by the United States Business Administration, or SBA, and they specifically give out money to small and new businesses. The interest rate is nominal, about 10 percent, and you can usually get up to $35,000.

Since these people see a lot of business ideas, you will need to sell your idea to them to make this plan work. Make sure you have a good business plan and then bring it to a micro lender.

Social Lending
Social lending is a popular way to get enough startup money for your business. Instead of going through banks, you go through a social website where members fund your business. You will often pay about the same amount as you would with other loans, around 10 percent, so there are really no extra fees.

These platforms are very good, because the investors are often regular people just looking to make some extra money. Because of that, they will be more willing to give you the necessary money for your startup business. Just make sure you make the monthly payments. Otherwise, you can be in some deep trouble.

Conclusion
Getting money for your very first business isn’t difficult, you just have to think of the assets you currently have to your name. Then, either leverage or sell them to get up enough money. Before beginning, make sure you know how much money you really need. You don’t want to sell off too many assets or get a loan that is too big for you to pay off. This can leave you with a small house or a large loan, and you may never be able to really concentrate on your business then.

Author bio:

Ken Lyons writes for Express Roofing, a home improvement company that specializes in roofing in Andover.

Buy and Hold Strategy
The buy and hold strategy is a common strategy that domain name sellers use to make money. This strategy involves buying domain names and reselling them to online business owners for high prices. You need a solid understanding of what domain names are hot in order to successfully make money doing this.

First, learn the basics of popular domain names. The Internet is designed for people with short attention spans, so your domain names must be short and to the point in order to be marketable. They should also contain popular keywords, but should leave out filler words such as "an" or "the." For example, a domain such as www.hungergamesmerchandise.com is more likely to be popular than one such as www.thehungergamesmovieversionmerchandise.com.

Next, pay attention to what topics are hot so that you can predict what businesses are going to be looking for in the next couple of weeks or months. Read reports about movies that are expected to be popular, topics in the news everyone is talking about and business trends. Buy four or five domain names that use keywords related to these ideas, as they are likely to be in demand.

Buying Expired Domain Names
Sometimes a company goes out of business and allows its domain name to expire. If this happens, and the domain happens to contain hot keywords, you might be able to buy it at a reduced price and resell it. Buying expired domain names saves you time and money because they are usually cheaper and because you don't have to think up the name for your domains entirely by yourself. Keep in mind, however, that you are stuck with the name of the domain you buy; you can't change it. Don't buy domain names that are clunky, unattractive or unreadable, as these will be difficult to resell. You can search for expired domain names on websites such as Sedo.com.

Domain Leasing
Leasing a domain is an alternative to selling it outright that can also make you quite a bit of money. When you lease a domain name, you register the domain and then require a business to pay rent to you each month for the use of the domain. You are responsible for making sure the domain's registration is up to date, while your tenant is responsible for developing the domain and putting it to good use. If a tenant decides not to continue renting a domain from you, he or she can remove all webpages and files from the domain and you are free to rent it to another business.

You have to apply the same marketing rules to domain leasing as you do to selling outright. Your domains will not be leased if they are awkward or don't follow domain marketing rules. However, customers may be more willing to take a chance on leasing a domain name, as they can always give it back if business isn't working for them. You may have to charge less to rent domains than you will to sell them outright since you are not selling the right of ownership, but if you get several domains and rent each one out you can make good money.

Domain Development
Domain development, also known as customized website design, is another way to make money by buying domains. This strategy requires you to purchase a domain and design and post a website on the domain. If you create a successful website that makes steady income, you can then sell the entire site to an interested business owner so that he or she can earn profits of off your hard work. This strategy is entirely dependent on your ability to make money over the Internet, so make sure you research how to make a profitable web business and quickly earn money with your site so that you can get a return on your investment as soon as possible.

Author bio:

Stacy Dewald is an avid blogger and writes for the infographic blog.

Photo Credit Pinterest

So what happened?

Like most people, I had (and still have) a debit card through a major bank that I utilize for the majority of my expenses in lieu of cash or checks. I rarely keep the receipts from purchases with my debit card because my bank offers a free online service that live updates the balance and recent deductions from my checking account. In theory, I should look at my checking account on the web to make sure that everything is in order. But of course in practice I rarely checked my bank account online unless I was about to pay a big expense (rent, car note, etc.). I assumed that everything was in order with my finances.

About a year ago I checked my checking account balance and noticed that it was lower than it usually was. Rent was due in the next few days, but I still had enough to pay it so I wasn’t too worried. I wrote my rent check the next day and mailed it off to my landlord like I always did, assuming everything was alright.

The day after that I ended up over drafting my account on a $10 grocery purchase. I knew this because I received an email notification of the over draft, which prompted me to look at my checking balance a little more carefully. It turns out that someone had been making small purchases using my debit card for the last week (anything from the $8-20 range), I guess in the hope that I wouldn’t notice the extra cash going out of my account. Well, I didn’t notice until it was too late. The person made a final $150 purchase on my card, which stretched my account too thin for the impending rent check. My check bounced, I got in all sorts of trouble with my landlord, and I had a headache of a day sorting out the entire mess with my bank. Luckily the bank was able to identify all the fraudulent charges (they were all out of state), cancel my card, issue a new one, and refund my money within a few weeks.

What I learned

This episode taught me to monitor my expenses at all times. For every purchase I make with my debit card, I immediately go online to make sure that it registers the exact amount I spent. I make sure that everything is accounted for, and I immediately notify my bank if I see a fee that looks fishy. The sad thing about my whole experience is that I could have easily caught the fees earlier if I had just paid attention to my money. And yet at the time I didn’t even think to make sure that everything was adding up correctly.

I share this story with you in the hope that you stay vigilant against a similar crime. You can’t always prevent debit card fraud from happening, but you can certainly catch it early enough to where it doesn’t affect you in the long run. In short, stay informed about your personal finances!

By-line:

Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.

Freelance Writing

Many believe that with the rise of the internet, people aren’t reading as much as they used to, but in fact, people are reading more than ever. While there is probably less paperback book reading happening, people are constantly reading information on the web. Instead of reading by night lamp before bed, they’re reading all day, every day – at home, in coffee shops, on the subway, everywhere! So who writes this enormous wealth of content? Freelance writers can be anyone from stay-at-home moms, to graduate literature students, to professionals making hundreds of dollars a day. Freelance writing is usually charged on a per article basis and involves adhering to strict deadlines. Freelance content varies widely in subject matter, including entertainment reviewing, advertorials, business/finance topics, lifestyle columns, and whatever else an online company might need.

Selling your old belongings online

Amazon.com, Ebay, and Craigslist all make selling your “one man’s trash,” a breeze. Craigslist is particularly simple, in that it’s free and doesn’t require any complicated shipping procedures. If you have old, unused gold or gold jewelry, consider making quick cash for gold online. But be wary of online gold scammers by reading cash for gold reviews.

Take Online Surveys

Market research requires focus groups, which can easily be conducted by online surveys. The market research groups are paid by the companies that hire them, and the surveyed groups earn a share of those profits. Unfortunately, there are plenty of paid survey scams, so be cautious when applying for a position.

Benefit from your Art and Design Skills

Just as text is important for a website, so is design. Design work is easily done at home and can take many different forms. If you are competent graphic artist, you can earn money designing web logos, websites, and MySpace backgrounds. You can also make artistic goods at home, such as paintings, t-shirts, pottery, jewelry, etc, and sell them through Etsy or other online art markets. If you are a photographer, many websites will allow you to upload images to their site, which will earn you money every time someone downloads them. Not only will you earn money, but your photos will also reach wider audiences.

There are plenty of ways to earn money online, you just need to be smart, creative, cautious, diligent, and prepared for highs and lows! Happy earning!

1) Focus on Customer Service

The best way to improve your web presence is your customer service. Nothing can generate a positive word of mouth than the service you give your customers. If you will keep your customers delighted, they will be more than happy to create a positive buzz regarding you and your products/services.

Therefore, you can improve your web presence by having a good online reputation, which will result from happy and satisfied customers.
Your customer is therefore pivotal in the overall marketing of your business including your web presence.

You can encourage remarkable customer service by creating a reward system that will benefit employees when satisfied customers will post positive feedback specifically about them. This will also lead employees to encourage customers to post reviews. This will tie the reward of the employees with having a spectacular online reputation and thus will be a win-win solution for all.

2) Use Social Bookmarking Websites

Social Bookmarking website like StumbleUpon, Digg, and de.lic.ious enable their visitors to share their favorite websites or news articles. This means that these websites leverage positive word of mouth to generate popular content for viewers.

These websites can increase your web presence by increasing the traffic to your website.

3) Link Your Social Networking Website Accounts with Your Website

It is one thing to make a Twitter or Facebook account but it is equally important to link them to your business website. This will enable you to integrate your efforts to increase the web presence of your business.

Social networking websites have become the first choice of people to engage in discussions. Therefore, when they visit your website, they will be able to connect to your website and engage in discussion if you?ve connected your website with your social networking accounts.

