The Myths Of Network Utilization & Automated Metrics
By Barry Koplowitz
The Interpath Technologies Networking Myths Series™ This artilce is also availabe as a Podcast of "The Sniffer Guy" though iTunes. Mythology is not fantasy or lies. It describes a basic truth—but as metaphor. If you understand that it is describing a fundamental reality—by telling a story—you know to look for the reality behind the story. If you believe the story—you will chase your tail until you decide to ignore everything. So, when I say that automated testing and metrics like utilization are myths, I mean that they are metaphors—stories that can direct you to the truth. They are not the truth in themselves. What is the IT person's mission? The mission is to keep a set of instructions (apps) interfacing with humans (users), over an enormously complex environment (enterprise networks and the Internet itself). Many senior and seasoned IT professionals have developed a sense over the years that something isn't quite right. There is too much "hoping" going on and not enough "knowing." An IT support person is attempting to visualize the transport of discrete units of data flowing across an "Interpath" between all the applicable components--for hundreds of applications and thousands of users. How is that done? Black magic mostly--and a bag of black box tools. Often these tools are purchased by less technical management and the support personnel receive little training. Even if they do receive training, that training is focused on how to manipulate the console and install the product. Seldom is there much raw technology exchanged. Let's face it, most of the time we don't really know what the tool is doing--only how to run it--yet we take their results as law. Tools poll and push and query and ask a selection of the components involved to report in about themselves. Then, by algorithms known to only a few people at the vendor's office, (if they are still employed there), the data is SUMMARIZED and presented to you, the IT professional who has received that week of training. Once you think about the fact that the information is just a summarization--the problem--and mythology--begins to come clear. AUTOMATED TESTING: Picture a business user sitting at a PC workstation in a remote office of your company. Many times a day--a network transaction that should take 15 seconds--instead takes 90 seconds--maybe longer. You have an automated tool that "simulates" that transaction every hour. In 24 polls we see the following: * 4 Samples show 10 seconds (much faster than normal) * 16 Samples show 15 seconds (expected) * 4 Samples show 90 seconds (long enough to drive a user crazy.) * The average is 26.7 seconds. Would an alarm sound in your monitoring system? With an expectation of 15 seconds--would you be concerned enough to escalate this issue? Sure, it's nearly double what is expected--but there are times that are quite excellent and anyway--it's still not even 30 seconds! Maybe it's not so critical... It is Critical--to that user experiencing 90 second delays from time to time--or more frequently! What is your Polling Interval? Hourly? -- Does that include night-time hours? If so, your metrics are already mostly useless (unless you have equal activity at night as during the day). If it is hourly--and day time only hours--it still means that 4 out of 24 business hour polls are 90 seconds. That does NOT mean 4 times--it means 4 times "POLLED." What about in-between polls? It is happening many more times than the 4--that were able to be seen! It could be happening more than enough to significantly damage production and good will. Is the logic in your automated tool really taking this into account? If so, what does it really tell you anyway? It can't say why--and it can't say how. It's a fire alarm that only rings if you pull it at the right time and frequently enough. That discussion opens the door to wondering about metrics in general. UTILIZATION METRICS: What does it mean when a tool tells you that your network/segment/WAN is 42% utilized? Does it mean that the wire is only used 42%? No. If you are measuring a transport medium, that medium is utilized 100%--whenever it is used. If you put an electrical current on a wire—can you use only 42% of that wire? No. It is either hot or cold. On or off. Does it mean that you only used it 42% of the time? No. It is getting closer though. To say that it means that the segment is 100% utilized—but only 42% of the time—is ALMOST correct. Time is the key word here. How is it measuring time? Is it always monitoring or is it polling? It is polling--probably. (Sorry--polling and metrics are always hand-in-hand). What is your polling interval? Every 10 minutes—every hour—once per day? How long do you monitor between polls? Is it a "continuous" value or is it only checked on every hour? Is it an interval that the manufacturer has never even disclosed or acknowledged? For the sake of discussion--let's answer these questions. Imagine we have a tool that monitors a wire for 1 minute every hour. That tool reports that your "Utilization" is 42%. That means that for the one minute every hour--that your wire is monitored--for that one minute ONLY-- it is 100% utilized. In other words--42% of those polls showed 100% (rather than 0%) utilization—for 1 minute per hour. Does that mean that it has 58% more room and all is well? No. So, what do you know about the utilization of your wire that can help you? Not as much as the monitoring tool's manufacturer would like you to think. Are you attempting to reconcile the results of two different tools? That is extremely difficult--impractical--and possibly ruinous. How much money are you spending—not only on the tool itself—but on decisions made as a result of that tool's reports? However, this doesn't mean that there is no point to those metrics. They are signpost pointing towards reality--fire alarms. Nevertheless, you should certainly not quote them when reality seems to imply different things. Reality is going to be more accurate that such metrics—every time. This is the reason for the Interpath Transactional Analysis approach to monitoring and reality based testing.
