HomeBusinessWiz.com

What's the difference between an add-on domain and a sub-domain?

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:16:51 -0800

Addon Domains are domain names that point to subdirectories within your account. You first need to purchase a new Domain name then point it to your hosting companie's dns servers. The url will look like www.newdomain.com This feature must be enabled for your account before you can use it. Addon Domains will not be functional unless the domain name is registered with a valid registrar and configured to point to the DNS servers. The path to this will be public_html/newdomain A Sub-domain is a sub-folder in public_html but you don't need to register a new domain name. Just create a sub-domain using cPanel. Your url will look like www.subdomain.maindomain. If you wish to grant virtual ftp access to this subdomain, just create an FTP user with the same username as the subdomain base name that is listed inside the () in sub-domain maintenance list in cpanel. The path to this is public_html/sub-domain Source: 30 Day Challenge Forum

Review of Discover Your Inner "Mompreneur" Workbook

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:59:26 -0800

Andrea Coutu from ConsultantJournal.com has written a guide directed at moms who are interested in discovering ideas for work at home businesses. If becoming a "mompreneur" is something that intrigues you, but you don't know where to get started...then this guide is for you. Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur - For Moms will help you take stock of your own interests, skills, experiences, and personal strengths. Using the exercises and questionnaires in the workbook, you can start identifying themes and fields of work in line with your unique skills, interests and background. Once you have analysed this, the workbook helps you to start determining what kinds of businesses would be right for you. And of course, you need to assess your entrepreneurial spirit. As Andrea wisely points out, starting any business or financial endeavor involves some risk and may not be the best fit for you. Strengths of Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur - For Moms This workbook is strong on the process of self discovery. Andrea provides lots of worksheets and information on various fields of work - the type of information that you can probably find in any book on entrepreneurship. But what I think sets Andrea's workbook apart from the others are two things:

How to Write a Bio: New Bio Templates Added Today

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:24:54 -0800

I've just added some new professional bio templates at my How To Write a Bio site. The new bio templates are: Board Member Life Coach Business Coach Small Business Start-Up Small Business Owner (multiple businesses) Real Estate Agent (novice) These new templates are a result of "popular demand". If there's a bio template that YOU would like to see on the site (or if you just have a suggestion for me), just leave a comment for me below.

How can I make money on the Internet? Good question!

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:46:06 -0800

Just last week my brother asked me how he could make money on the Internet. My answer was this: There's lots of ways to make money on the Internet, and there's even more ways to LOSE money on the Internet. Scam artists are just waiting for you That's because there are so many scam artists just waiting for inexperienced people to respond to their "make money fast" schemes. These scam artists are very, very good at persuading unsuspecting folks to sign up for their program. And because it's so cheap to set up a website, the scam artists can have very convincing looking websites that make them look more legitimate than they are. Internet business requires high attention to detail The other thing that I told my brother is that all Internet businesses require a lot of work before they start making money, and a lot of attention to detail to maintain that success. ATTENTION TO DETAIL - something that my brother and I both know is not his strength. My brother's an idea person, a big picture thinker. Details bore him. At the very least, my brother would need to learn how to outsource (hire other people) the detail work. And for him, even doing that would require too much attention to detail. Are you suited to an Internet business? If you are the type of person who lets mail pile up, or can't be bothered to check bank statements to make sure all the charges are accurate, and if the idea of analyzing statistics makes your eyes glaze over...then an Internet business probably isn't for you.

Proper Legal Wording for Your Website

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:30:17 -0800

In this article, web master and Internet business owner Mark McGimpsey explains why you need legal disclaimers on your website, and why you must be very careful about the wording of those disclaimers.

Number 1 rule is that you must have those disclaimers present, to protect yourself.

Number 2 rule is that you better make sure that the wording is actually legal.

Mark uses wording that is licensed (you pay a fee) from former attorney turned Internet marketing guru Shawn Casey. You can click on the wording on Mark's website to see the actual wording (once you click, look for the words "Privacy Policy" and "Terms" in the top right corner of the page - as illustrated in the image above).

But remember - you can't just copy the wording. You need to purchase a license. And please do your own due diligence: get the wording checked by a qualified Internet attorney to ensure it is appropriate for your use.

Push vs. Pull Marketing

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:52:47 -0800

Here's an important distinction: Push marketing: when you are pushing your business towards clients. Examples: cold calling, sales calls, chasing, writing proposals. Pull marketing: when you make your business so inherently valuable that clients are pulled towards you. Examples: speaking, writing, relationship building, providing resources.

