Articles411.com Article Directory Featured Articles of Today!
A special feature to compliment our article directory site at http://articles411.comThursday, March 30, 2006
Lines, Butts and DOUBLE BUTTS
Lines, Butts and DOUBLE BUTTS
by Lin Stone
One of the perks I like best about writing is that I get to interview so many geniuses in the fields I am interested in. Thomas Massey was a genius at arranging tools and machines to set up an assembly line for small factories. He was rearranging a small plastics manufacturing company when I met him.
His system of improvement was deciding what must be done, and the best way of accomplishing that. The company had had one long assembly line with the start at one end and the finished product coming out the other end. After considering all the various products they were assembling Thomas had decided to rearrange the line so that it started at both ends and worked to the middle, then went out the side. There were also several short assembly lines that fed off to the other side. At that time he wasn't half finished with the changes and production had already doubled.
Then he showed me some stars and other symbols that were about two feet across. "So I came up with some new products for them to sell.
"First of all I developed a new way of slabbing the plastic from the original block, using a hot wire. It just melts right through it, cleanly and evenly. Then I use a pattern jig that moves another hot wire around the slab to create these symbols that nobody else has. There is virtually no waste."
Three years later the company told me that the symbols Thomas had worked on that one night now comprised 90% of their products.
Thomas Massey could move equipment weighing tons around in his mind, keeping the width, depth, and height completely balanced in his mind with any odd shapes and protuberances. For lesser mortals to understand what his plans would accomplish he had to show them how small models lined up. Then the response would be, "AHHH!"
Given the right lines opens up systematic reproductions. An Australian window manufacturer that I interviewed showed me a versatile curved line creator that allowed his workers to reproduce curved window frames to match the exact needs of architects around the world. "All they have to do is follow the line."
Using a system, one rations mixer showed me how to improvise an operation according to the permutations required. "No matter how many different feeds go into the mix if you only have one truck at that location then all you need is one operator for all the equipment being used. One man can park the truck, get on the loader and load all the feeds that go into the mix. It doesn't matter how short the delivery route is, having a second operator there to run the loader will not make sense financially.
"The length of the delivery route will determine the number of trucks that can run before you will be better off to have an extra operator to run the loader. Now you can figure it out mathematically from the office, but that can seldom take road conditions into consideration. However, if I'm standing there on the spot my eye knows that if one truck is waiting for one or more ahead of it to finish before it can move up then we need an operator for the loader. If the trucks are still stacking up then we need to add more operators until they quit stacking up."
Then he told me about the lines. "When the operator of a loader knows exactly where to stop then he can go twice as fast, no matter how many different places he is coming from. That's why the first thing I do is put visible tape lines on the ground that tell the drivers exactly where to park. As long as they are parking in the same spot every time I can have any number of trucks safely coming in. Operators can move to ten or fifteen different locations in a single day and because of those lines know exactly where to stop at each location without hitting the sides of any of the trucks."
Using unskilled labor one skid manufacturer made 121 different patterns as they were needed, sometimes as few as five at a time and hardly ever more than 30. He only had one man that he trusted to read the blueprints. This man would assemble the first prototype then the unskilled labor would follow that pattern exactly to reproduce as many copies as the order required. That was good as far as it went.
The only problem was that many times each day the crews would shut down while the man that could read the blueprints struggled to lay out another prototype for them. He would go from crew to crew and square everything up right in the middle of the floor.
Then one of the unskilled workers showed him how to lay out any prototype quickly and automatically square it up. He did it with lines. "These lines are always square. Therefore if you line up your prototype with them your prototype will always be square, automatically. By putting measurements on the lines you can square up the cross boards automatically too." From that day forward they never had another crew waiting around for the next prototype to be made.
After seeing the improvement that came from those lines the owner developed jigs and double-sided jigs for the end boards. "Push these jigs into place and the boards are butted automatically into the right place. Bingo. Nail her down."
What do you do when the untrained eye can't tell the difference?
That's when you give the untrained eye something that it can see.
One multi-million dollar plastics company had eighty nine different products with minute differentiating qualities that took months and even years for accurate recognition patterns to develop in new workers. Again and again the wrong products would be mixed with orders ready for shipment, necessitating long delays while Quality Control sorted out the mess.
After the company had struggled with the problem for years an untrained worker suggested that the foreman mark the different baskets with color-coded placards. Thereafter the products which collected in baskets with blue placards were deposited into larger baskets with the same blue placard on the side. People couldn't see any difference in the product, but the placard was visible and identifiable to everyone. Overnight the problem of mixed products went away and never happened again.
This same principle can help the blind to see and the deaf to hear.
Another problem that company had was the time and resources required for adequate quality control. Thirteen lines of inspectors would sort out the good and throw away the bad. When one product got isolated, the same untrained worker noticed that after the same machine had gone through three cycles then the quality control required had dropped progressively to almost nil. In other words, 99% of the bad products came from the first batch. But that didn't matter because the company had ALL of the product being dropped into the same basket and the bad product still had to be sorted out. Therefore he created a tool that he called a PREPONDERATOR.
His Preponderator let the production operator separate the first 100 product directly to an inspection line operator. Depending on results the Preponderator could be adjusted to give 90, 80 or 70 out of 100 products to the top inspection line operator. Again, depending on results and correction efforts in the manufacturing process, the Preponderator was adjusted to pull out fewer and fewer product from the production. For a final polish of quality control the untrained worker also suggested that the best inspection line operator work the first batch, then lesser skilled inspectors do the second, and then the general line do all the rest. As a result quality control actually improved drastically while greatly diminishing the time required.
Are there any lines, butts and double butts that can help you improve the efficiency of your production? Even in intensely creative work the answer is yes. Anything you do twice should only have to be done once. Creating my signature or resource box has always been my weakest part of every article. Finally I'd had enough working for nothing and began to hammer one out and kept it ready for insertion on any articles I wrote. No one signature works for every article so any time I feel constrained to create a new signature for a different article I save the new one too. Now I have eight POWERFUL signatures with clear cut purposes to choose from.
Here's another example: By filling out web pagees according to a formula -- table of text -- ad -- table of text -- ad I can produce ten in the time it once took me to produce one. For each section of all of my web sites I have the tables already set up on a MAKE READY PAGE. In the first table I patch in up to 200 words. In each succeeding table I patch in up to 400 words. At the most it takes only five minutes to have a new article patched in -- and that includes making the header and patching in the author's essential resources. Yes, there is software out there that will do this for me automatically, but when it finishes you've either got lopsided pages -- or thoughts have been broken up and continuity destroyed.
My Make Ready Page for each section is also set up so that I can change the background for every article in the entire section with one little click.
When you save time you make money. Maybe you're not a Thomas Massey, but you can still draw out a representation of the challenges in your life and work methodically to clear them. The results are definitely worth it.
Independently less than wealthy, Lin Stone offers you:
Professional help for your writing
Publishing FREE books
that are PRICELESS!
Free
Adventure Kits from Every State and shows you how to
protect everything you should insure.
Posted for Lin by http://Articles411.com Webmaster, Laurie Meade
Article Source: http://articles411.com
by Lin Stone
One of the perks I like best about writing is that I get to interview so many geniuses in the fields I am interested in. Thomas Massey was a genius at arranging tools and machines to set up an assembly line for small factories. He was rearranging a small plastics manufacturing company when I met him.