Barry Koplowitz founded Interpath Technologies Corporation in 1999. He was an instructor for Network General and NAI traveling around the USA teaching for Sniffer University ® and is a consultant to large enterprise environments in the area of Network & Application Analysis and Troubleshooting. He is the writer and host of The Sniffer Guy podcast. http://www.interpathtech.com
2008/02/05
The Top 3 Computer Backup Myths - Exposed!
The Top 3 Computer Backup Myths - Exposed!
By Levi BloomNever do today what you can put off till tomorrow. Sound familiar? That was always my motto (still is sometimes…) but as far as backing up my computer, procrastinating is the last thing I do! I have learned my lesson after losing precious data from multiple hard drive crashes!
Think disaster won’t strike your computer? I have news for you: statistics show that 1 in every 4 computer users suffers a critical data loss every year. Laptops are stolen and hard drives crash; it’s a fact of life. If you’ve never seen a grown man cry, wait till his computer crashes!
Still, I’ve heard many excuses from other computer users about why they don’t backup their machines. Well, they might sound good, but they really do not hold up.
I conducted a small survey among computer users to find the most popular excuses. The top three excuses are shown below, along with my rebuttals.
3. I don’t know how.
Now’s the time to learn. If you have learned to use a computer, you can learn to backup your files. It can be as simple as burning a CD or clicking on folders and selecting “back this up.”
Find the nearest computer whiz and tell them you want to back up your data. Or just browse the internet for data backup. Someone will be happy to help. (After losing a lot of my data due to hard drive crashes, I’m happy to help people backup their data.)
2. It’s too expensive.
Backup does not have to cost an arm and a leg. Although some services are very expensive, it is possible to backup all of your data for a few dollars every month. What do CD-Rs cost these days, a couple cents each? Even one top-notch online backup service is a mere $5 per month.
You buy insurance for your house and car, right? Think of data backup as insurance for your documents and digital photos. (Remember, even if your insurance covers the cost of your computer during a catastrophe, they will not cover your data loss, which most likely is worth more than the computer itself.)
And the #1 reason…
1. It takes too long.
This reason would actually be better stated as “I’m too busy!” or “I’m lazy!” but I figured I would combine those into one sentence!
If you burn CDs with all of your data, then yes, it takes a while. But even that does not take as long as trying to start over from scratch once you have lost everything!
Just think if you lost everything. What would you do?
Remember that backup service I mentioned earlier that’s only $5 per month? Not only is it cheap, it works automatically after a few minutes of setup time. It will actually backup your entire computer without any effort on your part! If you don’t have time for that, I don’t know what you have time for.
Levi Bloom runs PCBackupReview.com where you can learn everything you need to know about computer backup. Check out his website to learn the secret to backing up your computer easily for just $5 per month or to subscribe to a free e-course about computer backup.
2008/01/10
Audio Software Online
Audio Software Online
By: Frank Vanderlugt
Technically, audio is defined as that part of frequency (20 Hz to 20,000 Hz) which is heard by the human ear from a radio, television, audiovisual display, etc. It also includes spoken dialogs, sound effects, music and much more. Speaking of music, we all know how music is an integral part of our lives. We all listen to music and employ different digital machines of varying sizes to do so. These machines employ audio software for audio playback. Online audio software are good for those machines which do not have an audio playback software.
Digital music machines (like Apples iPod, Sonys Walkman and computers) render music in a digital format. Before we talk about various audio software, it is important to note that online audio software are broadly classified into two types- freeware and shareware. Freeware audio software are free to download and use. There is no restriction on their use. Shareware audio software are free to download but their use is permitted only on a trial basis. In order to remove all the restrictions that come with a shareware you will have to purchase it by making payments through cash, check or credit card. It is generally believed that purchased shareware are very good as compared to freeware, but it is just a myth. There are many freeware audio software that provide the same quality and features as a shareware, that too without spending any money.
The working of online audio software also depends on the operating system used in the computer. A software build on Windows platform will not work on an operating system like Linux. Hence, before downloading any online audio software make sure that you have selected the one appropriate to your operating system.
