I've been fairly busy for a few weeks - with life in general, working on Wealthy Affiliate lessons, investigating other sites, and last but not least - had cataract surgery on both eyes in late June! The latter made it a bit difficult early on to spend a lot of time at my computer. However, considering the state of Alberta Healthcare, I'm really grateful to have had access as quickly as I did.

Enuff on the personal front :)

When I first began investigating online opportunities I came across a site (Profit Plan) that advertises with the slogan "Make a Profit TODAY or Your Money Back TODAY" ...... that was intriguing enough to make me look further.

I was not dissappointed by what I found - the site's owner, Graham Hamer, has a reputation for not only living up to his promises, but delivering far more! After purchasing the ebook advertised, which includes the opportunity resale rights, one also receives followup emails with links to his sites and other opportunities to make money (without additional cost!!).

He also provides access to tons of internet marketing information - extremely valuable, again at no additional cost! The only other marketer I've seen who delivers extra value like that is Ewen Chia.

Of course, as is the case with any opportunity whether free or paid, there's one requirement to actually making a profit - you MUST PUT THE OPPORTUNITY BEFORE THE EYES OF BUYERS. There are many ways of doing that without "buying" advertising.

You can join traffic exchanges and safelists like Traffic Swarm, Easy Hits 4U, List Joe and ViralUrl as a free member and get your advertising by putting in some time reading others' ads or emails. Most also sell "paid" memberships quite reasonably and pay commissions on referrals as well. The links here will give me credits for advertising when anyone joins from them, btw (not hardly a hint of course!) There are also a number of free classified ad sites.

I guess this particular kind of opportunity appeals to me because of the honesty and simplicity; the lack of weird and wonderful "conditions" (I remember an old comedy routine that talked about an insurance policy which paid "only if you were bitten by a giraffe - and the giraffe had to be pregnant!"). Some opportunities have really, really convoluted payout schemes and requirements, and I just can't be bothered to wade through the hype. The independence factor and absense of the need to "sell" also appeals.

Anyhow, if you feel like it, have a look and see what you think.

Time For a Dash of Hope? :>)

Interesting... The Jackrabbit Factor 4-minute movie

This is a quick movie that will really get you thinking...
It's just 4 minutes, but explains exactly
why some people succeed
while others doing the SAME things
will never experience the same success.

Watch It Here

Highly Recommended

Good Day, eh!

Time to quit fumbling around as I seem to have been doing for awhile, and get the expert help I need to organize my efforts and get some one-on-one training. The most difficult thing for me has been to discipline my thoughts, and more importantly, my actions.

Successful online marketing, like any other successful pursuit involves having a goal and doing those things that will bring that goal nearer. Not to say one can't have a life outside of it (especially since that's the whole point of building a business!), but lack of discipline allows the mind to veer off in fascinating, but unproductive directions!! I don't know how many days I've shut it down realizing that though I'd been "busy" all day I had accomplished almost nothing that got me nearer to my goal of making an online income!

At this point I'm a little discouraged, and disappointed in myself. A reasonably intelligent person, I feel like I should have accomplished more at this stage of my quest. However, being human also, means I make the same mistakes others do at the beginning of any endeavor.

Some months ago I seriously looked at a site, that offered a complete course in online marketing, but passed up full membership because I was still too much of a newbie to fully comprehend what I needed to know, didn't have fully formed goals, and was afraid of committing to a monthly subscription expense. I was wrong.

This Canadian company has an excellent reputation for the quality of their program(s) as well as their one on one attention to their students; not to mention the success stories of their graduates. Long story short, I've decided to stop (for the time being anyway :>) ) trying to "reinvent the wheel" and take advantage of some expert knowhow and coaching. They are totally upfront with terms and conditions by the way - no "small print" to search for.

This course has again been opened to new students, and is offering a one dollar - one week trial with total access to course content and tools. I've taken them up on that offer. If you'd like to have a look, I don't think you could spend a dollar more wisely, whether you just starting out or have a new business already running.

Gotta go get to work now. Here's the link:

http://www.wealthyaffiliate.com/index.php?a_aid=Oa7l5a4b&data1=FQ

A New Day, New Opportunities

Hi friends,

Though there've been lots of visitors here, it appears no one has much they want to say on the last topic I posted. Hopefully that means everyone has been able to stay out of the clutches of internet bad guys!

Tomorrow morning I'll try to give you links to some really helpful websites I've come upon. There are lots of great people online who very generously share the things they've learned, and seem to truly want to help those who are struggling to get up to speed with internet marketing. A surprising number of folks offer truly free information - things that you might have to pay for elsewhere.