His system of improvement was deciding what must be done, and the best way of accomplishing that. The company had had one long assembly line with the start at one end and the finished product coming out the other end. After considering all the various products they were assembling Thomas had decided to rearrange the line so that it started at both ends and worked to the middle, then went out the side. There were also several short assembly lines that fed off to the other side. At that time he wasn't half finished with the changes and production had already doubled.
Then he showed me some stars and other symbols that were about two feet across. "So I came up with some new products for them to sell.
"First of all I developed a new way of slabbing the plastic from the original block, using a hot wire. It just melts right through it, cleanly and evenly. Then I use a pattern jig that moves another hot wire around the slab to create these symbols that nobody else has. There is virtually no waste."
Three years later the company told me that the symbols Thomas had worked on that one night now comprised 90% of their products.
Thomas Massey could move equipment weighing tons around in his mind, keeping the width, depth, and height completely balanced in his mind with any odd shapes and protuberances. For lesser mortals to understand what his plans would accomplish he had to show them how small models lined up. Then the response would be, "AHHH!"
Given the right lines opens up systematic reproductions. An Australian window manufacturer that I interviewed showed me a versatile curved line creator that allowed his workers to reproduce curved window frames to match the exact needs of architects around the world. "All they have to do is follow the line."
Using a system, one rations mixer showed me how to improvise an operation according to the permutations required. "No matter how many different feeds go into the mix if you only have one truck at that location then all you need is one operator for all the equipment being used. One man can park the truck, get on the loader and load all the feeds that go into the mix. It doesn't matter how short the delivery route is, having a second operator there to run the loader will not make sense financially.
"The length of the delivery route will determine the number of trucks that can run before you will be better off to have an extra operator to run the loader. Now you can figure it out mathematically from the office, but that can seldom take road conditions into consideration. However, if I'm standing there on the spot my eye knows that if one truck is waiting for one or more ahead of it to finish before it can move up then we need an operator for the loader. If the trucks are still stacking up then we need to add more operators until they quit stacking up."
Then he told me about the lines. "When the operator of a loader knows exactly where to stop then he can go twice as fast, no matter how many different places he is coming from. That's why the first thing I do is put visible tape lines on the ground that tell the drivers exactly where to park. As long as they are parking in the same spot every time I can have any number of trucks safely coming in. Operators can move to ten or fifteen different locations in a single day and because of those lines know exactly where to stop at each location without hitting the sides of any of the trucks."
Using unskilled labor one skid manufacturer made 121 different patterns as they were needed, sometimes as few as five at a time and hardly ever more than 30. He only had one man that he trusted to read the blueprints. This man would assemble the first prototype then the unskilled labor would follow that pattern exactly to reproduce as many copies as the order required. That was good as far as it went.
The only problem was that many times each day the crews would shut down while the man that could read the blueprints struggled to lay out another prototype for them. He would go from crew to crew and square everything up right in the middle of the floor.
Then one of the unskilled workers showed him how to lay out any prototype quickly and automatically square it up. He did it with lines. "These lines are always square. Therefore if you line up your prototype with them your prototype will always be square, automatically. By putting measurements on the lines you can square up the cross boards automatically too." From that day forward they never had another crew waiting around for the next prototype to be made.
After seeing the improvement that came from those lines the owner developed jigs and double-sided jigs for the end boards. "Push these jigs into place and the boards are butted automatically into the right place. Bingo. Nail her down."
What do you do when the untrained eye can't tell the difference?
That's when you give the untrained eye something that it can see.
One multi-million dollar plastics company had eighty nine different products with minute differentiating qualities that took months and even years for accurate recognition patterns to develop in new workers. Again and again the wrong products would be mixed with orders ready for shipment, necessitating long delays while Quality Control sorted out the mess.
After the company had struggled with the problem for years an untrained worker suggested that the foreman mark the different baskets with color-coded placards. Thereafter the products which collected in baskets with blue placards were deposited into larger baskets with the same blue placard on the side. People couldn't see any difference in the product, but the placard was visible and identifiable to everyone. Overnight the problem of mixed products went away and never happened again.
This same principle can help the blind to see and the deaf to hear.
Another problem that company had was the time and resources required for adequate quality control. Thirteen lines of inspectors would sort out the good and throw away the bad. When one product got isolated, the same untrained worker noticed that after the same machine had gone through three cycles then the quality control required had dropped progressively to almost nil. In other words, 99% of the bad products came from the first batch. But that didn't matter because the company had ALL of the product being dropped into the same basket and the bad product still had to be sorted out. Therefore he created a tool that he called a PREPONDERATOR.
His Preponderator let the production operator separate the first 100 product directly to an inspection line operator. Depending on results the Preponderator could be adjusted to give 90, 80 or 70 out of 100 products to the top inspection line operator. Again, depending on results and correction efforts in the manufacturing process, the Preponderator was adjusted to pull out fewer and fewer product from the production. For a final polish of quality control the untrained worker also suggested that the best inspection line operator work the first batch, then lesser skilled inspectors do the second, and then the general line do all the rest. As a result quality control actually improved drastically while greatly diminishing the time required.
Are there any lines, butts and double butts that can help you improve the efficiency of your production? Even in intensely creative work the answer is yes. Anything you do twice should only have to be done once. Creating my signature or resource box has always been my weakest part of every article. Finally I'd had enough working for nothing and began to hammer one out and kept it ready for insertion on any articles I wrote. No one signature works for every article so any time I feel constrained to create a new signature for a different article I save the new one too. Now I have eight POWERFUL signatures with clear cut purposes to choose from.
Here's another example: By filling out web pagees according to a formula -- table of text -- ad -- table of text -- ad I can produce ten in the time it once took me to produce one. For each section of all of my web sites I have the tables already set up on a MAKE READY PAGE. In the first table I patch in up to 200 words. In each succeeding table I patch in up to 400 words. At the most it takes only five minutes to have a new article patched in -- and that includes making the header and patching in the author's essential resources. Yes, there is software out there that will do this for me automatically, but when it finishes you've either got lopsided pages -- or thoughts have been broken up and continuity destroyed.
My Make Ready Page for each section is also set up so that I can change the background for every article in the entire section with one little click.
When you save time you make money. Maybe you're not a Thomas Massey, but you can still draw out a representation of the challenges in your life and work methodically to clear them. The results are definitely worth it.
Independently less than wealthy, Lin Stone offers you:
Professional help for your writing
Publishing FREE books
that are PRICELESS!
Free
Adventure Kits from Every State and shows you how to
protect everything you should insure.
Posted for Lin by http://Articles411.com Webmaster, Laurie Meade
Article Source: http://articles411.com
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
I Do Not Know What To Write!
I Do Not Know What To Write!
by Justin Brown
A topic that often arises through discussions on message boards and forums is how authors are able to write tens, hundreds, and even thousands of articles, when others find it difficult to write more than a couple.
What many people do not realize is that there are several places where you can find ideas for articles instantly, and in fact half of the work is already done for you!
With the internet being a central location for information, and expanding with content by the bucket load every day, your topic will have been covered by someone else already to some extent. Now the key here is to locate this information and to improve on it in your own way. You certainly should not simply plagiarize another author’s work, but could for example do the following:
- Read the article and note what it is trying to inform you
- Write down any other information you can think of that would compliment the content
- Compare what you have learnt from the article in comparison to what you were expecting to learn beforehand. Areas that have not been covered should be in your article.
These are just 3 simple things you can try to get your creative juices flowing. Writing on a subject that you know, and one that you have an avid interest and enjoyment in, is certainly the easiest subject to write about, but this is not always possible.