What's the difference between Wordpress.org, Wordpress.com and WordpressDirect.com?

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:28:59 -0800

It's confusing enough to understand the difference between Wordpress.org and Wordpress.com (simply put, the ".com" is the hosted service, and ".org" is non-hosted service. If you don't know what that means, don't worry - I explain below). Now to confuse things even further, there is a third name to keep straight - "WordpressDirect.com". This is a new service that is currently being put through its paces by the tens of thousands of internet marketing newbies participating in Ed Dale's Thirty Day Challenge. Wordpress.org is where you can download Wordpress to use on your own hosting service, as well as download plugins. Wordpress.com hosts Wordpress blogs. Usage of this service is subject to their terms of service. For example, you are restricted as to what kind and how many advertisements or affiliate links you can put on your site. WordpressDirect.com is an independent service that offers a customized Wordpress installation on either your host or their servers as well as auto-content generation. They offer a free plan (forever free) and a $1 trial for a paid plan. What does "hosted on your own server" mean? When a blog is hosted on your own server, it means that you have purchased a domain name (e.g. homebusinesswiz.com) and paid for hosting. Examples of places where you can purchase a domain name are GoDaddy.com and NameCheap.com. Examples of places where you can purchase hosting are LivingDot.com (that's the company I use) or the company that you get your internet service from may also provide hosting. You can get domain names for $7 - 10 each. Rates for website hosting range depending on the features you want, but generally speaking expect to pay about $10 a month for a reliable web host with good customer support. Pros and cons of Wordpress.com, Wordpress.org and WordpressDirect.com? All three use the Wordpress software in different ways: With Wordpress.org, your blog or web site is hosted on your own server. Don't be put off by the ".org" in the name - your blog will be titled www.yourblogname.com or whatever domain name you have purchased. This is important, because it means that it is entirely at your control. Wordpress itself is blogging software that you can tweek and play with and place blogs onto your own domain names. Therefore it will cost you money to buy a domain and host it but you can then do whatever you like with it, such as upgrade it, theme it any way you like, add/subtract whatever plugins you like and add whatever content/links you decide are appropriate. So to summarize, Wordpress.org is the option where you get complete control over your site. That's the good news. The bad news is that you will need to register your own domain name and get paid hosting. Not only does this cost money, but it's more technically challenging than going with a hosted solution. Wordpress.com is a third party hosting of the Wordpress software. This also has good news and bad news. The good news is that it is free and easy to set up a Wordpress.com site. You don't have to buy a domain name (although you can if you want), and you don't have to pay for hosting because your blog is being hosted by Wordpress.com. Therefore, your website url will look like www.yourwebsitename.wordpress.com. The bad news about Wordpress.com is that it places some restrictions on what you can do with your blog, such as only allowing one affiliate link. An analogy would be that with a hosted solution like Wordpress.com you are swimming in the community swimming pool so you have to follow the community rules. If they say "no skinny dipping" then you can't do it. In contrast, a self-hosted site (which you get by purchasing your own domain name and hosting) is like a private swimming pool in your own backyard. If you want to go skinny dipping, it's entirely up to you! And what about WordpressDirect.com? (WPD) It is a hybrid service - offering hosted and self-hosted options - along with some additional features for a monthly fee. Essentially, WPD is an installer and admin tool. It has some admin functionality that you won't get elsewhere. So, you use WPD to install your Wordpress blog, after which you could cancel your WPD account, and your WordPress blog would still work. WPD also has a number of fancy features that can talk to your WordPress blog and change its database (e.g. add content automatically using the auto-posting feature). This is what I mean by "admin functionality". As such if you cancel your WPD account you lose access to these admin tools. However, you still can access the admin area of your Wordpress blog in the standard Wordpress admin area (accessible at yourblogdomain/wp-admin/ ) but some of the fancy features will not be there.