That is not to say that they aren't also hoping to sell you things at the same time; but after all - aren't sales what we're all hoping for? And if the programs or utilities offered for sale will serve us in our businesses, surely those who introduce us to the offers deserve some reward (affiliate commissions).

One of the principles most internet marketers who operate with integrity believe in is - always be willing to give at least as much value (and hopefully even more), as you want to receive. You must help others fill their needs if you want them to consider your offers.

That's all for tonight, but I'll give you a link to an opportunity that is one of the easiest and simplest ways to generate some income. You don't need a website or hosting, and can do very well using free advertising like traffic exchanges (ViralURL whose link is on this page is one which is really good and has a link cloaking utility (better than some) on its website)), free classifieds, and safelists. I'll give you a list of a number of the more reputable exchanges tomorrow also.

BTW, whenever I give you a link or a display (banner ad) I likely get some consideration from that marketer, but as I said above - that's what IM is all about - we all have to use whatever means we can find to increase the value of our time. We use all the little things we can to create "multiple streams of income". If you use a traffic exchange, you will get ad credits (or in some cases actual cash which they hope you'll buy more advertising with :>) )for referring other users, on top of your surfing credits.

For now - seeyabye,
Ann

Have you been scammed online???

Hi again,

While I was surfing one of the traffic exchanges I use and like (EasyHits4U), an ad came up that I figure could be of use to many of us. There are, and always have been, relatively simple and inexpensive scams going on online. However, with the increased traffic and numbers of people trying to supplement or replace lost income increasing by leaps and bounds right now, the bigtime fraudsters are also ramping up their operations.

In the next few days I'd like to share some of the schemes I've seen, and would love to hear about any you've come across. Like anyone else I'm embarrassed to admit I've been taken in by a few, but on the other hand one of the ways to at least hobble some of these dishonest individuals (and companies) is to expose their offers, and tactics for what they are to as many online opportunity seekers as possible.

One can seek legal remedy, of course, but that doesn't help those who will be taken in while the legal process is ongoing, or unless the publicity is very intense.

Perhaps working together we can bring more accountability into the online business community. We're all working on gaining exposure and traffic to our sites and businesses for profit - can we also use what we've learned to generate exposure of those who would take advantage of people who are inexperienced, perhaps too trusting and therefore defenceless??

Promoting truth and honesty, and exposing the many tactics that are less than honest, is one way of "giving back", and helping our own prospects to know who they can trust. The internet is a powerful entity when it comes to promotion - let's use it to promote integrity in business, and to expose those who would use us. I'll leave it at that for now, and hope a few of you will share some of your experiences, and ideas here. Or am I just "tilting at windmills"? Hope not.

3 sites I've found are:

Ripoff Report: By Consumers, For Consumers
http://www.ripoffreport.com/login.asp

MyVek.com Exposing Internet Fraud
http://www.myvek.com/

Internet Crime Complaint Center
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

laterbye
on twitter: ann_breck

Something immediately useful (also FREE) :>)

Hi again,

I can't remember how I came upon this site, but probably through an affiliate offer on one of the traffic exchanges. No matter - what's important is that there are some great video tutorials on squeeze pages, as well as free software in the "bonus" area of the site. You can, of course, become a paid member of the site, but I haven't, and you don't have to in order to get a bunch of really good stuff!

It's a bit of a convoluted journey from the first registration - your email address and a password; an email with confirmation link; another email and password entry as well as email confirmation link again! At each step along the way look for the "free" choice and you will eventually get a screen to enter the "members area". There you'll see a "bonus" tab and that's where you'll find the tutorials and other goodies.

The link to start you off on the quest :) is this

I'll leave it at that for tonight. From now on, though, I'll try to stick to what I really wanted to do here in the first place, ie: share the good but affordable stuff I find with you, as well as any useful insights born of my own experience.

I've found some good information about traffic exchange advertising that I'll give you next time.

In the meantime, If you have comments, questions or things you'd like to share here please do so - that's what the comment section is for. :)

PS: a reminder:

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Actually .... yes I am! Had a bit of an "aha" moment yesterday while reading the opening section of Mike Filsaime's "7 Figure Secrets". There he says "Ask yourself this question: if you are making all the money you could need, and you were doing this job, would you still come to work? When you can say to yourself, "I'm the luckiest person on earth right now. I was made for this job!", you truly have it made."

My quest for online business success is still relatively new, but I'm amazed when I look at the date on emails from the time I began to get really serious, and it's only a little more than one month ago - seems more like 6! Happily though, I'm free to spend almost unlimited time searching out and investigating opportunities and tools. While I tend to get distracted at times and "waste" hours on things that turn out to be mostly worthless, in the end even that CAN be worthwhile. One sees the common threads running through so many of the "terrific opportunities" and becomes more adept at evaluating possibilities. Anyway, bottomline is that YES! I WILL still want to be doing this when I really don't have to.