One of the key areas to writing in those situations is to improve on existing content, as I have mentioned, but where do you find this information in the first place?
This is very simple and anyone can do it. The main way many of us navigate the internet and find what we are after is by using search engines. Perform a few searches on your topic and see what you find. Other great resources come in the form of article directories. These hubs of information can literally provide an unlimited amount of ideas for articles on hundreds of topics.
Articles can be in varying length. You do not need to sit down and write 1000 word reports on your topic. An informative 500-word article is suffice. The necessity is in writing content that is in some way valuable to the reader.
More ideas can be triggered by partaking in, or just visiting, discussion groups. Google and Yahoo both provide places where you can find out subjects that are being discussed, which topics are popular, and any questions that are prominent from these discussions. This will provide you with an idea of what information is being sought.
Check out websites that provide regular news updates. Keeping current with up-to-date news topics can help you to find an area that is worth writing about.
Maybe you have a mailing list that you can contact. If this is the case, then send out a quick email asking them what they would like to know on a certain topic. Similarly, create a poll on your website to obtain the same results.
Comparable to discussion groups, forums can also provide viewpoints from many individuals. You may also regularly take part in a forum. Why not submit a post stating your desire to write about a certain subject, and ask for opinions on what areas would be beneficial to cover.
Here I've highlighted several places where you can start if you are having trouble finding topics to write about. Remember, writing articles does not have to be difficult nor time-consuming. Set out with a plan of what you want your article to achieve, and what you want your article to inform the reader about, and you'll be churning out informative articles in no time!
Justin Brown maintains the website http://www.articleblotter.com and enjoys writing articles relating to article marketing. We encourage you to visit the site and submit articles if you choose to, or browse the many features that are already added to the site to help you online. You can also check out the article blotter blog for marketing news and updates.
Get Free Articles at: http://www.articles-submit.com
Courtesy of:Article Blotter
Article Source: http://articles411.com
by Justin Brown
A topic that often arises through discussions on message boards and forums is how authors are able to write tens, hundreds, and even thousands of articles, when others find it difficult to write more than a couple.
What many people do not realize is that there are several places where you can find ideas for articles instantly, and in fact half of the work is already done for you!
With the internet being a central location for information, and expanding with content by the bucket load every day, your topic will have been covered by someone else already to some extent. Now the key here is to locate this information and to improve on it in your own way. You certainly should not simply plagiarize another author’s work, but could for example do the following:
- Read the article and note what it is trying to inform you
- Write down any other information you can think of that would compliment the content
- Compare what you have learnt from the article in comparison to what you were expecting to learn beforehand. Areas that have not been covered should be in your article.
These are just 3 simple things you can try to get your creative juices flowing. Writing on a subject that you know, and one that you have an avid interest and enjoyment in, is certainly the easiest subject to write about, but this is not always possible.
One of the key areas to writing in those situations is to improve on existing content, as I have mentioned, but where do you find this information in the first place?
This is very simple and anyone can do it. The main way many of us navigate the internet and find what we are after is by using search engines. Perform a few searches on your topic and see what you find. Other great resources come in the form of article directories. These hubs of information can literally provide an unlimited amount of ideas for articles on hundreds of topics.
Articles can be in varying length. You do not need to sit down and write 1000 word reports on your topic. An informative 500-word article is suffice. The necessity is in writing content that is in some way valuable to the reader.
More ideas can be triggered by partaking in, or just visiting, discussion groups. Google and Yahoo both provide places where you can find out subjects that are being discussed, which topics are popular, and any questions that are prominent from these discussions. This will provide you with an idea of what information is being sought.
Check out websites that provide regular news updates. Keeping current with up-to-date news topics can help you to find an area that is worth writing about.
Maybe you have a mailing list that you can contact. If this is the case, then send out a quick email asking them what they would like to know on a certain topic. Similarly, create a poll on your website to obtain the same results.
Comparable to discussion groups, forums can also provide viewpoints from many individuals. You may also regularly take part in a forum. Why not submit a post stating your desire to write about a certain subject, and ask for opinions on what areas would be beneficial to cover.
Here I've highlighted several places where you can start if you are having trouble finding topics to write about. Remember, writing articles does not have to be difficult nor time-consuming. Set out with a plan of what you want your article to achieve, and what you want your article to inform the reader about, and you'll be churning out informative articles in no time!
Justin Brown maintains the website http://www.articleblotter.com and enjoys writing articles relating to article marketing. We encourage you to visit the site and submit articles if you choose to, or browse the many features that are already added to the site to help you online. You can also check out the article blotter blog for marketing news and updates.
Get Free Articles at: http://www.articles-submit.com
Courtesy of:Article Blotter
Article Source: http://articles411.com
Sunday, March 26, 2006
The Top 5 Secrets of an Article Marketing Superstar
The Top 5 Secrets of an Article Marketing Superstar
by Scott Fromherz
By now you've probably heard about article marketing. If not, then read my article, "Stop Working For Google And Start Making Google Work For You." There you will find a succinct introduction to the topic.
Article marketing is, by far, the best way to get free traffic to your website. But there are tricks to making it work even better. Here are the top 5 secrets to making yourself an Article Marketing Superstar:
1. Grab Your Readers Attention with Catchy Headlines
As good advertisers and journalists know, the best way to get your article read is to create a catchy headline. An easy way to do this is to put yourself in the reader’s shoes. If the headline motivates you to read on, then it is probably worthy.
2. Repeat Your... Repeat Your... Repeat Your Keywords
Ignore what your English teacher told you. Good article marketing repeats important keywords frequently. The more you repeat your keywords, the more search engines will target your site for those specific keywords. (Just look at how many times I used the word "keywords" in this paragraph - 5 times in 5 sentences.)
3. Content Quantity is King
Write multiple articles and post them frequently. Some say writing multiple articles per day is helpful. Other say to space it out and post a few articles per week. Regardless, the more articles you post, the more links you get. The more links you get, the higher your page gets ranked and the more traffic you get.
4. Article Submission Site Quality is Key
Post your articles to article submission sites that are ranked high in Google. Google ranks sites using something called PageRank (PR for short). PR ranges from 1 to 10 with 1 being less important than 10. Try to post your articles to high PR sites. By doing this, your page's PR will be higher because of the high quality links to your site. You can install the "Google toolbar" in your browser to check PRs.
5. Make Sure Your Links Don't Stink
Make sure that the links in your article's resource box are active. Each article submission site has its own protocol for making your links active and some sites don't even make your links active. Most sites require that you include the full URL to your site including the "http://" part. I would recommend always including the http:// in your URLs, but read the site's instructions carefully and check your article after it has been posted.
It goes without saying that regardless of the techniques that you use, one of the best secrets of article marketing is to write informative articles. You may not be a very good writer, but that doesn't matter. The most important thing is that you give readers information. The more information the better. Pack your articles full of interesting tidbits and data. If you just post fluff, your articles may not even get approved.
So I hope these techniques help, and I'll see you at the top when you become an ARTICLE MARKETING SUPERSTAR.
Scott Fromherz owns and operates multiple websites. Submit articles for free at his article submission site, Article Advocate ( http://www.ArticleAdvocate.com ).
Article Source: http://articles411.com
by Scott Fromherz
By now you've probably heard about article marketing. If not, then read my article, "Stop Working For Google And Start Making Google Work For You." There you will find a succinct introduction to the topic.
