•"You've Got Mail"
"You've Got Mail" by Bill PlattFor the last 30 years, the most popular computer application on the Internet has been email. 30 Years? Yes. The first email application was built in 1971 and upgraded in 1972. With the upgrade, email became a widely used and really popular computer application. But, 30 years? Yes indeed. Don't take my word for it, check out "Hobbes' Internet Timeline - the Definitive ARPAnet and Internet History" at: http://www.zakon.org/robert/Internet imeline/Granted, most...
•Are Announcement Lists Effective?
Are Announcement Lists Effective? by Bill PlattWhen you start an ezine, you realize after a few short weeks that you will actually have to promote it in order for it to be successful. But how do we do that? We have all asked ourselves that question. When you begin to seek out solutions, most of us quickly discover Announcement Lists. But, how effective are they?New List Announcements are great, but you can only use them once! When you start out with a new list and begin promoting on the...
•Autoresponders Are a Publishers Best Friend
Autoresponders Are a Publishers Best Friend by Bill PlattHow many times have you subscribed to a new ezine, and then when the first issue of the ezine arrived, you were scratching your head as to how your email address ended up on the list? Our lives are often so tedious that little details often slip right from our memory.The point is this. If it happens to you, you can rest assured that others have the same experience as well.Sometimes when this happens to us, we just unsubscribe from the...
•Back Up Your Email Box Before It is Too Late
Back Up Your Email Box Before It is Too Late by Bill PlattWhen so many of us rely so much on our email to operate our businesses or our personal lives, it is important to take preventative measures to avoid the ultimate disaster of unrecoverable email.I come to this subject as a matter of multiple events on my machine where one day I would open my mail to discover that all has been lost. The pit that wells in your stomach upon realization of this occurrence can be overwhelming. To recover in...
•Define Yourself to Find Market Share
Define Yourself to Find Market Share by Bill PlattSometimes, finding the right product or service to make your own is to find someone else's version of the same product or service and discovering ways to deliver it in a different way. Someone once told me that I could not make it in a businessbecause there were already people in that particular business!The thought struck me as stupid. That is why we have otherrestaurants right. It was not enough to put a McDonalds in town,we also had to...
•How to Build Spam-Free Email Campaigns
How to Build Spam-Free Email Campaigns by Bill PlattIn the current Internet market, many people are confused as to how they can use email to build their online businesses, whileconsumers are fighting off the evils of spam email. As a result, we are tackling this most important issue today.The ideal way to use email to develop your business is by creating a double opt-in list on either YahooGroups, Topica.com,SmartGroups.com or FreeLists.org. I have dozens of these lists in existence myself....
•Learning the Lessons of the Dot-Bomb Era
Learning the Lessons of the Dot-Bomb Era by Bill Platt During the late 1990's, banks and investors were falling all over themselves to invest in the new dot com companies wanting to go public. While the owners of those companies became paper millionaires overnight, that does not mean much if they did not sell their stocks when the price was still high. I am willing to bet that most did not. Instead, they believed in what they were doing and carried their paper millions with them to...
•LURKERS and BABBLERS and the Make-Up of Your Subscriber Base
LURKERS and BABBLERS and the Make-Up of Your Subscriber Base by Bill PlattI see comments from frustrated list owners all of the time. Theyget frustrated because they have started discussion lists whereno discussions take place... sure, they have subscribers, butdiscussions are scarce. Out of frustration, these list ownersinvariably throw their hands up and walk away from their lists.If you are one of these discussion list owners, then this articleis for you.I have been managing discussion...
•Overcoming the Five Obstacles to Affiliate Success
Overcoming the Five Obstacles to Affiliate Success
by: Bill Platt
Nearly every mass marketable product or service available online sports an Affiliate Program or MLM matrix to encourage small business people to sell those products or services to others.
For beginners in the online marketplace and even some pro's, these programs offer the best opportunity for earning substantial incomes to their participants.
Yet, despite the promise of Affiliate Programs and MLM's for making...
•Providing Excellent Customer Support on a Small Budget
Providing Excellent Customer Support on a Small Budget by Bill PlattAn integral part of any successful e-commerce website is an effective customer support solution. Your online business must be able to quickly respond to inquiries from potential clients and from existing clients, and then be able to address those inquiries accurately and efficiently. There is no other area of an e-commerce website that is as important as customer service and support. If your online business fails to address...
•Psst.. Pass It On.. I Found Out It's a Hoax..
Psst.. Pass It On.. I Found Out It's a Hoax..
by: Bill Platt
When you receive an email telling you about a virus, what do you do with it? Do you send it to everyone in your address book to help them protect themselves too?
A virus warning is probably on its way to your inbox right now, claiming to be from a credible source and warning you of a dangerous virus on the loose. Beware. You might be tricked into taking part in an Internet hoax - chain mail virus alerts.
It is believed that 60%...
•Should You Hire a Famous Writer or Write Your Own Articles?
Should You Hire a Famous Writer or Write Your Own Articles?
by: Bill Platt
Proven and Exceptional Click-Through Results
Testing has proven again and again that promotional articles generate more click-through traffic than standard ezine advertising. And it is much cheaper than standard ezine advertising, even if you are paying someone else to write and distribute your articles for you.
Promotional articles that are distributed with free-reprint rights get published regularly in ezines...
•The Advantage of Becoming a Recognized Name
The Advantage of Becoming a Recognized Name by Bill PlattIf you are reading this article today, you are likely among those who are working an online business. Unfortunately, you have already learned that finding customers is not as easy asyou once thought it would be. Many people have broken the bank and their dreams searching for that first customer or second customer. Having discovered the challenge of finding customers has left you with a feeling of not knowing quite what to do. That is...
•The Beginning of the End of the Internet?
The Beginning of the End of the Internet? by Bill PlattA steady stream of Patents have been coming from the U.S. Patent Office over the last few years, which have left folks in the software industry frustrated and outraged.With Patents that were issued to Amazon, Alta Vista and more recently McAfee getting extensive headline coverage, many have asked themselves what is afoot over at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. How can such universal software concepts such as "One-Click Purchasing",...
•The Free-Reprint Articles Powerhouse and Copyright Law
The Free-Reprint Articles Powerhouse and Copyright Law by Bill PlattWriting articles is definitely a very solid method of building a client base for your online business. There is no doubt about that. The writers I speak with who use free-reprint articles for the promotion of their businesses all proudly talk about the success articles have brought to them.Articles will generate substantial traffic to those who write well. Even better, a considerable amount of the traffic will convert to...
•The Value of Software in Our Daily Lives
The Value of Software in Our Daily Lives by Bill PlattLong, long ago when I was in high school during the early 1980's, personal computers were just coming into existence. Back then, I had taken on Basic programming as a high school student. In those days, the PC of choice was the Radio Shack TRS-80 --- this was just a couple of years before the introduction of the first Apple computer. In those dark days before the Internet and before Microsoft, the only software choices we had were retail...
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