4) Get Involved in Trending Conversations

This is related to the above point but this time you have to be proactive and actively engage in trending discussions. This will enable you to increase your visibility, as timely information is crucial for both people and search engines.

Twitter is especially useful in this regard, as one of the main reasons for its success is that it allows people to easily engage in conversation on trending topics.

5) Post Photos

This may not sound much of a big deal but photos are in fact a very powerful medium to connect with your consumers. They will enable your consumers to engage with your business and are an excellent way to increase the web presence of your business.

Photos can be extremely beneficial on platforms like Facebook where there is a huge amount of activity and customers can engage in discussion related to that.

Tim has been writing about small business promotion for the last 3 years. Tim is a specialist in branded promotional merchandise and promotional pens

Make A List
The best way to begin defining your areas of expertise is by making a list of some of your possible expertise areas. Pay attention to your daily interactions for a week. Notice what kinds of things people ask you to help them with. For example, if your co-workers are constantly asking you to help them input data into a particular computer program, this is a possible area of expertise. Every time you notice something like this, write it down. You should also notice things that particularly interest you. What kinds of posts do you comment most on when you get on Facebook or other social media sites? What are your favorite hobbies that you gravitate towards time and time again when you have free time? The answers to these questions can also help you establish your areas of expertise and should be added to your list.

At the end of the week, reread your list. Pay attention to how you feel about each entry. Do some entries bore you or annoy you? If so, cross them off your list. If you aren't excited about something, your clients won't be either; you want to make money doing things that you love, not see offering your expertise as a chore or an obligation.

Once you've finalized your list, rewrite it. As you're writing each item, ask yourself if you could make it more specific. For example, if one of the areas of expertise you listed is "researching online," revise it to describe the kinds of things you like to research and what tools you use to research. "Researching answers to medical questions using Google" is a stronger statement than "Researching online." You should strive to make each list entry as specific as possible so that you can pinpoint what your areas of expertise actually are.

When your new list is finished, take one last look at it. Rate each entry in terms of how passionate you are about it. Rewrite your list with your most passionate entry on top and your least passionate entry on the bottom. This tells you which areas to focus on.

Write a Bio
Once you've determined what your areas of expertise are, you need to tell potential customers about them so that they know you can meet their needs. The first step to doing this is to write a short bio to put on your website and promotional materials. Your bio should be one or two paragraphs long and should highlight a couple of relevant accomplishments that demonstrate your expertise. For example, if your expertise is in fixing computers, you might state in your bio that you began tinkering with your family's old Atari and currently have three years of experience with fixing Macintosh computers.

It's important to keep your bio short and make it relevant to your areas of expertise. The purpose of your bio is to let people know at a glance that you can provide a service that they need.

Put Yourself Out There
Once you have established your area of expertise, it's easy to market yourself. There are lots of opportunities, depending on your interests and skills. Many people post comments on established blogs in their area of expertise or open their own blog. You might also participate in groups on Facebook or other social media sites related to your area of expertise. Finally, when people ask for your help, you might tell them that you are doing this for money now and ask them to refer you to their friends.

About Author

Tom Demers writes for Zintro, a marketplace of experts in various fields that helps connect investors, lawyers, analysts, entrepreneurs, and more with experts and consultants in various niches like biofuel consultants.

In recent times, with the advance of web technology, there are several different ways of earning money online, which requires you only to have a computer and the internet. So indulge yourself in earning money on the internet and pay off the debt quickly.

Make money with eBay:

Thousand and thousands of sales are made each day online, resulting in a lot of sellers earning a lot of money. So selling goods on the internet is one of the most lucrative ways of earning money online. However, you may wonder how to get started and where to start from. Simply sign up for a free eBay account and auction the product that you would like to sell. For initials, you may sell your own goods that you do not require any more but eventually, you may buy stocks and resell them on eBay.

Write simple web articles:

Remember, people come online in search of different types of information and if you can provide it in all kinds of shapes and forms, you can earn a good amount of money.  So consider the option, provided you have a flair skill of writing and adequate knowledge on a particular subject. Now days, there are many website owners who look for candidates interested in writing web articles, so you may write for them and earn considerable amount each month. You may also write articles for websites like ehow, associated content, about.com and others.

Make money with affiliate marketing:

Affiliate marketing is a marketing program, whereby affiliate marketers promote products and services of others and earn commission on the total sales generated. Millions of dollars are being earned in affiliate marketing, so it is a great way to consider. There are many sellers who even offer commission as much as 50 percent on the total revenue generated. So sign up with an affiliate program available online and promote the products. As an affiliate marketer, you will be given your own links to a product so that the seller knows when a customer you referred buys their product.

Fill out simple surveys:

This is not only an easy way to earn money online, but fun as well. Simply sign up with the right survey companies, check your email and pick the best surveys, and thus, you are off to earn money online. Remember, every time you fill in the blanks, you earn considerable amount of money. Like this you earn good amount each month.

In conclusion, if you are incessantly incurring an overwhelming debt and looking for a quick way to come out of it, earn money online and pay off the debt.

1. Skype

Skype is one of the greatest free tools for video conferencing. Business owners can take advantage of this tool to communicate with colleagues, vendors and other business professionals. Of course, in order to use Skype, all parties must have the software downloaded, as well as a way to make the video calls. Newer versions of the iPhone and Android phones come with a front-facing camera, making it possible to Skype. People who don't have cell phones with front-facing cameras must use computers to make Skype calls.

2. Square

There will be times where you wish you owned a portable credit card transaction machine. Square is a free app that acts as a credit card machine. It allows you to process credit card payments. The app is free, with the exception of a universal fee of 2.75 percent per transaction. No contract is required and it works with all the major credit cards: Master Card, Visa, Discover and American Express.

3. Scanner Pro

This app allows you to use your iPhone as a portable document scanner. You can use this app to scan various documents like invoices, business cards, and signed contracts. Other minor features include producing and viewing email-ready PDF files and protect your files with a password. The software automatically detects edges and has a high-quality image-processing scanner, making conversions easy to do. 

These apps can truly benefit business owners. If you are constantly on the go, you can use these apps on your cell phone to help you manage your business, whether it is an online business or a brick and mortar business. Stay ahead of your competition by adapting new marketing and productivity methods to help you succeed with your business.

Creators of the new gadgetry aimed at the masses – smart phones, tablets and other new consumer technologies – have to wade through associated patents far before their inventions reach the public.  Even industry-specific advancements must deal with multi-invention patent issues like high specialized medical equipment or pharmaceuticals in the health care industry  or, in the legal field, online e-discovery services for  managing electronically stored information.

A recent study by University of Illinois patent strategy guru Deepak Somaya suggests that businesses developing these patented products that involve integration of multiple pre-existing inventions should build their own patent process into their business strategy.

At stake is whether a technology or product might ever make it to market. From Somaya’s paper - co-authored by David J. Teece, of the University of California at Berkeley, and Simon Wakeman, of the European School of Management and Technology –  "Innovation in Multi-Invention Contexts: Mapping Solutions to Technological and Intellectual Property Complexity," we draw two main insights:

·    First, innovators must assess the organizational costs and benefits of the different organizational models for combining the relevant inventions, and they must choose the most efficient model for the given context as early in the process as possible.

·    Second, you have to make sure you can turn a profit. According the research, innovators will not profit from innovations if they don't think through their commercialization strategy. It’s important to devise strategies that compensate the innovator for entrepreneurial efforts and related investments.

Simply put – when you are developing a technology, for example, make sure you have planned appropriately to maximize efficiency and (perhaps most importantly), make sure you will be able to make some money. After all, profit drives innovation.

The importance of making sure you have your intellectual property ducks in a row is paramount with modern-day technological advances. You’d be hard-pressed to find a recent example of a patented tech product that doesn’t include the already-claimed intellectual property of some other inventor.

Because the likelihood of utilizing already-claimed advancements is seemingly unavoidable, the authors of this paper are plainly suggesting that you build in the cost for using a multi-invention approach and you build in the time to make sure you are including the proper inventions; the cost to acquire the rights for use; and the existence of a reasonable profit margin.

****Today we have a guest post by Barbara Fix. She is an outstanding writer and I think that you are really going to enjoy what she has to share with us below. We encourage everyone to visit Barbara at Survival Diva Blog http://www.survivaldiva.com/.****

For this example, we'll use a worm farm, for it has little to no start up costs and there is a surprisingly solid market for worms. Especially with the public's renewed interest in gardening as they turn to growing their own fruits and vegetables to combat escalating food prices.

Another niche market for worms is recreational fishing and that sector is only growing stronger. Worm farms require a few simple things to get started; containers, dirt, old newspaper and worms.

But first, know your product. There are 6,000 species of earthworms.
Some are popular for gardens and composting, while others are favored by fishermen. It's important for you to know what type of worms are in demand for your niche market, because you can't sell what you don't know. When marketing to a garden center, for instance, it's good to know that earth worms benefit the garden by tunneling into the earth, opening up the soil, and exposing it to the air, enriching the soil with nutrients for lush garden plants. They are also the pit-bull of the garden, as the earthworm's waste acts as a natural repellent for garden pests and protects garden soil from disease. Understanding the value of your product leads to enthusiasm, and let's face it, enthusiasm is contagious; even to an overworked business owner.