Article marketing is, by far, the best way to get free traffic to your website. But there are tricks to making it work even better. Here are the top 5 secrets to making yourself an Article Marketing Superstar:
1. Grab Your Readers Attention with Catchy Headlines
As good advertisers and journalists know, the best way to get your article read is to create a catchy headline. An easy way to do this is to put yourself in the reader’s shoes. If the headline motivates you to read on, then it is probably worthy.
2. Repeat Your... Repeat Your... Repeat Your Keywords
Ignore what your English teacher told you. Good article marketing repeats important keywords frequently. The more you repeat your keywords, the more search engines will target your site for those specific keywords. (Just look at how many times I used the word "keywords" in this paragraph - 5 times in 5 sentences.)
3. Content Quantity is King
Write multiple articles and post them frequently. Some say writing multiple articles per day is helpful. Other say to space it out and post a few articles per week. Regardless, the more articles you post, the more links you get. The more links you get, the higher your page gets ranked and the more traffic you get.
4. Article Submission Site Quality is Key
Post your articles to article submission sites that are ranked high in Google. Google ranks sites using something called PageRank (PR for short). PR ranges from 1 to 10 with 1 being less important than 10. Try to post your articles to high PR sites. By doing this, your page's PR will be higher because of the high quality links to your site. You can install the "Google toolbar" in your browser to check PRs.
5. Make Sure Your Links Don't Stink
Make sure that the links in your article's resource box are active. Each article submission site has its own protocol for making your links active and some sites don't even make your links active. Most sites require that you include the full URL to your site including the "http://" part. I would recommend always including the http:// in your URLs, but read the site's instructions carefully and check your article after it has been posted.
It goes without saying that regardless of the techniques that you use, one of the best secrets of article marketing is to write informative articles. You may not be a very good writer, but that doesn't matter. The most important thing is that you give readers information. The more information the better. Pack your articles full of interesting tidbits and data. If you just post fluff, your articles may not even get approved.
So I hope these techniques help, and I'll see you at the top when you become an ARTICLE MARKETING SUPERSTAR.
Scott Fromherz owns and operates multiple websites. Submit articles for free at his article submission site, Article Advocate ( http://www.ArticleAdvocate.com ).
Article Source: http://articles411.com
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Put Signature Files to Work for You
Put Signature Files to Work for You
by Benjamin Hartsuff
Using signature files to market your home business is a both extremely informative and inexpensive. Simply defined, a signature file is a little blurb at the end of your submission that contains information about you and your business. They are most popularly used at the end of emails and at the end of a post to a forum or newsgroup. (With the latter, however, you must always check the Terms and Conditions—some forums and newsgroups that are moderated frown on or prohibit self-promotion.)
It is suggested that six lines be the absolute limit when using signature files to market your home business. Six lines may not seem like enough to describe how wonderful you and your business are, but when used to their fullest potential, your point will be loud and clear. Keep in mind you want a combination of both business promotion and all important contact information. Find a way to include your name, title, business/company name, contact numbers (phone and/or fax), and/or the address of your website, as well as a advantage or two offered by your business/company and maybe even a catchy tagline. The following is a good example of a signature file:
LeeAnn Gilman
Owner, Gilman’s Dust Bunnies
“If you’ve got a mess, we clean the best!”
(555) 555-555
gilman@dustbunnies.com
www.dustbunnies.com
Remember, you do not have to spend too many lines promoting your business, just as you don’t have to include every contact number and address. Once potential customers or clients visit your company website they will have access to much more information about your business and several different ways to contact you or another employee.
If you are on a budget, using signature files to market your home business is an ideal tactic in promoting yourself. Stick one onto the end of every email and possibly every post and you will be well on your way to getting your company out there in the public’s eye!
Sources/References:
http://www.marketingterms.com/dictionary/sig_file/
http://www.grantasticdesigns.com/signaturefiles.html
http://www.accordmarketing.com/tid/archive/signature.html
By Benjamin Hartsuff
for more details on work at home www.wealthcashflow.com
Article Source: http://articles411.com
by Benjamin Hartsuff
Using signature files to market your home business is a both extremely informative and inexpensive. Simply defined, a signature file is a little blurb at the end of your submission that contains information about you and your business. They are most popularly used at the end of emails and at the end of a post to a forum or newsgroup. (With the latter, however, you must always check the Terms and Conditions—some forums and newsgroups that are moderated frown on or prohibit self-promotion.)
It is suggested that six lines be the absolute limit when using signature files to market your home business. Six lines may not seem like enough to describe how wonderful you and your business are, but when used to their fullest potential, your point will be loud and clear. Keep in mind you want a combination of both business promotion and all important contact information. Find a way to include your name, title, business/company name, contact numbers (phone and/or fax), and/or the address of your website, as well as a advantage or two offered by your business/company and maybe even a catchy tagline. The following is a good example of a signature file:
LeeAnn Gilman
Owner, Gilman’s Dust Bunnies
“If you’ve got a mess, we clean the best!”
(555) 555-555
gilman@dustbunnies.com
www.dustbunnies.com
Remember, you do not have to spend too many lines promoting your business, just as you don’t have to include every contact number and address. Once potential customers or clients visit your company website they will have access to much more information about your business and several different ways to contact you or another employee.
If you are on a budget, using signature files to market your home business is an ideal tactic in promoting yourself. Stick one onto the end of every email and possibly every post and you will be well on your way to getting your company out there in the public’s eye!
Sources/References:
http://www.marketingterms.com/dictionary/sig_file/
http://www.grantasticdesigns.com/signaturefiles.html
http://www.accordmarketing.com/tid/archive/signature.html
By Benjamin Hartsuff
for more details on work at home www.wealthcashflow.com
Article Source: http://articles411.com
Thursday, March 23, 2006
4 Strategies You Can Use to Build Momentum
4 Strategies You Can Use to Build Momentum
for Home Business Right Away
by John Purfield
Be honest with yourself. Are you one of those people who believe that you just don’t have the time to get your home business up and running? You’re not alone. Many people I talk to claim they have too much to do and not enough time to do it. They wind up giving up on their business before they even start.
Full time jobs, family obligations, maintaining health and too many other distractions are the main reasons for not building momentum for their business. You can wind up feeling that your life is spent catering to every one else’s obligations.
However, I have some good news! You can find and maximize time to build momentum for your home business. All you need is to find time and commit to using that time for your home business only. Try the following strategies to make your home based business flourish.
Document Your Daily Routine
The first thing you will need to do find a quiet place and write down your schedule. Document the start and end time on events like getting ready for work, driving your kids to school, your commute to your day job, gym time and any other weekly commitments you have. Don’t forget to include weekends and family time (this is most important).
After completing this exercise you should have a good visual of what your work week looks like. You should see openings in your week. Make your goal easy: try to find two hours you can commit to spending on your business. You should be able to re-prioritize some time.
Stay with the Schedule You Created and Re-Evaluate
The next thing you need to do is stick with your schedule. This can be tough because you are creating a new habit. Once you get the hang of your new routine, you should always re-evaluate your schedule. You may be able to find more time to spend on your home business.
Sticking with your schedule means you need to discipline yourself to work. This means that you have to find a way after work, after little league games, after dinner and after putting the kids to bed.
Don’t Forget Your Family.
Spending time with my family is always a top priority for me. I have young children so I try to focus on the business when my kids are in bed. I find that using the evening hours is best for me to spend on my home business. It seems to be the most quiet part of the day.