Make Money Teaching Your Passion

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:00:51 -0800

Teaching Sells is a comprehensive course that teaches you how to make money teaching your passion. The way you do it is to set up and run a membership site. What is a Membership Site? It's any website that provides something of value to customers on a subscription basis. For example: * Sock of the Month Club: A knitting supply seller sends out a new sock pattern and the wool needed to make it every month (this is a real club - I know someone who belongs to it!) * Discount Coupon Club: For $9 a month members get a whole bunch of shopping discount coupons that save them far more than their investment of $9 a month (again, this is a real club) * Coaching Club: You provide access to individual or group coaching via teleconference, "office hours", email or discussion forum (sometimes referred to as a "coaching gym" for its similarities to a physical fitness gym) * Retreat Planning Club: Members pay a monthly fee to receive access to your database of retreat workshop materials, and perhaps supplies as well (this is an idea that I am currently working on). * Premium Articles/Videos/Podcast: You generate high value content and listeners pay to access it. A big part of the appeal of membership sites is the interactive quality - unlike an ebook or CD set, clients get to ask questions, connect with other enthusiasts and compare notes on their progress. In the case of how-to or craft sites (like the Sock of the Month Club), they even get to display their finished projects. The ideas for creating membership websites are really endless - hence the excitement that so many coaches, consultants and teachers have for starting their own. Think about it - what do you love to teach? How would you like to make revenue each month teaching your passion? The power of the Internet and the relative ease of developing engaging multi-media content now makes that possible.

Which Webinar Service to Use?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:05:57 -0800

FreeConference.com now offers a new FREE teleconferencing screen share tool that works like a webinar. When you signup you need to choose the "FREE/Beta ScreenShare" feature. Several people I know have used GoToMeeting.com and think it provides a very handy tool at a reasonable price. It is easy to use and easy to set up. No prescheduling required. Another easy and low-cost option is StartVisuals.com. It starts up almost instantly and is very easy to use. It has also proven to be quite reliable for a low-cost platform. I have attended meetings on Intercall.com (they used to be named Raindance.com) and on Webex.com and found they work fine also. WebEx has the best feature set for small collaborative meetings. It doesn't take long to learn how to be productive, and impress your participants.The last time I checked, though, Intercall cost more than GoToMeeting (and Webex was way more) for the same service. When choosing a webinar service, try each service if at all possible -- there are differences which may affect your meetings. Tip: You will need a decent upload speed to show your desktop -- 256kb up will only work marginally, 512kb works well, 1,000kb or better is excellent for most webinar applications. Another thing to be aware of is that using VOIP (voice over internet, such as vonage or skype) can sometimes affect the quality of webinar reception. You may experience hiccups in reception if you or your participants use VOIP.

Freelance Writing Jobs

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:59:02 -0800

Here's a quick tip for all the freelance writers out there: check out Freelance Writing Jobs for daily updates on jobs for freelance writers. While you're there, you may also want to look at the very useful article listing 23 Places to Find Freelance Writing and Freelance Blogging Jobs. If you like what you see, be sure to bookmark the site. Better yet, subscribe to the feed so you get the freelance writing jobs delivered to you without delay.

Package Your Knowledge into Online Training Course

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:11:42 -0800

If you've ever considered packaging your knowledge into an online training course, then you'll want to check out Teaching Sells.

And don't delay... I just learned that Teaching Sells is closing the doors to new members at the end of July. That means there's only 1 week left to grab a spot at the current price.

I'm a Teaching Sells member and I think it's a terrific training program for anyone who likes to teach and wants to make money online.

What does Teaching Sells involve?

Well, it's 10 multi-media training courses that provide a roadmap to building your own successful training program or membership site. All of the training is provided using screencast videos along with print material. We all learn differently, but as a visual learner, for me learning from videos is the way to go.

Why do I like it?

What I like best about Teaching Sells is the access to instructors who answer your questions.

So, for example, if you are trying to figure out whether a particular idea will be marketable, you can explain your concept and get feedback. Or if you're trying to do something techy and it's not working, the instructors are there to help.

Even though I already know how to set up a membership site (that's what I did with my BACC program, and the Step-by-Step Coaching Business program - both now closed), I still find it worthwhile to belong to Teaching Sells. That's because there is lots more I want to learn how to do - create video presentations, for example. And get better at using interactive tools.

Another thing that I've found worthwhile for my $97 a month is that the instructors are right on top of all the latest tools for creating content and marketing courses. I've actually saved money by letting go of some of my paid services in favor of equally-good free services that I've learned about through Teaching Sells.

I figure that if the membership program saves me even one hour of scratching my head each month, that's my investment recouped.

Why is it a no-brainer?

Here's why I think trying out Teaching Sells is a no-brainer:

1) MONEY BACK TRIAL: you can try it out for 30 days and if it's not for you, simply cancel. You'll get your money back, and you'll never be charged again.

2) DOORS CLOSE JULY 31, 2008, and...

