I know I haven’t posted in some time, there has been so much going on and not always enough time to do all the things that need to or should be done.

Well last month I had my bankruptcy hearing, it was hard emotionally, I cried and then got drunk when I got home.  Barry was not very good at filing his taxes so now I’ve had to do those so that the IRS and the State can’t get my bankruptcy case dismissed.  One of the years I’m needing to file on, I couldn’t find the Profit/Loss statement so I’ve been having to do that year all over.

My lawyer and I have decided it would be best to convert my Chapter 13 to a Chapter 7,  so he is in the process of doing that and that will give me more time and without the a time limit restriction that the Chap. 13 did with getting the taxes all filed.

My resolve that I had on Jan. 1st, is still there and I continue to learn and find ways to accomplish that goal.  At times it has been slow going but as long as I continue to move forward, even if they are small steps that is what is important.

I can’t believe it is almost a year already since Barry’s passing and I want to again thank all of Barry’s friends for the support, knowledge, patience and understanding that have helped me and continue to help me through this new and trying  phase in my life and in business.

It’s vitally important that you increase the number of websites that link to your website. Doing this helps you steadily increase traffic and generate more sales. However, if you are to be successful, you must be sure that your website is good enough for someone to link to you.

So, how do you do that?

There is an old cliche that always rings true in the Internet world – “Content is king”.  And this is absolutely spot on.

You may be wondering how your content is related to our current topic of building link building, but there is a perfectly sound connection…

It is important that you have quality content on your website or other webmasters will most likely not want to trade links. Your website also needs to be informative and interesting, as this will increase the chance of getting a link from someone else.

Remember, links to your website are the building blocks to success, so it’s worth the effort to acquire them.

Now, let’s go over a small checklist of websites that would be good candidates for good link building:

* Websites with quality, related content.

* Websites that have higher PageRank than you currently have.

* Online directories like Yahoo and other business directories.

* Web 2.0 websites like Squidoo.com and Hubpages.com.

It’s no secret that Google (and other search engines) will list you higher in the search results for having a lot of quality inbound links. So, you should really concentrate on building quality links, which will do more for you than tinkering with Alt tags or any other onsite optimization.

The only downside is that building link popularity is not always easy to do. It tends to be a bit boring and tedious. Plus, it usually takes a big chunk of your time, which is probably why most people don’t like to do it.

Luckily for you, there is a solution!

A brand new search engine optimization tool just came out called SEO Equalizer. Not only is this software super easy to use, but it is also extremely affordable. I do suggest you pop over to the website and read all about it…

You can do so by going here:

http://bit.ly/dc2M1H

My son bought my a new hard drive for my PC since that one only had 80 gb, yea I know but when it was bought years ago it wasn’t  going to be use just for business.  Now that things have changed, I need more space so he bought me a 500 GB, which is great.

Once I put the new drive in and booted up my PC and installed my windows xp, things seemed to be going well.  I started doing the Windows updates and after the first set of the updates and the reboot, my monitor was totally messed up.  So I rebooted again, but it didn’t fix it.  I went and got my disk that came with my monitor, no download/install files on it, it just had the manual on it.  So I found it on the their website but my computer would not unzip it. 

 I made sure to add the pc back to “My Network Places”, went to my laptop, downloaded and unzipped the files the put a copy in My Network Places and I got my monitor back.

 I also did a back up of my old hard drive but after I did the restore, none of the files seemed to show up even though I said to put them in their original place.  Well so I started doing them one folder at a time, thought that would make it easier on the computer and in the report it gave after it was done, I saw that yes they were put in their original place, Windows just decided to take the long way there.  When I check the files using the long way, everything was there.  By this time I was getting tired but I didn’t go to bed because I wanted to get this done.

But late yesterday after getting all the updates and downloads done I realized that my “Program Files” were not included in the backup even though “C” drive was clicked so today I will reconnect my old hard drive and and check it for anything else I or the back up might have missed, then I wipe it out.

 This month I also did 3 adswaps and have 1 more set for the 31st.  That is the most I’ve done so far.  I think that I need to start working on a new squeeze page so that one doesn’t get used too much.