In today's economic climate there are countless individuals looking for a way to make income online - as I am. But that's an awfully general goal, and I've discovered that you can run yourself ragged and accomplish nothing that brings your goal of making money closer if you don't think about a number of issues upfront:

1) are you wanting a "get rich quick" type of program (set it up and watch the money roll in)?
or do you want to build an ongoing legitimate business online (something you work at ongoing)?
(no judgement implied either way, just a question to determine direction)

2) have you an idea or a product of your own you want to market?
or would you rather promote and sell someone else's product (affiliate marketing)?

3) do you already have the computer and internet skills you will need to build a website from scratch?
or will you need a program that does that work for you?

4) even if you find opportunities that seem to offer you all you need for free or very little cost, have you the financial resources to pay for advertising?
or if you don't have the money, do you have the time and persistence it will take to search out effective free or low-cost advertising?

I say "effective" because there are countless "schemes" out there which are offering "free" anything, but will get you exactly what you pay for (or worse), whether it be in time or money.

The most basic and important TRUTH you MUST UNDERSTAND about anything you establish online is YOU CAN BUILD THE MOST WONDERFUL SITE EVER MADE, with the most fantastic idea or product ever thought of, BUT UNLESS YOU PROMOTE (ADVERTISE) IT NO ONE WILL EVER SEE IT!

Therein lies the thing that will determine success, as much or more than, having a great product and great site.

For this time, I'll say just one other thing. Assuming you've looked around and the "program" you've chosen has a good track record and has all the elements you need, don't quit when you get discouraged - that's what causes 95% of those who start to fail. If you know anyone else who's involved in the programs you are check with them. It could help both of you.

A List of things I've liked so far:

Online Guru types: Ewen Chia, Stone Evans, Brad Callen, Leslie the Freebie Guy

Programs: Profit Plan, Project Payday, any of Ewen Chia's stuff, the Traffic Jam and more later

Free Advertising: Traffic Swarm, EasyHits4U, Free Viral, Free Advertising Forum, plus forums and social networking sites like twitter (my user name ann_breck). Will add more as I come upon them

Blogging: Yaro Starek (how to set up), free blog software Wordpress, eblogger.

What I'm working on right now .....

Hi,

It's been awhile since I added anything here, but I've certainly not forgotten about this blog - just needed the time to organize the information I've gathered, and begin to implement the most vital elements!

It would be easy to just keep on "chasing my tail," investigating everything new I come across. I've done a fair amount of that and realized it gets nothing accomplished about actually building a business. One must heed the good advice of a number of internet marketing "gurus" and just focus on one project at a time and get down to work!

The two so-called gurus I've come to respect the most are Ewen Chia and Stone Evans. Using newsletters, give-away ebooks and videos, they share their vast knowledge of internet marketing with those of us just starting out on limited budgets.

They, of course, also sell other programs, but both kinds of material assist you to emulate their success by leading you through the process 1 step at a time, in great detail। Their marketed material is what has made them fortunes, and attaching oneself to the coattails of successful people is the fastest, easiest and smartest way to learn the fundamentals of marketing anything on the internet.

Enough said - except to say I plan to begin posting some of the other good stuff I've found in the next while, and to quote a couple of my favourite bloggers "Thanks for stopping by - really!!" :)
Ann

PS:
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It takes just moments to click on each tab across the top
then the "give" button on each page …
or choose the causes you like … regardless,
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Profit today? Yes you really can.....

While the name of this blog may seem grander than the material within, anyone who has ever felt "trapped" by financial circumstances less than ideal will understand why I've called it a quest for freedom!

I began the quest in earnest about 6 months ago, and have looked at what feels like countless "easy", "surefire", etc., etc.,etc. plans, programs and systems - from "free" (and I use that term loosely as most do that promise free) to what is, to me, VERY expensive - as in thousands of dollars.

I could (and will if there's any demand) go through and give reviews for everything I've come across, but for now I'll just give you links to a couple that have proved to be exactly what they say.

Neither of them will "make you rich beyond your wildest dreams!!" but will at the very least make you a nice supplemental income. Your choices and effort will determine whether you make a little or a lot.

The first is beautiful in its simplicity - nothing I might say can give you the details as well as the material itself! See what you think ......

Profit-Plan


The second appears quite complicated to start with, but everything you could possibly need in the way of instruction is included, and there is a large community of participants who are happy to help "newbies" because cooperation is how the business is built. You can check it out here:

ProjectPayday


If I can assist you by answering questions, please leave a comment :>) ......