Strategize your market. Researching market potential for worms is just as important as learning about them. For the sake of argument, let's say your target market is recreational fishing. Many dedicated fisherman think nothing of heading to their favorite fishing spot before daybreak. That means the retailers you'll definitely want to call on are 24-hour convenience stores that either sell worms or must be convinced by you why they should sell them. Vending machines have begun to sell worms and some are real moneymakers. You can also call on bait and tackle shops, sporting goods stores and Marina's. The point here is to think about where there is a need for your product (in this case fishing worms), and follow the trail where you're likely to gain business.

Once you've made a list of the retailers that you can wholesale to, it's time to start gathering your marketing "arsenal". Go to a few retailers on your list and buy a competitor's container of worms. Why? You need to know what the competition's up to; what's the going rate for a container of worms, and how many worms are provided per container? You will use this information to market your worms. Make sure to bring along an indelible pen so you can jot down the name of the retail location where it was purchased and the worm count.

Price out your overhead costs. By making a few calls or shopping the Internet, you can price out container costs. Make sure you get the wholesale price and ask if they offer better pricing for larger orders.
The final step is to estimate gasoline costs for routine deliveries, and pencil in just a bit more for unexpected deliveries. By understanding the upfront costs, you'll get a better idea of potential income and whether you can price your worms just a little under your competitor's price or offer more worms per container than the competition does.

You must set a competitive price. Good wholesale pricing is typically half of the retail price. Great wholesale pricing offers a higher profit margin for the owner, which allows them to pass the savings on to their customers. A successful business owner knows lower prices will drive traffic through their door where customers are likely to purchase other items like fishing line, fishing rods and reels and other products. This market strategy is what keeps their doors open.

Never assume that the price of your seemingly insignificant container of worms doesn't matter to a business owner. It does!

Design a flyer that is eye-catching and professional. It should include your name, address, cell phone number, email address and pricing.

Now, it's time to hit the streets and promote your idea! Ask for the owner or manager because you can dazzle the wrong person all day long and still not gain their business. It's likely you won't be able to meet with the decision maker on your first visit. That's not necessarily a negative. It gives you the chance to investigate. Employees are the ones who handle complaints when the retailer runs out of worms because the supplier "didn't get around to delivering them".

And they are also the sounding boards over stingy worm counts. If you can offer a solution to the problem when you get that meeting with the decision maker, you're likely to walk away with their business.

Just in case you're able to meet with the owner or decision maker, always have a flyer handy. Typically, a first meeting is a "fact finding" mission. Ask them if on-demand deliveries are important to them and discuss your intention to provide great customer service, which includes making sure he never runs out of worms. But if you say it, you have to mean it. This is how you will get referrals from existing retailers for new business contacts. It's called a "warm" lead and gaining new business in such circumstances is much more likely.

Should the decision maker claim his supplier is stingy with their worm count, mention you can provide more worms in your containers for the same price.

After all, worms cost you nothing but left over table scraps to feed them.

Take it to the limit. When you feel ready, it's time to expand your business by repeating the same strategy you used for marketing fishing retailers for marketing garden centers, landscapers, farm supply stores and farmers markets.

If you are really in the zone, you can take your worm business online with your own website, or sell through E Bay or Amazon. The only difference between local sales and Internet sales is some of your business day will be run from your computer. Find out what type of worms are selling for composting and gardening and the average cost. Next check the pricing for online competitors.

Are they charging a king's ransom for shipping? If so, splash FREE or REDUCED shipping across your website in bold colors. In no time, you'll grab new customers from brand X. No one likes a price gouger!

Consider specializing by looking in to fish farms. Fish are fed worms as part of their diet. If this looks like a good possibility, you can set up a separate website specifically for this niche market.

How to Make a Do-It-Yourself Worm Farm

Starting a worm farm isn't difficult. Scrounge or purchase bins around 2 feet X 3 feet that are at least 12 inches tall. Make a "nest" of shredded paper approximately 8 to 10 inches high. Mix in 1 to 1 pounds of rich garden soil. But don't scrimp. If the soil in your yard is an anemic mess, then purchase some from a garden center. The final step to make your worms house a "home" is adding water to moisten, not soak, the contents, mixing as you go. Before introducing your worms to their new home, let the moistened soil and shredded paper sit for 48 hours to "meld".

Worms thrive in temperatures of between 60 to 90 degrees. Any hotter or colder and you may have to toss out their poor little corpses.

You can dig your own earthworms or you can order quantities of them to get started on a larger scale. Just remember to research what worms are most in demand for your targeted market.

Once you've placed your moneymakers into the bins and allow them to make themselves at home, you should feed them once a week. Worms are happy to feast on farmyard manure, paper, cardboard, garden waste, and fruit and vegetable table scraps. If you don't produce much in the way of kitchen scraps, think about introducing yourself to your local produce manager and offer to cart off old fruits and vegetables slated for the garbage bin.

As with any guest, especially guests that are willing to work for you that provides an income, the only remaining courtesy required is to change their bedding every two weeks. That's all. Now go forward and make money!

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The Basic Material that is covered:

- How to pick a great domain name
- How to work with little (or no) budget
- Copyright and Trademark details

- Parts 1 and 2 start with brainstorming business ideas. In Part 3, Fox explains the technologies behind the websites that could be built. He discusses how to choose a domain name, build a website, and develop website content. Part 4 discusses marketing and driving business to your site. Part 5 Covers legal issues.  

Some readers were dissappointed because:

- There are about a thousand different ways to start an Internet business. There are individual books on very specific niche markets related to e-commerce, and this book drops the ball for those people who want more detail of how to start a specific Internet based business. Perhaps, the people who then make the next step to starting an Internet business, the technical side can be frustrating for them. More than half the book does cover setting up a web site,and is marketed towards the beginners, but it also cuts out some of the technical details that can be frustrating to learn for many people.

-For those persons who already have the knowledge of setting up websites, and understand product marketing, and website traffic ect ect .... this book might not be for you, because it is like an Anthony Robbins book for beginners in websites. How Fox approaches the technical issues, is that he says that you don't have to know a lot about technology or business to get started selling stuff online, as the technical details can be outsourced. Fox discusses these main topics in detail- You don't need a lot of money to start your Internet business, 2. There are 3 types of e-businesses: service, product and niche ones., 3. Basic Discussions about finding a domain, a web hosting, and a designer- (Google Ad Words Keyword tool, GoDaddy, Free WordPress Themes), and finally the book says you should use e-mail marketing and AdWords pay-per-click.

Some readers praise Fox For:

- Fox does a particularly great job of helping the reader to start brainstorming e-business ideas, as there are about a thousand different ways to make money on the Internet. He provides a nice system to help in organizing your thoughts and laying out a game plan for you to sort out the ideas that would best suit you.

- Readers appreciated that he didn't advocate spamming or deceptive SEO practices. On the same token, he didn't cover these issues in more detail. Many readers voiced that they would enjoy more discussion of copyright issues.

The one thing that many people have praised this book for are the encouraging interviews with dozens of entrepreneurs who give some insight into how they got their Internet businesses started. This is perfect for any entrepreneur and beginner interested in using the Internet to market a product or a business.

From - Gen of North Coast Gardening -Over the last few years, I have seen so many of my favorite bloggers and new websites become popular enough that their owners have quit their day jobs, and I always wondered how they got their ideas or how they got started. I want what they have, but I had no idea how to get there from here.

Fox's book was just the kick in the pants I needed. I am very familiar with the computer and the Internet, but am low on tech skills, inspiration, and knowledge about how to build an online business.

This book was awesome because he details what others have done to achieve success, the steps one must take and the work involved in each kind of online business, the different types of business and what business model is most suitable each kind.

Then, in addition to all that, he provides the questions and inspiration needed to jog our own thoughts about what we might be passionate or knowledgeable enough about to start a business, and has such perfect memory and inspiration jogs that I went from not having any ideas to having too many to reasonably act on immediately.

He focuses on all the different kinds of e-business, so you don't need an item to sell or a particular idea in mind to get started with this book. Rather, this book is perfect for those who have some interest in owning their own online business but need to know more about what exactly it entails and how one would make a business like this profitable.

I tried the Dummies book on this topic and was sorely disappointed - it felt like a big advertisement through the whole book, and didn't really give me any of the tools I needed to get going or to inspire me with a new idea to act on. I'd recommend Fox's book instead, as the first book to read if you are thinking of starting an online business.

From Dan Hersam I'd never heard of Scott Fox before, but from what I read in the book, he's been quite successful at making money online. He's worked with some big names so it appears he knows what he's talking about.

The book spends most of the time covering the nuts and bolts of choosing a subject area (niche), determining its feasibility to make money, creating a web site and making the big bucks. He uses lots of case studies of people who are currently making money online, which is very useful.