Now, there are many types of audio software available on the Internet. You can select the software that suits your needs. Also know that advanced audio software technology has now made it possible to record even the audio tracks of a TV serial, movie, music videos, etc. Whatever you want to do, generally you would need different software for different jobs. But, there also exist some audio software that handle two or more tasks in one. For example, a digital audio editor is a software that once installed on the computer, serves the following tasks:-
* Recording of audio from different inputs like stereo, microphone, TV, etc., and storing the record file on the computer's hard disk as a digital audio file for future access.
* Using operations like cut and add on the start time, stoppage time and length of the sound file.
* Mix various sound tracks into one file or add some special audio effects to an audio file.
* Various audio files can be changed into other formats such as wav to mp3, rm to wav, mov to mp3, and so on.
Online audio software, if you are able to find the right one, can be a good thing for you, and that too without making any extra efforts. All you need to do is to locate the right audio software and download it.
Johanna Schipper owns and operates http://www.online-course-software-2008.com Online Course Software
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com
The 10 Myths That Can Keep You Away From Online Business
The 10 Myths That Can Keep You Away From Online Business
By: Seomul Davis
We are living in a world where the Internet has a far bigger role to play than just connecting people beyond geographical boundaries or enabling VoIP. Internet drives most businesses today, whether we talk about internet mail, online presentations, business meetings through video conferencing or generating revenue through PPC campaigns and other internet marketing strategies. But there are many people out there who want to be successful entrepreneurs over the internet but there is some myth or the other that is stopping them from being successful.
Let us look at the 10 myths that have kept many people away from being successful entrepreneurs or from generating revenue on the internet:
Myth I: Not good enough There are many people who feel that they are not smart enough or good enough to do online business and the truth is that although business over the internet might not be for everyone but it is not impossible. Myth II: Not enough time Most of you are probably doing 80hrs a week and to add to it is the commuting time and the time you spend with your family. Most people would ask how can there be time left for an online business after all this. If you are working 10 hrs a day and if you are commuting by train then you can always think and jot down your ideas while traveling. Spend about an hour every night before you hit the bed to browse through the internet and find the required information and the right sources that will help your business.
Myth III: Not enough money Although it may seem like a costly proposition on the outside but the truth is that the internet is really cheap. Most website hosting companies are also offering cheap hosting services ranging from as less as a $1 a month. A simple website design using basic HTML will not cost you more than $100 and broadband is also available at low costs. So you can set up an online business within a budget of $150 with ease and start reaping the benefits from the first month itself.
Myth IV: Not an expert You don’t have to be an expert to start an online business. You may need to be a construction engineer to build bridges, but you don’t require any kind of educational qualification or work experience to be successful on the internet. All you need is an understanding of how the internet works and how you can take advantage of the internet to generate revenue.
Myth V: What should I sell? There are many who believe that they have nothing to sell at all on the internet but they are wrong. You don’t have to really start by selling a product or a service of your own. You can choose to sell some other companies product or service on a commission basis and then slowly grow from there.
Myth VI: Competition One of the worst excuses is that there are already a lot of players in this field and hence it is difficult to survive. The truth is that competition is everywhere but as long as you have the desire to succeed, you can overthrow any competition. Another important thing is that your loss will be someone else’s gain.
Myth VII: Making money Some people believe that the only people really making any money are the ones who tell others how to make money. This is not true because although there are many people who advice people on how to make money but such people comprise of only 1% of the internet business.
Myth VIII: No Success There are some people who have met with failure but that is no reason for believing that they are not cut out for internet business. Sometimes, the reasons for failure are because of our own faults like not being able to capitalize on an opportunity or failing to recognize one or bad decision making.
Myth IX: Search Engine Ranking There are many who believe that there business can’t reach places without a search engine ranking. This is untrue. Not everyone is on the number 1 page of Google but that doesn’t mean that they are not successful businesses.
Myth IX: Advertising Budget You don’t necessarily require an advertising budget to increase the visibility of your business. There are many different ways of doing it without even spending a dime like back linking, article submissions etc.
At the end, it is all about making a start!
By: Seomul Davis
We are living in a world where the Internet has a far bigger role to play than just connecting people beyond geographical boundaries or enabling VoIP. Internet drives most businesses today, whether we talk about internet mail, online presentations, business meetings through video conferencing or generating revenue through PPC campaigns and other internet marketing strategies. But there are many people out there who want to be successful entrepreneurs over the internet but there is some myth or the other that is stopping them from being successful.