I had my bankruptcy hearing today, went as expected.  I’m still screwed but it will clear some things off my credit history in time I guess.

My friend that took me there stopped so I could buy some beer.  The store didn’t have my usually brand of Rolling Rock so  I bought 12 Budweisers, which is the brand I use to drink until they pissed me off by selling to InBev, which months after I switch to Rolling Rock I found out it is owned by AB which InBev bought so either way they are still getting my money.

Oh well crap happens lol  Like I don’t know that already.  Yes I know it is before 5pm but I’m drinking already and it feels good.

Thanks to my Action Planner I’m getting so much done and without the added stress of not knowing what I need or should be doing.

I got a new squeeze page set up with and OTO added today for a new adswap that I will be doing later this month.  Only took my about 4 hours but I seemed to know what I needed to do to get everything set up right with my pages, aweber list, download links etc.

And at the last minute I remembered I needed to add an OTO to my gift for the SI4 giveaway which starts in the morning.  Only took me 45 min. to edit the page!

I’m feeling really good about things now and I’m in a “I am woman, hear me roar!” mood after finishing up the squeeze page for my adswap.  I can do this, I know I can now.  What a difference my mood and attitude are since the “fog” of Barry’s sudden death has lifted.

Well last night was a quiet night.  I had a couple of drinks, ate some food, watched a movie then went to bed.

But this morning something had come over me…..a new attitude and the fog has started to life from my brain.  This morning I realized that this is no longer Barry’s business that I’m taking over, but it is now MY business and I need to start making it mine.  Yes Barry started it but I’m not him, so I need to stop stumbling about and stressing about not knowing as much as he did.

Last week I moved some of my office upstairs since my son is living downstairs and to make it more convenient for me, also my laptop was getting full.  I moved it into one of the spare bedrooms and now have a window to look out of and a dedicated space to work from because I was getting tired of spending all day/night sitting on the couch working.  I also made my PC wireless, which is really great. 

I love my new office and now with my new attitude and resolve to make this work, I will be just fine now.  I just finished reading and printed out  Gary Simpson’s “The Internet Marketing Mindset”  and have printed out a copy of his Action Planner.   I met Gary on Skype a few months back and he has been just great, in fact all of the people I’ve met on Skype  and/or have met because of Barry’s death have been great.  But now it is time for me to get off my butt and do what I need to do.

So here is to 2010 being a great year!!

Christmas wasn’t too bad this year, though a few days before I had another mini-meltdown but then things didn’t seem so bad.  In fact November was harder than December to get through.  Even though I know that I will have good days and bad days, when I have good days sometimes I feel a bit guilty for being in a good mood.

I joined the Self Improvement4 giveaway.  Giveaways have been hit and miss for me but I will get better the more I do things.  Here’s the link if you want to check it out.

http://bit.ly/8m9wmN

Are You Making These Top Three Affiliate Marketing Mistakes?

If you’re new to affiliate marketing, there are a few things that you need to know about marketing your affiliate products – because if you get these wrong, chances are, you’re never going to make more than a few sales.

Affiliate Marketing Mistake #1: Choosing the Wrong Product

This is a biggie, and probably one of the biggest mistakes that new affiliate marketers make.  How do you choose the best affiliate products?

There are several ways.  You could choose products based on their popularity (check out clickbank to see what I mean.)  Or you could choose products based around your current business.  (For example, if you run a business such as a beauty parlor, you could find a number of affiliate products…what about a book on hairstyles for weddings, or proms or braids?  Or you could sell a beauty book, or a book on skin care.  There are also physical products that you could sell.  The point is to look for affiliate products that complement what you’re already selling.

You could also choose affiliate products based on how much commission you’ll make – but think carefully before choosing this as your top method of deciding what products you want to sell.  Finding quality products should always be your top concern – because if the products you’re selling are garbage, the end result is that while you might make sales, you’re also going to get lots of refund requests – which means you’ll end up in the hole.