I finished the book optimistic, but still a bit vague on the next action step. I'm in a bit of analysis paralysis, which he actually discusses briefly in the book. It's where you spend so much time planning and preparing to make money and learning to avoid all the pitfalls that you never take action. The book has given me some more ideas on how to make money, and I plan to refer back to it in the future as I take action.

If you're unfamiliar with how people make money online, it's a great book to help you learn. If you already know about thegeneral methods of making money like drop shipping, selling on eBay, product development, affiliate marketing, digital information products (aka eBooks), then you probably won't find anything new.

From Robert J. Donahue- Give this one a chance in spite of the title. It really does break down the different types of web sites (and hybrid-types) that make money. And after such "what do I do on the net?" fundamentals, it does add simple, inexpensive nuts and bolts to get ideas up to speed almost immediately. Examples throughout, as well as specific resource recommendations. Good for confidence, as it reveals that Internet money-making is neither rocket science nor spam hype.

From Jazzaholic- Internet Riches" not only provides solid information but is very thorough in helping the beginning e-business entrepreneur create an action plan. Scott Fox's philosophy is that you don't need to be a computer geek to set up an e-business, you just need to hire one. The costs for website services have gone down enough to be affordable for even the most shoestring budget. Fox also gives his recommendations for various services and software, although it is still extremely important to do one's own research. A similar book mentioned by one of the reviewers, How to Use the Internet to Advertise, Promote and Market Your Business or Website with Little or No Money, has a more "do-it-yourself" approach. I especially appreciated the many inspirational success stories included in "Internet Riches" and the author's encouragement to find your own special niche.

From Mike 99- I bought several books to help me in starting my online business. This book is one of my favorites. Scott Fox has helped Bill O'Reily and Larry King with their web sites so this gives him greater credibility than other "gurus". In a world of posers and pretenders, I wanted to find someone who was credible. When I saw that he had been asked to help some of the big names launch their web sites, I knew I had found the right person to help me start my business. When I got the books, I started reading Scott's and could not put it down. It had story after story of successful online ventures and I could visit the websites to see the fruit. The book is definitely written for people who are starting out and need direction. It helps you determine what niches are good for you by giving you examples of different online business models and different flavors of the same. I also bought his E-Riches 2 book. I know that these books will be a part of my success because it has real world advice from someone who has succeeded and knows what he is talking about in online business. Great Book!!!

Tommy Landry- have read many a book about Internet business, SEO, and related topics, and this is the first one that pulls it all together in a single book. It is written without a lot of jargon and uncommon terminology, which will make the information accessible to newbies in addition to experienced Internet marketers. Great stuff about picking a niche, selecting your domain, and making money using cloud-based services (a.k.a. ASPs). I highly recommend it.

A Thomas-There are so many books and articles promising to send me, a newbie, on my way to being a millionaire.  I've fallen for them all, bought them and read them. And I get stuck on putting up my website and making it work every time. That's because they are a load of junk, even though the information may be technically correct. If you're a newbie like me, they probably won't work for you either. After reading this book by Scott, I got sent down a more serious road to actually learning something worthwhile and how to apply it. Yes, he does mention the "millionaire" bit on his cover. But he'd done his market research and knew people like me wouldn't have bought the book otherwise. This book is an easy read for those of you trying to find your way out of an information fog. His techniques work out (if you're willing to learn rather than just read.) I'm still not a millionaire. But I did get enough serious information from this book to set me on my way to earning real income. My website is up and launched. It's also an easy read for those of us not so tech-savvy. His case studies are interesting and informative too. Normally I don't get much out of reading case studies and authors often seem to use them as a filler or selling point in their books. Definitely a book that will stay on my shelf and not given away.

Vinay Medhekar- can sense the reason behind the popularity of this book. It gives you ideas that sound simple and are perhaps easy to implement but it does not indicate in any sense how to achieve them. A small example is to say I need to set up a website to sell my products. The author gives reasonable number of success stories and how they fitted with the need of a select group of people that were not served in the society. And then in few chapters he shows you how to build your website in a simple set up using templates provided by the web host providers etc. So far, so good. But, the practical problem I faced is how does one proceed from here. If I need to make a website that needs to sell my products, how does one set up an online store to sell them. What goes towards setting up a receiving purchase orders, accounting for it, and shipping it. If I need to set up a website to have a forum for people of certain tastes/hobbies etc. to come together, how does one do that. There are no instructions for that.I believe this book will only help you to generate some ideas about what type of business you can set up online. But in my case, I already had few to start with. What I was looking for was how to get to the level where one can start using the nuts and bolts of creating an ebusiness. I suppose I am disappointed at that end.

This book is a feel good book. It tries to motivate you to start your own internet based business. Nothing wrong about it, but it does not solve any particular problems. From a certain perspective, for me it read like those small handbooks on how to find your inner happiness or manage time effectively or some such sort. To be honest, I was bit mislead by the title of money making secrets and I assumed there was more to the fact than just putting up a website mentioned in this book. I am sure there is more to it because right now I am still stuck with a website, a web host and no online store.

I am not sure if people would buy this book to get only ideas about what business they can start and not care about how to take it from start to finish. If you are like me who can "observe" success stories online and need help to only start it, this book may not serve you. If you need ideas on starting new business online (and I am not sure why you cannot get this info online if you can critically study websites that sell different products) then maybe this book is for you. Anyways, if you are searching for a book to set up a store online etc, look somewhere else. This book is only basic in that regards.

From Astrid A. Palmer This is a great book, so easy to read and mostly understand, I am so not a techky and I could understand
a lot of it. It has helped me to develop a website, not quite ready to go, but soon, I would not have been able to do it without reading this book, it has saved me a ton of money. I can't wait to read his next book once I have
this one down pat.Scott thanks for writing such an easy to read and comprehend book!

From G Hardt- I bought the book based on other good reviews. I will be honest and say that I thought the title and the cover reflected some kind of gimmick, get rich quick scheme. Overall I felt I got value out of the book, which is important. It is not a book for who is already in business, but it outlines principles and starter ideas. My expectations were low for this book, but I took more than a few pointers and will consult it in the future again.

Many people are eager to learn how to do house improvements, plumbing, bookkeeping, taxes and any sort of hands on education that they can start on their own.  In this case, we need more instructors who are willing to show others how to do a particular trade.  In a recession or a depression, hands on work never goes out of business, because people always need something fixed. 

If you think you could be a good communicator, why not teach for a living? 

Read the reviews of this book, and think about the avenue of teaching in general. 

ABOUT- Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary

Two professors explain how they discovered great pay, flexible hours, and rewarding work in Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary.  While you may not have ever considered teaching as a profession, this book may open your eyes to the possibilities that may be out there to earn a full time income.

Today, more than eighty percent of learners have taken at least one online course, and those numbers continue to rise. But rather than hire tenure-track professors, institutions are increasingly looking for part-time, remote educators to teach online courses. By teaching multiple classes, you can make much more money than most full-time tenured professors.

Here are some of the key points the book discusses:

-Discover what universities look for in online educators

- From Doc Dave- There was a good deal of emphasis on how to use and maximize current technologies, along with accounts of the authors preferences.

From L Fooks-I bought the book as soon as it came out and read it right away. The most helpful part of the book is the strategies that one needs to take to heart and apply. I was one who had zero college teaching experience two years ago and now teach at 7 regionally accredited Universities (6 online and 1 onsite)..no kidding!I will be adding an 8th school later this year(confirmed). I am ABD and expect to complete my PhD over the next several months What one needs to understand is to get to the 6-figure income will require one to have a PhD and understand which schools pay the most. And whether or not one teaches graduate or undergraduate courses. It also helps to teach courses that are in demand. Understand the different schedules, how the schools hire, understand that most institutions are highly unorganized and that one needs to apply a persistent strategy to get in. Use networking, referrals, do other work etc. It takes time to work up to a 6-figure income teaching online, but it is not impossible and it won't happen without a clear understanding what is involved. This book will help you get on the path.

Here are the Let Downs regarding this book

Jerome Pleasance- This book is written for a very narrow audience - specifically those with Master's or Doctoral degrees under their belt.The author even goes so far as to say that people with "only a bachelor's degree will not be able to make a good living but might find some work at the high school level". There may be a degree of truth to this, but I could not believe they just came out and stated this in their intro. There are plenty of opportunities out there for people with all ranges of experience and abilities, and to throw that wet blanket on the reader right off the bat seems foolish in the extreme - especially given the catchy "Make Money Teaching" title. I almost bought this book based on the title, the premise, and the favourable reviews it received. After reading the first few sections, and scanning the rest, I left it on the shelf with a "phhfft". A better title would have been "How to get into online teaching for those with a post-graduate pedigree and little to no computer knowledge". Pass (on the book) and Fail (to be of value to 99% of the readers out there)

From Doc Dave-The authors provide a nice overview of online teaching, including a lot of important considerations for job seekers (many of which apply equally well to those looking for jobs outside the realm of online education). The advice seems honest, and the authors admit that, unfortunately, there is no single source, website or service that will provide you with access to all the job listings/opportunities that are available. I didn't find anything new among the websites they suggest monitoring for job opportunities, but this doesn't mean that you won't...it may depend on how much research you've already done. Their advice on strategies for making inquiries, even when no opportunities are listed, seems reasonable and should be helpful to many.