3) PRICE WILL NEVER BE THIS LOW AGAIN

What people are saying:

"One of the most compelling and viable approaches to a real online business I've come across." -- Darren Rowse, ProBlogger and co-founder of b5 Media

"If you want to really start making money online, Teaching Sells will tell you exactly what you need to know." -- Chris Garrett, new media consultant and Performancing co-founder

"The strategies described made me stop and rethink what I knew about making money online." -- Daniel Scocco, DailyBlogTips.com

"Internet Marketing for smart people." -- Yaro Starak, Entrepreneur's Journey

Click here for more information on Teaching Sells.

Unrepentant on Facebook? Expect jail time - CNN.com

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:37:34 -0800

Here's something for all of us who post stuff on the Internet to be aware of:

Online hangouts like Facebook and MySpace have offered crime-solving help to detectives and become a resource for employers vetting job applicants. Now the sites are proving fruitful for prosecutors, who have used damaging Internet photos of defendants to cast doubt on their character during sentencing hearings and argue for harsher punishment.

For the full story, go here.

Land More Clients With These 7 Homepage Tips (Homepage Booster for Debbie Payne)

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:46:21 -0800

by HomeBusinessWiz contributing writer Katja Bartholmess Hello again, Home Business Wizzes! In the last homepage booster we discussed the ways that fancy-shmancy web design can actually hurt your business. Today, let's look at the other side of the coin. I want to show you how even the simplest home page can help you land more clients - if you know the crucial homepage-boosting rules. Today's booster recipient, Debbie Payne, launched her leadership consulting company at the beginning of this year. She maintains her own website (www.dpleadership.com) using an inexpensive html template, but is considering an upgrade to a more professional platform down the road. Until she does, let's explore a few ways Debbie can make her existing site more client-friendly and search engine-friendly without spending a dime. And remember: my 7 point homepage critique is available to anyone with a company and a website. If you fall into that category and want to drum up more business, click here to get more info. There's no fee - just a suggested donation to a great charity. As you read the following critique, ask yourself how these comments could be used to hotrod your homepage. Let's do it!

Can You Choose Your Google Ads?

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:11:43 -0800

Google AdSense delivers great click-throughs and high revenues for one reason: the ads are targeted to what the user wants. (If you're new to Adsense is, click here for a beginner's guide to Adsense.) How does Google know what ads to put on your website? Google's robot picks out keywords on your page, gets a grip on what your website is about and delivers links that take users to sites that interest them. That's great news... up to a point. As much as you want your users to click on ads that look interesting, you might not want to trust to a robot to pick those ads - and you might prefer to have ads on your page that pay the highest amount possible for each click. But you don't get the choice. You can do lots of things to improve your AdSense revenue, from selecting the layout of your ad unit to choosing the color and size of the font, but one thing you can't do is slip into Google's database and choose the ads. If you could do that, no one would ever choose the low-paying ads. Tricks of the Adsense game That doesn't mean you can't do anything at all though. The fact is, some smart publishers have been noticing all sorts of interesting results after playing with their HTML code and changing some of the text on their Web page. And some of those results have been very surprising indeed. For example, some publishers have found that placing keywords in certain positions on the page can have an immediate effect on the ads served. The owner of a site about recreation vehicles then would be able to do a little research online to find the highest paying keywords in his area and then - if he knew where those hotspots were - he could place those keywords in the right areas on the page. In addition to the usual ads about camper vans and RV's that his site would receive, the publisher could be certain that at least one of the ads was the highest paying possible. That's the sort of knowledge that's worth money in your pocket. Why some areas of a Web page should be more important than others is a mystery well kept by Google's programmers. But some of Google's ad secrets are leaking out - and they're being snapped up by smart publishers who understand that knowledge and strategy are the key to massive AdSense revenues. For more Google AdSense tips, visit http://www.adsense-secrets.com Copyright © 2005 Joel Comm. All rights reserved

What is the Thirty Day Challenge?

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:06:11 -0800

by guest writer Darren The Thirty Day Challenge is a free training course that teaches you how to make your first $10 online. For a full 30 days master Internet marketers Ed Dale and Dan Raine teach you exactly how to start your own Internet business and generate your first income online without spending a dime. That's right, without spending a dime. The entire training program is free, and you won't have to spend a thing to get your business started and begin making money. No credit card required. The 2008 Thirty Day Challenge starts on August 1st, but pre-season started in June. I participated in last year's challenge and would like to share the lessons I learned. Here we go: Lesson #1. There is no way to know whether a particular idea will work or not. The only way is to test. This is a big lesson. I see so many newbies out there who don't test and track their results. If you're not testing and tracking, you won't know what works and what doesn't. For example, if you're into affiliate marketing, you must track where your referrals come from. If they come from search engines, then you need to see which phrases work best and focus on them.