If you have to use your family time to spend on your business, make sure you communicate with your family so they have an expectation of what you are doing. However, I would recommend that you set a time limit so you can spend the time you want with your family. This will provide balance for you.
Embrace Distractions
As we all know life also throws us off schedule. Try your best to embrace that fact instead of fighting it. If your child stays up late, focus on helping your child quiet down and go to sleep. Try not to focus on what you could be doing. Don’t worry. The work will still be there when you are ready.
If you have to stay late at your day job, that’s okay. Usually, you’ll find that it is better just to focus on one thing at a time. You’ll be more efficient and effective. Having a clear and guilt free mind while working on your business is most productive.
To handle new ideas that can distract you while you are working, keep an MP3 Recorder handy so if an idea comes up you can record it or write down the idea in a notebook. You can always prioritize those thoughts at a later time. You will use less energy dealing with distractions instead of fighting them.
So there is good news when it comes to finding time to work on your own business. Don’t despair and don’t get frustrated. Just remember that you have total control of your time and you alone can change your habits to build your businesses momentum.
John Purfield is a webmaster for http://www.beinbusiness.net. Sign up for our newsletter and get ideas for a home based business today. Also to join a fast growing company, please visit http://independentskincareconsultant.com to learn more about this work at home based business opportunity.
Article Source: http://articles411.com
for Home Business Right Away
by John Purfield
Be honest with yourself. Are you one of those people who believe that you just don’t have the time to get your home business up and running? You’re not alone. Many people I talk to claim they have too much to do and not enough time to do it. They wind up giving up on their business before they even start.
Full time jobs, family obligations, maintaining health and too many other distractions are the main reasons for not building momentum for their business. You can wind up feeling that your life is spent catering to every one else’s obligations.
However, I have some good news! You can find and maximize time to build momentum for your home business. All you need is to find time and commit to using that time for your home business only. Try the following strategies to make your home based business flourish.
Document Your Daily Routine
The first thing you will need to do find a quiet place and write down your schedule. Document the start and end time on events like getting ready for work, driving your kids to school, your commute to your day job, gym time and any other weekly commitments you have. Don’t forget to include weekends and family time (this is most important).
After completing this exercise you should have a good visual of what your work week looks like. You should see openings in your week. Make your goal easy: try to find two hours you can commit to spending on your business. You should be able to re-prioritize some time.
Stay with the Schedule You Created and Re-Evaluate
The next thing you need to do is stick with your schedule. This can be tough because you are creating a new habit. Once you get the hang of your new routine, you should always re-evaluate your schedule. You may be able to find more time to spend on your home business.
Sticking with your schedule means you need to discipline yourself to work. This means that you have to find a way after work, after little league games, after dinner and after putting the kids to bed.
Don’t Forget Your Family.
Spending time with my family is always a top priority for me. I have young children so I try to focus on the business when my kids are in bed. I find that using the evening hours is best for me to spend on my home business. It seems to be the most quiet part of the day.
If you have to use your family time to spend on your business, make sure you communicate with your family so they have an expectation of what you are doing. However, I would recommend that you set a time limit so you can spend the time you want with your family. This will provide balance for you.
Embrace Distractions
As we all know life also throws us off schedule. Try your best to embrace that fact instead of fighting it. If your child stays up late, focus on helping your child quiet down and go to sleep. Try not to focus on what you could be doing. Don’t worry. The work will still be there when you are ready.
If you have to stay late at your day job, that’s okay. Usually, you’ll find that it is better just to focus on one thing at a time. You’ll be more efficient and effective. Having a clear and guilt free mind while working on your business is most productive.
To handle new ideas that can distract you while you are working, keep an MP3 Recorder handy so if an idea comes up you can record it or write down the idea in a notebook. You can always prioritize those thoughts at a later time. You will use less energy dealing with distractions instead of fighting them.
So there is good news when it comes to finding time to work on your own business. Don’t despair and don’t get frustrated. Just remember that you have total control of your time and you alone can change your habits to build your businesses momentum.
John Purfield is a webmaster for http://www.beinbusiness.net. Sign up for our newsletter and get ideas for a home based business today. Also to join a fast growing company, please visit http://independentskincareconsultant.com to learn more about this work at home based business opportunity.
Article Source: http://articles411.com
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
The 7 Deadly Sins of Article Writing
The 7 Deadly Sins of Article Writing
by Jay Hines
Like every other free advertising technique on the web, writing articles has several pitfalls that one must avoid. If an author is not careful, these booby-traps can destroy an article's chances of publication and leave the author with precious time wasted.
Sin #7: Using Cliches
As an article directory owner and user, I have come to find that an increasing large number of article writers are using cliches. In its simplest form, a cliche is a statement or idea that is so overused, it has no meaning. A cliche normally sounds quite trite.
"How do I know if I am using a cliche?" you may ask. It is very easy to tell when you know a simple rule. If you can guess what the ending of the phrase will be before you have finished reading it, you know it's certainly cliche. Let's take for instance, the most prevalent cliche in article marketing. I'll start the phrase off, and you can finish it. "Content is ____." More than likely, you have been so exposed to this phrase, that you'll know that "Content is King".
Do not include cliches in your articles. You'll sound uninformed, and will not be viewed as an authority on your subject.
Sin #6: Aggravating Article Directory Owners
Nothing is more likely to get you banned from an article site than aggravating the site owner. All you need to do in order to keep in good terms with your publishers is read their terms of services, and follow them. Never submit a private label resale rights article to a directory. Being publisher friendly is that simple. All you have to do is just be considerate.
Sin #5: Typographical Errors
The easiest way to seem completely misinformed is too commit a writing error. All you have to do is paste your article into a spell checker or grammar checker (such as Microsoft Word) to ensure typographically correct article.
Sin #4: No Keywords
Never forget to include keywords in your articles, and aim to target them to your article. The better your keywords, the better the chance that your link gets clicked on.
Sin #3: Not Submitting Your Articles
The easiest way to receive no exposure from an article is not to submit it to as many article directories as possible. If you are looking for a free piece of software to submit your articles, there is a link to a free script for you to use on my website under the "Free Resources" section.
Sin #2: Untargeted Resource Box
Be smart, and write articles that are relevant to the website you are promoting. A wonderful article on toothpaste won't get people clicking on a link to a site that sells candies!
The Deadliest Sin of All: A Linkless Resource Box
The purpose of article writing is to establish yourself as an expert in the niche that you discuss. The only way that you benefit is if you include a link to your website in the resource box. Article readers will have a site to visit to further extend their knowledge of your topic, and you will have the opportunity to make a sale.
Jay Hines is the owner of Free Advertising Mastery, an article directory that aims to educate others in perfecting the methods of free advertising and provide other free resources for advertisers. Jay's site is located at http://www.freeadmastery.info
by Jay Hines
Like every other free advertising technique on the web, writing articles has several pitfalls that one must avoid. If an author is not careful, these booby-traps can destroy an article's chances of publication and leave the author with precious time wasted.
Sin #7: Using Cliches
As an article directory owner and user, I have come to find that an increasing large number of article writers are using cliches. In its simplest form, a cliche is a statement or idea that is so overused, it has no meaning. A cliche normally sounds quite trite.
"How do I know if I am using a cliche?" you may ask. It is very easy to tell when you know a simple rule. If you can guess what the ending of the phrase will be before you have finished reading it, you know it's certainly cliche. Let's take for instance, the most prevalent cliche in article marketing. I'll start the phrase off, and you can finish it. "Content is ____." More than likely, you have been so exposed to this phrase, that you'll know that "Content is King".