Karen Johnson- I purchased this book hoping to expand my online teaching. Most of the information is geared for individuals who have never taught online before or who have limited information about online teaching. The information is accurate and supportive for newcomers to the field, and I picked up a few new tips that may help me build my business. The authors are knowledgeable and forthcoming with information from their own experiences. If you're thinking about moving into online teaching, read this book first!!

From Doc Dave- I had hoped there would be more focus on the actual online teaching process...e.g., tips for addressing common problems students encounter in adapting to discussion forum-based learning, etc. Granted, the advice may help you to be more organized and efficient, and therefore give you more time to think about how to manage e-classroom issues and improve your teaching techniques. Nevertheless, managing relationships with institutions, administrators and other online-teachers is covered reasonably well, but not so extensively for the online student/teacher relationship. I can't fault the book too much for these issues however, as the title is "Make Money Teaching Online," and not "How to Teach Online."

From Rabid Reader- I teach for both a state university and for an online university. I cannot imagine what this author is trying to sell. The money in teaching adjunct and online is notoriously low in most cases. I suspect that if the author is making six figures, it is from book sales. I have never encountered a legitimate teaching institution that would accept less than a master's degree. After viewing the Today show interview, I was convinced that the author was not being wholly honest. Beware.From Doc Dave-  This brings up another aspect that I found troubling, in the subtitle implication that the book will show you how to "earn a six-figure salary" from online teaching. Although I don't doubt that it is possible for those who manage their time exceptionally well, I have my doubts as to whether this is realistic for all but the most committed and hardworking teachers, as well as some others who may likely be precariously overextended and therefore of little utility to their students. The advice in this book may well help online teachers to be more organized and maximize their time, possibly allowing them to take on extra work. However, is it really necessary or advisable to promote online teaching in this way? Overall, the book does makes a pretty nice guide for career exploration, especially for those who already have a little bit of classroom-based teaching experience and are interested in pursuing online opportunities. I wouldn't recommend going into this field if extremely high earnings are your primary motivator however.

- From Diana- Having taken multiple classes under Babb's "tutelage", I can say without a doubt that her methods are geared towards making her rich instead of actually teaching. She does not grade homework nor even look at assignments. She has so many different colleges paying her for different classes that I doubt she would even have the time to pay any attention to a student. Is this the way "teaching online" should be? This book is a disgrace, and so is the field of online teaching for profit.

Finally a place that you make money off your hobby!

From the Inside Flap

Back in the olden days—youknow, circa 2004 or so—artists and craftspeople had to drag their portfolio and wares to galleries and craft shows, and popularity in the local market didn't mean an end to your day job. But thanks to Etsy, a website that connects makers of handmade products and crafts with buyers, those same artisans can now market and sell their goods to a worldwide network of motivated shoppers.

Etsy.com is the newest tool of the arts and crafts trade, and How to Make Money Using Etsy is your instruction manual. To date, the site has attracted over 400,000 sellers who collectively have sold over30 million items, generating more than $180.6 million in revenue.

Whether an Etsy newbie or a veteran seller, you'll get a step-by-step guide to running a successful Etsy shop. Successful Etsian Tim Adam leads you through the Etsy community, including the forum, where fellow Etsians offer support and critiques vital to defining your brand; the Etsy Storque blog; and the Etsy Teams, like-minded sellers who help promote each other's work.

Mastering your craft is only step one in developing a successful Etsy brand. You'll learn how to:

-Properly set up your Etsy shop and start listing your handmade goods

-Develop a good keyword and search engine optimization strategy

-Create compelling blog content to drive traffic to your Etsy shop

-Promote your brand through Facebook and Twitter

Sidarta Tanu writes some of the basic points this book covers: 

1. Branding -It will do half of your work if you have a powerful brand (like Apple, Nike, Harley Davidson). People will naturally be drawn to you.
2. Social media isn't always online (what you do offline is as important - word of mouth, etc)
3. It is not just about uploading youtube video, tossing up Facebook Fan Page or completing LinkedIn Company profile. It's much more than that
4. It is about 2 way communication, a dialogue with  customers across a wide variety of channels for a sustained period of time.
5. How to manage those communication lines.
6. An effective Social Media campaign
7. How to use Networking, Promoting, and Sharing platform (and other tools/widgets etc) to help you grow your revenue
8. How to integrate social media into your marketing plan and conduct a competitive assessment and your internal situation
9. How to measure the success of social media
10 Understanding the customer thought process

This book also covers additional guideline for corporations and also has a bonus appendix - 59 things in a form of a checklist on what you need to do on your way to a successful social media campaign. This book includes a lot of examples such as mini case studies that help understand the points that the writers are trying to make.

By Andrew Shaffer -

"I've read many social media books, and this is one of the only ones that cuts through the hype. It views social media through the existing advertising and marketing landscape and gives reasons why companies should--and shouldn't--use it. A great overview of a constantly evolving landscape. My ONLY quarrel is with the title. It *is* about using new and emerging media to grow your business, but "How to Make Money with Social Media" sounds like a spammers' tag line on Twitter".

By Hope Flammer-

"If you're a an entrepreneur that regularly follows Guy Kawasaki or Perry Marshall's missives on Google search and email marketing, you'll want to read this book ASAP. Turner and Shah place social media strategies and platforms in context so that you avoid those "spinach caught in your teeth" kinds of mistakes non-net-natives (like me) tend to make. They also offer plenty of practical tips for fine-tuning efforts on the major platforms, tracking online conversations and dissecting what the competition is doing. It's one of those books you'll refer to over and over again. Especially Chapter 11, How to Use Promoting Platforms to Help you Grow Your Sales and Revenues". That said, the book is peppered with valuable case studies featuring many impressive Fortune 500 companies. I would have liked more case studies featuring start-ups and smaller companies like ours -- those that have to keep a remorseless eye on the time and effort involved with all social media efforts"...

By Jill Florio-

"I was disappointed with "How to Make Money from Social Media." With such a great title, I was anticipating an excellent breakdown of the most useful social media platforms and how to use them: what to post about to create earnings, which types of social media work best for different types of businesses, full-fledged analyses of the target audience of different platforms, and so on.

I wanted something meaty and specific to give me insight towards creating income from social media. Instead, this is a basic business marketing book with a social media slant. It's hardly the "insider' scoop that was promised. I personally feel this book misrepresents itself in order to sell copies. Good marketing? For them, maybe.  I know a lot about social media and there was nothing useful or new here for me.

Start a Twitter account, and a Facebook Fan Page. Set up your LinkedIn profile. Make a video for YouTube. If this is speaking Greek to you, then you might be this guide's target audience. If you are a beginner to any sort of marketing, and have not dabbled in social media to any professional extent, then you will probably find this text useful. Pages and pages go by discussing traditional marketing concepts like consumer behavior models, setting objectives, moving product and conducting internal situation analyses. Hey, if you wanted to write a marketing treatise, just say so in your promotional materials. 

 When social media is addressed, it's all very basic. You will be told to engage. That social marketing is a dialog, not a monologue. There are charts that compare (not in an in-depth way) the top social media platforms and their use for marketers. Useful links for gathering traffic data are provided.

A checklist towards the back of the book can help you get a new social media campaign off the ground from scratch (if you can ignore the claims that you need to purchase this book for everyone you know, including 'complete strangers' - really, now?). Some of the Action Steps at the end of each short chapter might be helpful, and I appreciated the action-oriented format presented. The book is a simple read (I whipped through it in a couple hours this afternoon) and might be greatly helpful if you are a non-web-savvy business owner."

By Rebecca Haden-

"One of my favorite passages in this book explains that LinkedIn is like a trade show, Twitter is like a cocktail party, and YouTube is like Times Square on New Year's Eve. Using metaphors that will make sense to readers who are new to the use of social media, data and insights that will be useful to veterans, and a sassy tone that keeps it all light, the authors cover an impressive array of topics relating to social media."

There's a look at social media's history and vocabulary, ideas for planning your social media campaign and getting your team on board, discussions of a variety of social media platforms, ideas for integrating social media with your overall marketing efforts, suggestions for measuring social media, reminders about ethics, and a list of 59 action steps to check off.

Each chapter begins with a page containing a focus quote, goes on to a clear discussion of the topic with specific examples, and then has bullet-pointed suggestions for steps to take. The chapters wind up with a list of key concepts and associated action steps that pull it all together. The result is a very readable, even skimmable, book.

What you don't see here is much in the way of specific instruction. For example, the section on reputation management advocates "creating a campaign that leverages the information and insight and turns it into a specific, measurable, action-oriented program to drive revenue for your brand." This probably doesn't leave most readers nodding in comprehension and jumping to the task. Assuming you have the skills, though, or are willing to hire them, this book will give you very clear ideas about how to use them for the good of your company.

And we are talking here about your company. This is not a book on how to make millions of dollars by tweeting your ads. This is for businesses (nonprofits will benefit, too) looking to support their websites, network, and develop long-term relationships with clients and customers.