Affiliate Marketing Mistake #2: Marketing the Product the Wrong Way

We’ve all seen the ads that say “Make a Million Dollars with No Product and No Website” – those ads are usually about affiliate marketing.

But think about it for a minute.  If you could REALLY do that – wouldn’t everybody be doing it?  That old saying that “if something sounds too good to be true then it probably is” holds true when it comes to affiliate marketing.

The best way to market any affiliate product is to sell it where the customers are.  Which means that you need to know who your prospective customers are.  You need to find out as much information about them as possible – what they want, what their greatest fears are, what solution they’re looking for.  Then you need to know where they shop – if your affiliate marketing product is for consumers, then you’ll want to know where your prospect shops, what magazines they read or what Internet pages they visit.  Where do they hang out?  If you’re selling to business owners, then you’ll have to find out where they do business at.  And again, market your affiliate products there.

Affiliate Marketing Mistake #3: Not Writing the Right Kind of Sales Copy

Although it’s not absolutely necessary to hire a professional copywriter (especially if you’re just starting out and money is tight), it is necessary that you learn the basics about copywriting and write sales copy that will appeal to your market.

One of the first things you need to do is to “Continue the conversation that your prospect is already having inside their head.  That means that you need to know what kind of questions your prospect has about your affiliate product – and make sure that you’re answering them.  Think about what kinds of objections your prospect might have, and find a way of answering them, too.

Add social proof. (This means you want to show that other people have bought the product and love it.)  When you’re selling affiliate products, the really good marketers will provide you with testimonies that you can use, along with sales copy, email copy, etc.  (This is great because it’s often been written by a professional copywriter who understands the market.)

However, even if you’re given a sales page or email blasts to send out to your list, you don’t want to use it word for word.  Make a few changes it – give it your own original touch.  Make it fresh and original so that your prospect doesn’t see the exact same ad somewhere else – you’ll lose credibility if that happens.

If you’re offering a bonus for someone to buy your affiliate product, make sure that the bonus goes along with the product. Don’t give away recipes if you’re selling a book about hair care.  Make sure your bonus relates to the product and is useful to your prospect.  (For example, you could write your own Ebook that tells how to get the most out of the affiliate product.  That’s something that no one else will be able to sell, because it’s yours.

Whatever you do, when it comes to affiliate marketing, it’s easy to avoid making the three biggest marketing mistakes just by doing a little thinking and strategic planning before you get started.  And the truth is, you can make a very good living just from selling affiliate products, as long as you do it the right way.  Good luck!

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Thieves are a problem out in the brick and mortar world is for business owners and thieves are a concern for cyberspace business owners. Out in the brick and mortar world, thieves will take money and merchandise and it isn’t any different online. The real world merchants use locks and alarms to deter thieves. Internet business owners need to use anti-theft software to protect their commissions. Here are some things you can do to protect yourself and your commissions:

1. Use Meta Refresh: A meta refresh is a simple bit of HTML code which automatically redirects your visitor to another page (your affiliate URL). It provides a neat way of presenting affiliate links in newsletters. It probably helps reduce commission bypassing and commission hijacking. A big advantage of using meta refreshes is that if merchants change their affiliate links, you can change links on dozens of pages quickly and easily by altering only one file.

One problem is that some search engines don’t like meta refreshes because they’re frequently used for unsavory purposes. So if you use this technique, use it with caution.

2. Use a URL redirection service. You can use free services or buy a unique domain name for each affiliate program you join. URL redirection makes affiliate links less obvious, so this will reduce some commission thefts.

3. Use a web-based ad tracking service. The ad tracking link initially hides the affiliate link, reducing thefts.

4. Use an ad tracking script. Good ad tracking scripts hide the affiliate link as well as being useful for tracking. It has the advantage that it doesn’t promote someone else’s domain.

5. Use JavaScript redirect. Because this initially hides the affiliate link, it should reduce commission thefts.

Be aware that thievery is a problem for online businesses and take the necessary steps to protect your commissions.

I just got this link from a friend after he asked me how I was doing and told him that things have been a bit rough lately.  It is a great video and very inspiring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ZuKF3dxCY