Do not include cliches in your articles. You'll sound uninformed, and will not be viewed as an authority on your subject.
Sin #6: Aggravating Article Directory Owners
Nothing is more likely to get you banned from an article site than aggravating the site owner. All you need to do in order to keep in good terms with your publishers is read their terms of services, and follow them. Never submit a private label resale rights article to a directory. Being publisher friendly is that simple. All you have to do is just be considerate.
Sin #5: Typographical Errors
The easiest way to seem completely misinformed is too commit a writing error. All you have to do is paste your article into a spell checker or grammar checker (such as Microsoft Word) to ensure typographically correct article.
Sin #4: No Keywords
Never forget to include keywords in your articles, and aim to target them to your article. The better your keywords, the better the chance that your link gets clicked on.
Sin #3: Not Submitting Your Articles
The easiest way to receive no exposure from an article is not to submit it to as many article directories as possible. If you are looking for a free piece of software to submit your articles, there is a link to a free script for you to use on my website under the "Free Resources" section.
Sin #2: Untargeted Resource Box
Be smart, and write articles that are relevant to the website you are promoting. A wonderful article on toothpaste won't get people clicking on a link to a site that sells candies!
The Deadliest Sin of All: A Linkless Resource Box
The purpose of article writing is to establish yourself as an expert in the niche that you discuss. The only way that you benefit is if you include a link to your website in the resource box. Article readers will have a site to visit to further extend their knowledge of your topic, and you will have the opportunity to make a sale.
Jay Hines is the owner of Free Advertising Mastery, an article directory that aims to educate others in perfecting the methods of free advertising and provide other free resources for advertisers. Jay's site is located at http://www.freeadmastery.info
Monday, March 20, 2006
Selling Strategies for the Scared
Selling Strategies for the Scared
by Biz Guru
Selling – no matter how well your business is doing – selling will always be at the core of your business success. Mastering your sales skills ensures that those hard won potential customers are quickly changed to actual customers. Here are some selling skills to help you.
• Answer the question - "what is in it for me?" People buy to satisfy a need, a worry, because everyone else has it, or because they are curious about the product. Make sure that these questions are answered in your marketing and advertising as well as in any sales presentation.
• Prepare yourself. Get together your presentation as well as any potentional questions you may be asked. Make sure that you have examples, pictures, samples etc.
• Qualify your prospect - make sure that they are the decision maker and can afford the potential purchase. Also ensure that they are in your potential market - selling ice to Eskimos is for the expert of the foolish!
• Develop a relationship with your potential customers. People like to buy from friends and those that they trust.
• Decide on your pricing structure and build in some bonuses or discounts that you can offer during the presentation. Most people expect them.
• Make the purchase process easy. Make sure that you have any forms and contracts available. Don't surround your prospect with red tape or make it difficult to contact your company. Make the second and subsequent purchases even easier. Put a reorder form in the sales pack and make a subscription easy.
• Ask for feedback, directly or indirectly during your presentation and after the sale. AND learn from it.
• Make the whole sales process fun for both your customer and for you.
Good luck with your sales.
-------------------------------------------------
© Copyright 2006 Biz Guru LLC
Lee Lister, writes as The Biz Guru, for a number of web sites including her own www.BizGuru.us and www.clikks.com where she sells her informational products. With over 20 year’s management and business consultancy experience with businesses large and small as well as being a serial entrepreneur, she now helps others set up, develop and market their businesses.
This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
-------------------------------------------------
With over 20 year’s management consultancy experience, Lee Lister, writes as The Biz Guru, for a number of web sites including her own sites www.BizGuru.us and www.clikks.com
Article Source: http://articles411.com
by Biz Guru
Selling – no matter how well your business is doing – selling will always be at the core of your business success. Mastering your sales skills ensures that those hard won potential customers are quickly changed to actual customers. Here are some selling skills to help you.
• Answer the question - "what is in it for me?" People buy to satisfy a need, a worry, because everyone else has it, or because they are curious about the product. Make sure that these questions are answered in your marketing and advertising as well as in any sales presentation.
• Prepare yourself. Get together your presentation as well as any potentional questions you may be asked. Make sure that you have examples, pictures, samples etc.
• Qualify your prospect - make sure that they are the decision maker and can afford the potential purchase. Also ensure that they are in your potential market - selling ice to Eskimos is for the expert of the foolish!
• Develop a relationship with your potential customers. People like to buy from friends and those that they trust.
• Decide on your pricing structure and build in some bonuses or discounts that you can offer during the presentation. Most people expect them.
• Make the purchase process easy. Make sure that you have any forms and contracts available. Don't surround your prospect with red tape or make it difficult to contact your company. Make the second and subsequent purchases even easier. Put a reorder form in the sales pack and make a subscription easy.
• Ask for feedback, directly or indirectly during your presentation and after the sale. AND learn from it.
• Make the whole sales process fun for both your customer and for you.
Good luck with your sales.
-------------------------------------------------
© Copyright 2006 Biz Guru LLC
Lee Lister, writes as The Biz Guru, for a number of web sites including her own www.BizGuru.us and www.clikks.com where she sells her informational products. With over 20 year’s management and business consultancy experience with businesses large and small as well as being a serial entrepreneur, she now helps others set up, develop and market their businesses.
This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
-------------------------------------------------
With over 20 year’s management consultancy experience, Lee Lister, writes as The Biz Guru, for a number of web sites including her own sites www.BizGuru.us and www.clikks.com
Article Source: http://articles411.com
Sunday, March 19, 2006
7 Simple Steps to Get More Out of Your Day
7 Simple Steps to Get More Out of Your Day
by Alan Fairweather
Let's face it - time is probably our greatest resource. We never seem to have enough of it and it seems to pass so quickly. Well we won't get any more of it and we can't slow it down.
What we can do is make the most of the time we have. Here are some simple steps you can take to get the most out of your day.
1. Plan your day the night before - At the end of each day write out all the things you need to do the following day to achieve your goals. Pull together all the information you'll need, phone numbers and relevant paperwork.
2. Prioritise the list - Number each item and do the nasty jobs first. There's always the temptation to do the easy jobs first. However, think how the thought of doing the nasty jobs hangs over you as you do the easy stuff. Think how good you'll feel when the nasties are out of the way and how motivated you'll feel.
3. Stick to your list - Tick off each item as you go and don't let yourself be distracted. The temptation is to handle the telephone and e-mails as they come in. The phone is hard to ignore but you could always pull out the plug and let it go to voice mail and switch off the email program. Make an agreement with yourself to check for messages every two hours or so.
4. Remember the Three "D's" - Do it, Delegate it or Dump it. Handle each piece of paper only once. Either do something about it now, delegate it to someone else or chuck it in the trash. And remember - "Only do it if only you can do it." 5. Don't procrastinate - Procrastination really is the "Thief of Time" It's so easy to put things off till another time or till "I've had time to think about it." DO IT NOW!
6. Plan your leisure time - Take up activities that need you to be at a certain place at a certain time. Instead of just "going to the gym," book a fitness class or an appointment with a personal trainer.
7. Be honest with yourself - Keep asking - "Is what I'm doing now getting me to where I want to get to?" if the answer is "no," change what you're doing.
This is the easiest way to more out of your day and more out of your life.