Beginners, companies seeking ideas for and examples of successful social media campaigns, and marketers wanting to fine-tune their efforts will all find this book useful. It's an entertaining read, and also a good book to have on your shelf when you want to get a quick idea of the difference between Reddit and Digg, or hi5 and Plaxo.

By Joan Reeves-

This book is a good primer for someone who doesn't know social media at all. However, based on the long descriptive title of this book, I simply can't give this book a glowing review because the content just doesn't deliver what the title says.

However, having said that, there's still a lot of basic information about traditional and online marketing that may make the book valuable to beginners.

PRAISE

The book is written in a conversational style that makes it accessible to just about anyone. Much information is presented about traditional marketing concepts, contrasting them with online marketing concepts.

For someone not currently on Facebook, Twitter, et al, the book will acquaint the non-user with the basics of social media.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

As I said above, I'm afraid the book just doesn't live up to its title. The text is a bit redundant. Innumerable times, we are told that social media is a dialogue. That's repeated often, like sound bites from a TV infomercial. In fact, the text rather reminds me of an infomercial in that you're repeatedly told that you'll learn how to make social media work for you, but only generalizations are discussed for the most part.

Most of the book reads like a teaser: tells you what you're going to learn, tells you about traditional marketing facts, theories, and concepts, tells you why those don't work, tells you again that you'll learn about using social media, gives some generic information about social media, then seemingly repeats the process in the next chapter. You get pulled along, looking for the solid information that the title leads you to expect. Unfortunately, you never get a payoff of specific ways to make money with social media.

IN CONCLUSION

There's no doubt that the authors know social media, but they don't effectively transfer that knowledge to this book. I think if the authors changed their slant and marketed the book to beginners that they'd get far better feedback and reviews.

For a beginner who wants to dip a toe into the pool of social media, this book would provide a good, general overview of the subject, enabling those new to social media to grasp the concepts and get started. Unfortunately, for someone who already possesses general knowledge of social media, this book will disappoint.

I notice that the authors have several other books available that deal with the same subject matter. Perhaps one of those might be more suited to someone who knows about social media and knows how it should work but is having difficulty implementing the action required.

From Dennis Amith-

 When it comes to social media, many companies are starting late or still haven't made the jump into promoting their business utilizing social media sites such as Facebook or using Twitter, YouTube and various other ways to really promote their business and build upon their brand, especially for a new generation of people who spend most of their time using Facebook and Twitter and becoming less likely to use traditional forms of media to learn about a business or its products.

"How to Make Money with Social Media" by Jamie Turner and Dr. Reshma Shah is a good book for those wanting or just jumped into promoting their business on social media. Understanding the new demographic of users utilizing Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.

The book is broken down in the following PARTS (and chapters):

PART I. The Social Media Landscape
PART II. How to Set Yourself Up for Social Media Success
PART III. Social Media Platforms
PART IV. Social Media Integration
PART V. How to Measure Social Media
PART VI. Conclusion

Although most of the book does have information that may be too common knowledge for those already utilizing social media, both Turner and Shah do a good job at presenting several examples such as Honda, Starbucks, the Detroit Zoo and how companies have successfully and even failed at the use of social media.

Enjoyed how the writers covered the various platforms, touched upon mobile media and also quantitative data.

The book is easy to read, easy to follow but for those to middle to small companies who are interested, it's important to know that social media is not short-term, nor is it going to bring quick profits. Far too many companies that I have met and some have a traditional style of thinking that Twitter and Facebook will bring them immediate profit and also some misinterpret marketing on FB, Twitter and other sites as spamming your customer or potential customer-based. The sad thing is that there are marketers who have utilized social media almost as a constant spam cycle and are not trying to use these as ways of getting close to potential customers by not utilizing social media correctly.

So, this book does is a well-written resource and yes, it does show you how to make money but those looking for immediate, increased immediate profits, don't think of it that way. I've met with one company with expectations to make a million dollars thanks to Social Media but yet weren't willing to bend over to change their business-sense to accommodate it or the people who were utilizing social media. If anything, many looked at it as more of a way to spam customers without building any relationship.

So, fortunately, both Turner and Shah's book is on the more positive end as you will find others who have their own interpretation of making money via social media. It's also important that the company or business has a website that helps accommodate social media and people who have been delegated to do the work for marketing the company, know what they are doing and not spamming potential or current customers.

Overall, a book worth recommending!

Make Money Selling Your Photos By Erin Manning

-If you live in an apartment but don't have the room to plant a garden, consider planting in a neighbor's yard. Many homeowners would love to have the opportunity to share a garden, and both parties could save money on food costs. 

-Offering delivery in a local area of the city on a weekly schedule could be one way of adding an incentive to many people who work one and two jobs to pay their bills and don't have time to shop for groceries.   Advertise  on Craigslist, social networking, and tapping into other networks like schools.

- Stockpiling food that can be sold or traded during shortages, or during price hikes or bad weather is a very wise investment.  Seeds are another  wise investment.

- Baking and canning are valuable skills and can be a wise investment as the economy collapses. 

One man leaves a comment......

"Make sure that when you plant a garden you don't use and GM or GE seeds. If it says Hybrid... run. 2 years ago our corn was planted beside a neighbors. We used Open Pollinated corn (Heirloom), he used Hybrid corn. The deer and other animals went at ours like crazy and never touched his. That says something right off bat. He had to use pesticides because the ears were more loosely wrapped and being eaten by bugs. Ours were more tightly wrapped with fewer bugs, actually pretty much untouched. He spayed. We didn't have to spray. His couldn't save seeds. We could."

What To Sell

1.  If you are considering buying and reselling on craigslist, think about what would be valuable enough to make it worth your time to sell. 

(The number one tip I can pass on from my experience is to focus on larger items that are worth more.  Too many times I see people spend tons of time picking up knick knacks that gain them only a few dollars compared to selling one item worth several hundred dollars. )

Advertising takes time, and time spent coordinating pick up appointments, that is worth your time to make all that worth while.  Forget the littles, and focus on the items that are worth more money. 

-Consider selling a product which you are able to find at a low price, and which can be turned over for a reasonable profit. 

- If you consider improving a product and reselling it, take into account the skills you may need to fix up items to make them attractive at a higher price. 

- Some items you may consider are Appliances, Antiques, Computers, Furniture, Jewelry, Software, Lawn equipment, or Vehicles

A Success Story:

A lady in Virginia who shopped at second hand stores looked only for high end designer purses and handbags with distinguishable designer labels.  She gathered name brand handbags and resold them on ebay making over 5K per month.   Finding name brand handbags wouldn't work in every city, although in locations such as LA, New York, and Washington DC, people  need professional clothing in professional districts, so name brand clothing and handbags would be found in those areas. 

Your Location:

Location is a prime consideration depending on what you intend to sell.   A person will find themselves frustrated looking for antiques in Colorado or Montana compared to Connecticut or Maryland.  Much of the french or colonial furniture will not be found in the middle of the country compared to locations on the coast.  Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, and Vermont to name a few would have much more federal antiques that people are willing to give away at lower prices because they are so common. 

Success Story:

Another encouraging testimony is of a gentleman who looks for old washing machines and dryers and refurbishes them, to resell on craigslist.  As older machines break down, many people who live on month to month income wouldn't be able to afford a brand new set, that a used set would work to fix their short term problem.  The gentleman was a former appliance serviceman so his skills were easily transferable to his new business. 

Your Location:~Your Home:

- Space is another factor in considering what to sell on craigslist.  If you live in a 2 bedroom condo and try to sell furniture it will just frustrate you.  Bigger sized items will need more space to store.

- Another aspect of selling on craigslist, and making a full time income from home, is that people will come to your home on a daily basis to look at your inventory.  

Do you feel comfortable having people over to your home?  If you are selling furniture or other home merchandise, do not get offended when people ask you to sell your personable valuables as they walk through your home, so you may consider setting up your shop in your garage. 

- Consider your neighbours.  Will your neighbours mind if endless people drive into your neighbourhood to buy from you?  Most often people work during the day, but they will notice the increased traffic to your home.   Homeowners associations often will not allow home businesses to function from the home, so do factor that into your plans

Listings:

1.  When you post your item on Craigslist, try to sell your item right away without deeply discounting it.  Some people suggest a person should wait for all potential responses and compare offers and email the winning bid.  This is the last advice I would ever suggest to anyone. 

Ideally you want to price your item pretty competitive, but not overly cheap.  If you have your item priced too low, you will have a number of offers immediately.  Often times if I have 2 or three people interested in an item, I have priced it high, but reasonable enough that people will open their wallets for. 

Try to email back the people right away and get them over to your home within two days.  Why be in a rush?...........  People change their minds, and back out of deals.  Most often after three to four days, people change their minds.  They get too lazy, and the excitement to have the item goes out the window.  

Price your product right, attractive, and ready to move, and (depending on the item), offering transportation for an extra fee. 

Ideally you want to get the customer to make a firm appointment at a specific time to pick up your item within a day, two or three at most. 

Having an item listed for endless weeks on craigslist gives people the assumption that no body else wants that item.  The customer then starts finding reasons why others have not purchased it.   Sell your items fast and as close to your price as possible and move on to the next piece.

2.  Beautiful Pictures make a world of difference: 

- " Recently sold a treadmill on craigslist for close to full retail price because although there was tons of competition our pictures were the best and they showed the treadmill’s condition in detail" 

Craigslist is notorious for small pictures that people often have to squint to get a good look at.  Consider using photobucket and copying the html into the craigslist post for a larger picture.  If you are going to make any headway with Craigslist you must stand out. 

Sell On Craigslist Make Money From Home

3. Appointments

People do flake out on appointments, and it can be very discouraging. Through the years selling on craigslist, I didn't get a lot of people who did not show up for their appointment all together, but I did get some.   People do change their minds, but most people let you know. 

So how can you prevent people from changing their minds?

A: Try to make an appointment right away while they are still excited about your piece of furniture.

B: People do not come out for small inexpensive items. In fact most non-shows happen with free items because they aren't necessarily something a customer was planning on, but an impulse second thought.  If you do plan on giving something away for free, or are selling something inexpensive, factor in more cancellations when customers face battling the traffic to purchase something worth 5 dollars.  

 Anyone wanting to offer you money orders is a scam unless they give it to you in person. Be very hesitant with people who want the item shipped.

There are features on google where you can look at the entire craigslist simply by typing:

white dresser:site:craigslist.org

Many people who are looking for something very rare will try to pay you in advance and figure out shipping. This is a very very very uncommon occurrence.

4. Price the item slightly above what price you are willing to accept.  It is a general principle that the buyer will ask for a discount.  

5. Do NOT Put Best Offer (OBO) in the description, unless you want people to offer you really low offers. Best Offer gives people the right to offer you half of what you are asking.  This may work great with people who want to get the items out of the house quickly, but as a business, set your prices pretty firm with some flexibility. 

Best of Craigslist ~Advice Before Posting ~ How To Sell on Craigslist

Best Of Craigslist ~ Tips on Selling Your Furniture

Fraud Monitoring and Compliance

The Forex market is regulated by the NFA (National Futures Association) in the States. The rules and regulations are always changing to create more transparency and to minimize the risk. The NFA are regularly monitoring the forex brokers for any fraudulent activities and the forex trader do also have the opportunity to fill-in a complaint if they suspect foul play. Many forex brokers have moved off-shore due to the strict rules and regulations that the NFA has created over the last couple of years.

Technology for the Forex Customers and Brokers

The forex customers have the unique opportunity of taking advantage of the advanced technology provided by the forex broker. The forex brokers have the ability to provide trade executions (buy or sell) within seconds of a request. Many forex brokers and entities in the forex market have specific rules and liquidation capacity. You should always look for the most liquidated forex broker because it has the sufficient equity to take the opposite direction of your trade.

The technology available today allows all the forex traders to have the ability to access up to the minute news, charting, and the overall sentiment. The forex news comes from many sources online such as dedicated forex news websites, leading online news channels, and forex brokers. Forex news websites provide you with latest forex news and in depth-analysis of what your next move should be (buy, sell, or hold). These websites consist of long-term members of wanting up-to-date daily news and charts. Leading financial television news channels such as CNN, CNBC, etc. have realized the potential of online technology and decided to make use of the social media websites such as YouTube, Google Video, etc. When you signup with a forex broker you receive the authorization to execute multiple trades and receive up to the minute news updates. Forex charting is an important part of your success in the forex market. The two factors to look for in your forex charts to be successful:

Currency Trend – Ability to view the currency trend start to end. If the currency is moving in an upward position, then the bullish sentiment is strong. If the trend is heading in downward position, then the bearish sentiment is leading the way.

Resistance Lines – Resistance lines are where the buyers decided to enter or leave the market. If a trend breaks a previous resistance line then you know that your position has just strengthened and if your position is hovering over or under the resistance line without breaking it, then you know you have a weaker position.

The burst of popularity in the online social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. has given the forex market the technology to resurrect. Now, more then ever you see dedicated forex social media websites that are made for the purpose of forex traders to interact, view what the majority are trading, and a generous database to get your questions answered. Social media technology is here to stay for years to come because the forex traders have latched to the change by allowing them to move from a sole trader to more of a team environment, it also allowed the flow of ideas to freely move between multiple traders, and most importantly it allows you to expand your forex education by trading with other professionals.

Yes, that's right.

A millionaire.

Her name is Anshe Chung, and even Businessweek is reporting on her remarkable story....

Anshe Chung’s achievement is all the more remarkable because the fortune was developed over a period of two and a half years from an initial investment of $9.95 for a Second Life account by Anshe’s creator, Ailin Graef. Anshe/Ailin achieved her fortune by beginning with small scale purchases of virtual real estate which she then subdivided and developed with landscaping and themed architectural builds for rental and resale. Her operations have since grown to include the development and sale of properties for large scale real world corporations, and have led to a real life “spin off” corporation called Anshe Chung Studios, which develops immersive 3D environments for applications ranging from education to business conferencing and product prototyping.

So can you make money this way too?

Well, yes.

So how do I know?

Because I have made money in online video games as well.

A number of years ago I was hooked on an online video game called Ultima Online.

After playing for quite some time, I decided to leave the game and sell off my possessions.

After selling my castle and a large amount of my virtual gold for real dollars, I took those real dollars and purchased a new computer.

So yes, playing these video games can be quite profitable.

So if you are looking for a "fun" way to make money, go find a popular online game where others are making money and give it a shot.

However, be sure to read the terms of service for each particular game to make sure that you are not breaking their rules.

Not all games allow you to buy and sell items in the game for real world money.

So be careful.

But who knows?

Perhaps you will be the next "Second Life" millionaire.

In fact, if you do plan to make money in "Second Life", you might want to check out this resource....

The Unofficial Guide to Building Your Business in the Second Life Virtual World: Marketing and Selling Your Product, Services, and Brand In-World

#1) Ugly Layout

Nobody wants to read a blog that is stone cold ugly. You know what I am talking about. No matter how great the writing is, if a blog looks like it has been hit by an ugly stick then nobody is even going to stick around long enough to read anything.

Just like in life, looks matter. If you want to have a successful blog, then it must be attractive. This is the real world. Get used to it.

#2) Too Many Ads

This may come as a shock to you, but people don't come to your blog to read advertisements.  They just don't.  But of course if you want to make money you have got to advertise something.  Just don't be an idiot about it.  Don't wrap your blog posts from head to toe with obnoxious ads that are going to give people a headache.

Your readers are going to be pissed off if they see Adsense at the top, middle and bottom of each article. They are going to be REALLY pissed off if stuff starts popping up over the top of everything.

And you know what? Pissed off readers will not come back to your blog.

#3) Your Site Is Too Slow

Do you want to know how much time you have got to get the attention of someone new who visits your blog?

Less than 2 seconds.

If your blog does not load quickly you are dead.

So don't overload your blog with obnoxious widgets that will massively slow down loading times.

Keep it simple.

#4) You Never Update Your Blog

If people are going to keep coming back to a blog they expect it to be updated on a regular basis. If the last time you updated your blog it looked like Hillary Clinton was going to be the next president, then you have got a problem.

Seriously, if you want your blog to have a chance at success, you have to update it at least a couple of times per week. Otherwise you might as well pack it in.

#5) Heavy Handed Moderating

We have all seen blogs with heavy handed moderators, haven't we? The new blog owner thinks that he or she is a little Kim Jong Il and starts insulting visitors and deleting everything in sight.

The truth is that people do not come to your blog to be bullied by you. Owning a blog is not about being a dictator. Get over it.  The reality is that if you are nice to the people who visit your blog they might actually come back.

#6) Lack Of Moderation

This is the flip side of the problem talked about above. Some blog owners do not moderate their blogs at all, and it ends up being a spamfest filled with shout outs for male enhancement products and debt reduction solutions.

Who in the world wants to visit that?

So pay attention to what is going on in your blog.  If you let the spammers take control, you blog is finished.

#7) Your Writing Stinks

If you have this problem, then you might as well stop blogging right now.

Or go back to school.

Seriously.

This is one of the biggest problems in the blogging world.

Most people who visit your blog are coming to read your writing.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of bloggers are not very good writers.

And if your writing stinks, your visitors are just not going to come back.

So if you are having trouble getting loyal readers, you might want to check and see if your writing passes the smell test.

#8) You Don't Publicize Your Blog

Most people who start blogging have no idea how to do this, but the reality is that this is one of the easiest problems to fix.

The truth is that with so many blogs out there, it is absolutely imperative to publicize your blog.

People are not going to show up just because you decided to write something.

Even if what you have written is the greatest thing since sliced bread, nobody is going to care enough to read it - unless you publicize it.

After all, why should the people out in Internetland visit your blog and not one of the other 100 million blogs out there that look exactly like yours?

And how are people going to find your little blog when it is on the 57th page of Google search results?