Alan Fairweather -"The Motivation Doctor" - is the author of
"How to get More Sales Without Selling" To receive your free
newsletter and free e-books, visit:
http://www.howtogetmoresales.com
Article Source: http://articles411.com
by Alan Fairweather
Let's face it - time is probably our greatest resource. We never seem to have enough of it and it seems to pass so quickly. Well we won't get any more of it and we can't slow it down.
What we can do is make the most of the time we have. Here are some simple steps you can take to get the most out of your day.
1. Plan your day the night before - At the end of each day write out all the things you need to do the following day to achieve your goals. Pull together all the information you'll need, phone numbers and relevant paperwork.
2. Prioritise the list - Number each item and do the nasty jobs first. There's always the temptation to do the easy jobs first. However, think how the thought of doing the nasty jobs hangs over you as you do the easy stuff. Think how good you'll feel when the nasties are out of the way and how motivated you'll feel.
3. Stick to your list - Tick off each item as you go and don't let yourself be distracted. The temptation is to handle the telephone and e-mails as they come in. The phone is hard to ignore but you could always pull out the plug and let it go to voice mail and switch off the email program. Make an agreement with yourself to check for messages every two hours or so.
4. Remember the Three "D's" - Do it, Delegate it or Dump it. Handle each piece of paper only once. Either do something about it now, delegate it to someone else or chuck it in the trash. And remember - "Only do it if only you can do it." 5. Don't procrastinate - Procrastination really is the "Thief of Time" It's so easy to put things off till another time or till "I've had time to think about it." DO IT NOW!
6. Plan your leisure time - Take up activities that need you to be at a certain place at a certain time. Instead of just "going to the gym," book a fitness class or an appointment with a personal trainer.
7. Be honest with yourself - Keep asking - "Is what I'm doing now getting me to where I want to get to?" if the answer is "no," change what you're doing.
This is the easiest way to more out of your day and more out of your life.
Alan Fairweather -"The Motivation Doctor" - is the author of
"How to get More Sales Without Selling" To receive your free
newsletter and free e-books, visit:
http://www.howtogetmoresales.com
Article Source: http://articles411.com
Friday, March 17, 2006
Using the Article Resource Box to Gain Maximum Click Through
Using the Article Resource Box to Gain Maximum Click Through
by Justin Brown
Anyone reading this will most likely now know the power of article marketing in increasing the link popularity, traffic, and sales through your website, but one of the most important parts of the article, the resource box, is often overlooked and rushed to finish the article off. This is a big error as this is the area where you should be enticing the reader to click on your link to visit your website.
A resource box is what you usually find at the very end of the article, and may contain information such as the name of the author with a brief description of what he/she does, and a brief description of the site being promoted with a working link to it. With the article of course being in relation to the site that you would like to promote, you would want the visitor to finish reading your article, and visit your site for more information on the topic. So let's say if the article is about learning to drive, the resource box may lead to a link to a site that offers driving tuition.
You may have concentrated very hard in making your article interesting, informative, and eye-catching to the reader, and you should also do this for the resource box. Although the resource box covers only a small space, ensure that you include the right keywords and content for the reader to obtain a good descriptive idea about your site.
Now that we have cleared up what resource boxes are for those that did not already know, we also need to ascertain the benefits of having a good resource box. In short, the main benefit is to drive traffic to your site. A well-written article can be picked up by several sites looking for content to fill their pages, and these will often be from sites that are targeted towards your topic. As a consequence, the potential for a traffic surge of targeted visitors, that you would hope to turn into customers, is great. However, even though this provides a good opportunity for the link popularity of your website to grow, it is still important that your resource box is optimized so that any visitor reading your article on a site that has picked it up will want to click on your link in the resource box to discover what you have to offer.
So you may now be wondering what makes good content for a resource box? Including good keywords is very important and there are many tools that you can use to find out popular search terms. Make the most of the small space provided for your resource box by using a bit of creativity to make the reader look twice and be intrigued by what your website has to offer. You may only get one chance to capture the reader so make a lasting impression. Do not try to fool the reader by providing irrelevant keywords, but instead build the credibility of your website and you as an author, with relevant keywords.
Many underestimate the importance of a good resource box, but make sure you do not make the same mistake. Although the space provided is only small, be creative and fun, whilst showing that you have a great deal to offer and use the resource box to aid in driving traffic to your site, rather than just a paragraph to finish off your article.
The power of articles as a promotional tool is tremendous, and a great place to become an author is at the new free article submission resource; http://www.articleblotter.com. Justin Brown runs the site and aims to continuously improve the benefits of submitting and publishing articles their. Take a look at this free article resource and we hope to be able to have you as a valued customer in the near future.
Get Free Articles at: http://www.articles-submit.com
Courtesy of:Article Blotter
Article Source: http://articles411.com
by Justin Brown
Anyone reading this will most likely now know the power of article marketing in increasing the link popularity, traffic, and sales through your website, but one of the most important parts of the article, the resource box, is often overlooked and rushed to finish the article off. This is a big error as this is the area where you should be enticing the reader to click on your link to visit your website.
A resource box is what you usually find at the very end of the article, and may contain information such as the name of the author with a brief description of what he/she does, and a brief description of the site being promoted with a working link to it. With the article of course being in relation to the site that you would like to promote, you would want the visitor to finish reading your article, and visit your site for more information on the topic. So let's say if the article is about learning to drive, the resource box may lead to a link to a site that offers driving tuition.
You may have concentrated very hard in making your article interesting, informative, and eye-catching to the reader, and you should also do this for the resource box. Although the resource box covers only a small space, ensure that you include the right keywords and content for the reader to obtain a good descriptive idea about your site.
Now that we have cleared up what resource boxes are for those that did not already know, we also need to ascertain the benefits of having a good resource box. In short, the main benefit is to drive traffic to your site. A well-written article can be picked up by several sites looking for content to fill their pages, and these will often be from sites that are targeted towards your topic. As a consequence, the potential for a traffic surge of targeted visitors, that you would hope to turn into customers, is great. However, even though this provides a good opportunity for the link popularity of your website to grow, it is still important that your resource box is optimized so that any visitor reading your article on a site that has picked it up will want to click on your link in the resource box to discover what you have to offer.
So you may now be wondering what makes good content for a resource box? Including good keywords is very important and there are many tools that you can use to find out popular search terms. Make the most of the small space provided for your resource box by using a bit of creativity to make the reader look twice and be intrigued by what your website has to offer. You may only get one chance to capture the reader so make a lasting impression. Do not try to fool the reader by providing irrelevant keywords, but instead build the credibility of your website and you as an author, with relevant keywords.
Many underestimate the importance of a good resource box, but make sure you do not make the same mistake. Although the space provided is only small, be creative and fun, whilst showing that you have a great deal to offer and use the resource box to aid in driving traffic to your site, rather than just a paragraph to finish off your article.
The power of articles as a promotional tool is tremendous, and a great place to become an author is at the new free article submission resource; http://www.articleblotter.com. Justin Brown runs the site and aims to continuously improve the benefits of submitting and publishing articles their. Take a look at this free article resource and we hope to be able to have you as a valued customer in the near future.
Get Free Articles at: http://www.articles-submit.com
Courtesy of:Article Blotter
Article Source: http://articles411.com
Friday, March 03, 2006
Learn How To Get Your Articles In the Directories Without Being A Spammer
Learn How To Get Your Articles In the Directories Without Being A Spammer
by Mary Hanna
Submitting articles to Article directories on the internet is an effective way to get more traffic to your websites. There are a few problems with this system that I will point out so that you can become more proficient in this strategy.
The weakness of the article submitting techniques is that it is very time consuming. I have submitted articles in three different ways: by Hand, and with Article Submitter and Article Submitter Pro software. Many directories require a login (ID and password) so each directory must be visited and a login established before submissions are accepted.
When submitting by hand, you have to cut and paste each section of the article into the individual directories. There are a lot of sections; first the Title, then the Category (very important – I’ll get into this later), Author, Author email, Website Address, Keywords, Article Summary, Article Body, and About Author box. That is nine cut and pastes to submit to ONE article directory. If you wish to submit to 150-200 directories, a good part of your time is spent doing grunt work which does not allow you to pursue other avenues of traffic generation.
Now we come to the “semi-automated” submission software programs. Yes, they are easier, some more than others, but you still must go to each directory individually. It is crucial that you select a Category for your article. If this is not done the article directories will know you are using automatic submitting software and will treat your article as SPAM. Many directories especially frown on the “Automated Article Distribution Services” like iSnare, and Article Automater, for just that reason. Therefore you will not be published and not only have you wasted your time writing your article but you may be classified as a spammer.
Within the “Article Submitter” Software, they have 138 auto fill and 25 manual fill directories listed. A visit to a majority of the directories must be done first in order to establish a login. You have the option of adding other article directories on your own, which is a nice touch.
The software will open to a page that is a form for “User Information”. Typical information requirements you would find in any sign up sheet like, name, company, email, website, etc. Then hit the tab for “Articles” where you will place the article for submission. You will fill in the Title Section, Article Body (including About Author), Summary and Keywords. Then choose the “Websites” tab. You can “select all” or pick and choose. Click on “Auto Fill” and it will take you to your first directory. A flaw here is that you can only have one article posted in the article section at a time.
Sounds easy, right? Well with “Article Submitter” you must be very careful. Once you have chosen your Category check each section. This software does not always put the right information in the right box and leaves some boxes blank. Again, if the directories feel you are using software carelessly they will delete your article. The manual sites are just that, manual top to bottom. It took me a full day for each article so it is still a time consuming process.
Then my partner found “Article Submitter Pro” which I just finished testing yesterday. It is by far the easiest and quickest available at this time. Set up is still a bit tedious, once again you have to establish your logins, but only once. And I found them much more accurate in filling in the necessary submission forms. Yes, you still must choose your Category but there is no getting away from that.
They have 780 Article Directories listed but there is a tab where you can mark your “Favorites”. At first I was a little intimated but it is easy to follow and saves you a lot of time. I submitted to over 150 directories in about 4 hours and that was my first time using the software so I was on the learning curve.
A plus on this program is that they have a pop up window that warns you if you have already submitted that particular article to a directory. The directories consider multiple submissions SPAM and you will be deleted. Be careful not to hit the “Next Site Button” until after you have the confirmation that your article has been acknowledged. If you accidentally push the “Next Site Button” the program will record that site as having received your article.
So that has been my experience with these three systems for submitting articles to the Article Directories. I do not recommend hand posting – it is much too difficult. I also don’t recommend the “Automated Article Distribution Services”. A lot of directories refuse their articles.
For me the most convenient and least cumbersome was Article Submitter Pro for getting my articles out there to many Article Directories in the least amount of time. For more information on Article Submitter Pro please go to: FastArticleSubmit.com
Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.
About the Author
Mary Hanna writes eBooks, Software Reviews (for people who are technically challenged like her) and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.WebMarketingReviews.com, http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com
or contact her at mary@webmarketingreviews.com
For more information on Article Submitter Pro please go to: http://www.FastArticleSubmit.com
Article Source: http://articles411.com
by Mary Hanna
Submitting articles to Article directories on the internet is an effective way to get more traffic to your websites. There are a few problems with this system that I will point out so that you can become more proficient in this strategy.
The weakness of the article submitting techniques is that it is very time consuming. I have submitted articles in three different ways: by Hand, and with Article Submitter and Article Submitter Pro software. Many directories require a login (ID and password) so each directory must be visited and a login established before submissions are accepted.
When submitting by hand, you have to cut and paste each section of the article into the individual directories. There are a lot of sections; first the Title, then the Category (very important – I’ll get into this later), Author, Author email, Website Address, Keywords, Article Summary, Article Body, and About Author box. That is nine cut and pastes to submit to ONE article directory. If you wish to submit to 150-200 directories, a good part of your time is spent doing grunt work which does not allow you to pursue other avenues of traffic generation.
Now we come to the “semi-automated” submission software programs. Yes, they are easier, some more than others, but you still must go to each directory individually. It is crucial that you select a Category for your article. If this is not done the article directories will know you are using automatic submitting software and will treat your article as SPAM. Many directories especially frown on the “Automated Article Distribution Services” like iSnare, and Article Automater, for just that reason. Therefore you will not be published and not only have you wasted your time writing your article but you may be classified as a spammer.
Within the “Article Submitter” Software, they have 138 auto fill and 25 manual fill directories listed. A visit to a majority of the directories must be done first in order to establish a login. You have the option of adding other article directories on your own, which is a nice touch.
The software will open to a page that is a form for “User Information”. Typical information requirements you would find in any sign up sheet like, name, company, email, website, etc. Then hit the tab for “Articles” where you will place the article for submission. You will fill in the Title Section, Article Body (including About Author), Summary and Keywords. Then choose the “Websites” tab. You can “select all” or pick and choose. Click on “Auto Fill” and it will take you to your first directory. A flaw here is that you can only have one article posted in the article section at a time.
Sounds easy, right? Well with “Article Submitter” you must be very careful. Once you have chosen your Category check each section. This software does not always put the right information in the right box and leaves some boxes blank. Again, if the directories feel you are using software carelessly they will delete your article. The manual sites are just that, manual top to bottom. It took me a full day for each article so it is still a time consuming process.
Then my partner found “Article Submitter Pro” which I just finished testing yesterday. It is by far the easiest and quickest available at this time. Set up is still a bit tedious, once again you have to establish your logins, but only once. And I found them much more accurate in filling in the necessary submission forms. Yes, you still must choose your Category but there is no getting away from that.
They have 780 Article Directories listed but there is a tab where you can mark your “Favorites”. At first I was a little intimated but it is easy to follow and saves you a lot of time. I submitted to over 150 directories in about 4 hours and that was my first time using the software so I was on the learning curve.
A plus on this program is that they have a pop up window that warns you if you have already submitted that particular article to a directory. The directories consider multiple submissions SPAM and you will be deleted. Be careful not to hit the “Next Site Button” until after you have the confirmation that your article has been acknowledged. If you accidentally push the “Next Site Button” the program will record that site as having received your article.
So that has been my experience with these three systems for submitting articles to the Article Directories. I do not recommend hand posting – it is much too difficult. I also don’t recommend the “Automated Article Distribution Services”. A lot of directories refuse their articles.
For me the most convenient and least cumbersome was Article Submitter Pro for getting my articles out there to many Article Directories in the least amount of time. For more information on Article Submitter Pro please go to: FastArticleSubmit.com
Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.
About the Author
Mary Hanna writes eBooks, Software Reviews (for people who are technically challenged like her) and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.WebMarketingReviews.com, http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com
or contact her at mary@webmarketingreviews.com
For more information on Article Submitter Pro please go to: http://www.FastArticleSubmit.com
Article Source: http://articles411.com
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