The truth is that if you want to succeed at blogging you need to learn how to properly publicize your blog and you need to learn how to start building legitimate, long term traffic that will bring you lasting blogging success.

So how in the world do you do that?

Well, most people out there want to charge you $70 for an E-book that will explain how to do that, but we have put together a FREE guide that will tell you exactly what you need to do.  The truth is that it is not that hard.  The guide that we have put together will take you through the process of developing a successful blog from A to Z and back to A again.  For those of you who are not afraid of a little hard work and who are absolutely determined to succeed at blogging, you can find our free guide to blogging success right here.

The great thing about blogging with a passionate purpose is that you know about the subject and love it. Many a wise man has said to find what you love first, and then find a way to make money with it. That in itself is true power.

What a life it would be if you could wake up every morning and do work that you would do anyway, even if you weren’t going to be paid for it. That would be an ideal existence and something to strive for.

A lot of people have put off their dreams and hopes in search of the mighty money. There is a way to do both, and the Internet allows it 100%. You may have a big passion for something that is not a big moneymaker. You will have to think out of the box, but there is always a solution.

One thing you should also think about is the number of passions you have. Most people have a variety of things that they love to do; and at this point, you just need to figure out how you can make a ton of money working with them.

Here are some tips you can do to make it happen.

Blogging Tip # 1: If You Love It, Can You Teach It?

Are there others that want to learn about what you have to offer? You can look at some forums and Yahoo answers to find out if anyone wants to learn about your passion.

Blogging Tip # 2: Start A Blog And Get Feedback From Comments.

You never know where this is going to lead. Set up a blog in your niche, start making some points, and be sure to allow comments.

For example, if you have a blog about keeping horses and you write about their feed, someone may write a comment about natural foods versus chemical foods. This in itself can trigger a brainstorming session for you.

There are a lot of paths you can take with your niche and none of them have been written in stone. Be flexible and determined that you are going to make money.

Blogging Tip # 3: Be Willing To Experience Anything.

Based on what people are saying, you may find that you need to write an e-book, you may need to offer personalized coaching to people, or you may need to set up a membership site where people can get detailed instructions on the niche.

Be flexible and allow yourself to be taken to the next level. Find out exactly what people in your niche want, be willing to provide it, and get ready to make a lot of money.

Blogging Tip # 4: Find Five Other Things You're Passionate About And Start Five New Blogs.

You may be right that the initial one or two niches are not big money makers. Don't put all your eggs in one basket, by starting only one blog.

Start up some more blogs about your other passions in life. It won't take long until one of them takes off and leads you in the direction of fame and fortune.

Blogging Tip # 5: Put Your Mindset Into Overdrive.

It is your mindset that is going to make it possible for you to make money by blogging about your passions. Everything else anybody has told you about this does not know the power of working with something you love.

When you have a passion for something it never leaves you, which means you can stay devoted to your blogging for many years.

If you are just looking to make X. amount of dollars in a certain time, than this article may not have interested you. This article was written more for the person that wants to integrate his passion and money.

There is always a way to make a fortune by doing what you love. It is not always the fastest way, but if you keep your eyes and ears open, are willing to service the people in the niche, and truly care about what you are doing, there is no way to fail. Especially if you start making 5 to 10 different blogs in completely different niches.

Article Source: http://www.articleclick.com/Article/Blogging-Tips-How-To-Make-Money-Blogging-About-Things-You-re-Passionate-About/1271456

About the Author:

Want to discover the most incredible and intuitive membership site software today? Then go to http://www.memberspeed.com for details on the world's leading client and content management system, considered as the professional's choice all-in-one e-commerce solution.

Zappos (http://www.zappos.com/ and http://twitter.zappos.com/) has about 400 employees identified on Twitter who are building relationships with real people. There is something to be said about knowing and connecting with a person at a real company that can be very valuable.

Social media allows people to develop personal relationships with others around the world. First, it can be a tool to see how to fit into the lives of targeted customers. Search both yourself and your company name and see if people are talking about you. Are they mentioning you in passing? Great customer service content management may also be done on Twitter. It allows companies to get ahead of an angry blog, social media site, or email and handle customer service issues. That little bit of communication can build a rapport online for others to see. It allows people to build personal relationships that may have nothing to do with a company but that little bit of empathic communication can lead to more business referrals.

Twitter has its ups and downs, but there is a critical mass there with early adopters. Other example of a company using Twitter for customer service is Comcast (http://twitter.com/COMCASTCARES). Frank Eliason out of their Philadelphia, Pennsylvania office heads up this Twitter social media site.

Dell, Zappos and Comcast are the three highest profile companies I found using Twitter as a customer service social media site. There are lots of newspaper companies, journalists, and other companies also using Twitter, but the three listed seem to be the most interactive that I have read so far.

Is Social Media for everyone? No, but it is important to have social media on your radar and help customers and clients get on a radar. It is also important to learn search skills and go beyond Google and use specific search tools such as -

http://search.twitter.com/
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/
http://boardreader.com/

There is a whole suite of social media and each type of has a different search engine. Do not think that Google is the only search engine. Try using RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds. This is a skill that teaches people how to make the web more useful and cut back on the number of emails received.

Another important organization to become familiar with is Word of Mouth Marketing (www.womma.org). This organization stresses using ethics when using online resources for marketing and when using social media. The essence of WOMMA Ethics Code comes down to the honesty ROI which is known as:

* Honesty of Relationship-You say who you're speaking for
* Honesty of Opinion-You say what you believe
* Honesty of Identity-You never obscure your identity

When using social media, disclosure and honesty are very important. What value do you offer the online community? Do not let people promise you a million views for a video you want to post without showing you the return on investment because your video may end up on a porn site or anywhere to meet the promised statement.

Ethics is the most important when using social media. The difference in social media and viral marketing is social media is a strategy while viral marketing is the outcome.

About The Author:

DJ Heckes is Founder/CEO of EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts, a GSA & Woman-owned small business Certified business headquartered in Albuquerque, NM and author of Full BRAIN Marketing for the Small Business. EXHIB-IT! was founded and by organized by DJ Heckes, for the express purpose of providing quality products and exhibit marketing and design services to federal agencies and commercial enterprises.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing gives you the opportunity to advertise products and services actively being offered by other people online. Whenever you get interested buyers to click through to your affiliate's website and make a purchase or sign up for services, you will receive a profit from the sale you helped earn.

What does this have to do with your passions? Well, there are products and services all over the place online, and many will tie in directly with your passions. For instance, if you love scrapbooking you may find the perfect affiliate relationships with companies selling scrapbooking supplies or hosting scrapbook retreats.

Affiliate marketing allows you to show off your passion and expertise through article marketing, websites, blogging, and other fun advertising methods without having to carry your own stock, ship products, and do other things that are involved with selling products for yourself.

Writing Opportunities

Are you good with words? Interested in showing the world what you know about those topics you just wrote on that list? If so, then you could be an excellent blogger or could even create articles for multiple article directories related to your passions. Some article submission sites such as Associated Content will pay you for each article you submit, plus for every click that any of your articles receive. This means you can receive income for a long time to come when you take the time to submit hundreds or even thousands of articles over time.

Blogging takes some time to get going since you have to develop readership and get to know other bloggers in your niche, but with pay per post (PPP) opportunities and paid advertising, you can actually create a great blog related to your passions and pull in a nice income over time.

Selling for Yourself

If your passion is directly related to an actual product or a useful service that could be used by others, you could just set up your online business and start selling online. For instance, if your passion is scrapbooking you may decide to create premade pages and sell them through a website and sites like eBay. Many people buy them premade so they can simply add their pictures and slip them in an album.

How you go about making money online is up to you, but there is definitely plenty of opportunity out there! Literally any passion could be turned into some form of online business that helps you make money online sharing something you truly love with the world!

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What is good about writing reviews is that as a writer you are forced to follow a certain format and write your content according to the guidelines provided. It will teach some discipline and will make you focus on the task at hand rather than wander off aimlessly.

As a third option you can set up your own blog focusing on a niche and start writing articles on this topic. Some writers are very popular and are able to make a small living off advertising on their blogs. This may be in the form of Google AdSense or by selling advertising yourself.

You may also work through freelance sites where you bid on jobs on offer. These pay particularly badly though. You could end up earning as little as .50c for a 500 word article. Try GoFreelance for this kind of writing work. This is hardly a lucrative form of income generation.

There are also opportunities to write for publications such as magazines and newspapers. For a new writer this could be intimidating though as you will face many rejection slips. It is definitely easier to start off with lower expectations by writing for the online world.

As a final suggestion you might consider writing an eBook. If you are passionate about a particular topic and you have extensive knowledge you may be able to fill a book. There are many eBooks available online, especially ones that are free. These are mostly poorly written and cover little content.

To write an eBook that you might be able to sell will require a fair amount of effort. Put some effort into researching the hot topics of the moment and write on something that the online community is really looking for. Anything on how to make money should be good to go.

Whatever route you take to make some money, the experience gained will contribute immensely to your task of learning how to write articles.