Let us look at the 10 myths that have kept many people away from being successful entrepreneurs or from generating revenue on the internet:
Myth I: Not good enough There are many people who feel that they are not smart enough or good enough to do online business and the truth is that although business over the internet might not be for everyone but it is not impossible. Myth II: Not enough time Most of you are probably doing 80hrs a week and to add to it is the commuting time and the time you spend with your family. Most people would ask how can there be time left for an online business after all this. If you are working 10 hrs a day and if you are commuting by train then you can always think and jot down your ideas while traveling. Spend about an hour every night before you hit the bed to browse through the internet and find the required information and the right sources that will help your business.
Myth III: Not enough money Although it may seem like a costly proposition on the outside but the truth is that the internet is really cheap. Most website hosting companies are also offering cheap hosting services ranging from as less as a $1 a month. A simple website design using basic HTML will not cost you more than $100 and broadband is also available at low costs. So you can set up an online business within a budget of $150 with ease and start reaping the benefits from the first month itself.
Myth IV: Not an expert You don’t have to be an expert to start an online business. You may need to be a construction engineer to build bridges, but you don’t require any kind of educational qualification or work experience to be successful on the internet. All you need is an understanding of how the internet works and how you can take advantage of the internet to generate revenue.
Myth V: What should I sell? There are many who believe that they have nothing to sell at all on the internet but they are wrong. You don’t have to really start by selling a product or a service of your own. You can choose to sell some other companies product or service on a commission basis and then slowly grow from there.
Myth VI: Competition One of the worst excuses is that there are already a lot of players in this field and hence it is difficult to survive. The truth is that competition is everywhere but as long as you have the desire to succeed, you can overthrow any competition. Another important thing is that your loss will be someone else’s gain.
Myth VII: Making money Some people believe that the only people really making any money are the ones who tell others how to make money. This is not true because although there are many people who advice people on how to make money but such people comprise of only 1% of the internet business.
Myth VIII: No Success There are some people who have met with failure but that is no reason for believing that they are not cut out for internet business. Sometimes, the reasons for failure are because of our own faults like not being able to capitalize on an opportunity or failing to recognize one or bad decision making.
Myth IX: Search Engine Ranking There are many who believe that there business can’t reach places without a search engine ranking. This is untrue. Not everyone is on the number 1 page of Google but that doesn’t mean that they are not successful businesses.
Myth IX: Advertising Budget You don’t necessarily require an advertising budget to increase the visibility of your business. There are many different ways of doing it without even spending a dime like back linking, article submissions etc.
At the end, it is all about making a start!
Seomul Davis is a senior SEO Services expert with SEO 1 Services a Dallas SEO Company
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com
7 Lies Your Web Stats Tell You
7 Lies Your Web Stats Tell You
By: Cindy Lighter
Your web statistics might not be lying on purpose. They might just give you the wrong impression about what is happening with visitors on your site. Keep the following seven possible lies in mind when you check your web statistics next time.
Web Stats Lie #1 - All Your Visitors Are Being Counted
If you're using more than one web statistics tool, you already know this isn't true. But do you know why?
Each web statistics software package counts visitors in several ways, and each one decides what constitutes a unique visitor differently. For example, some web statistics programs may set a cookie on a visit from what it perceives is a new visitor. This may work well enough, until that person moves to a new computer, or changes their browser. Or they may be using a shared computer, and more than one person at that computer may be visiting your site.
The programs that measure by IP address aren't necessarily superior. An IP address may represent a single user at a single computer, or it may not.
Still, this is just an issue to be aware of, not a reason to abandon all hope. The very best stats program is giving you an estimate at best. A close estimate, but not an absolute number.
Web Stats Lie #2 - Common Terms Have Uniform Meanings
Even if your stats show as many of your visitors as possible, the metrics they measure may not mean the same thing from program to program, or even from report to report.
A common term like page view might mean an entire page has been completely displayed, or it might mean that an invisible graphic has been loaded.
Web Stats Lie #3 - Your Page Views Can All Be Matched to a Person
Not all the times your pages are viewed are necessarily loaded by a person. A common miscounted page would be an RSS feed. It may be fetched once by a popular program, and then redisplayed to several other viewers. Unless the referring site tells you the number of subscribers, you have no way of knowing for sure.
Web Stats Lie #4 - Number of Page Views is of Utmost Importance
At the same time, how many pages are viewed isn't as important as it may seem when you look at your report for the month. For years, the page view was one of the most important items on a web stats report. It's of some importance now, but just because it's still prominently featured on reports doesn't mean it's the main point of focus.
Page views were important because they were attempting to measure how engaged visitors are with your content. Now, with audio, video, web content feeds and other dynamic content that can be accessed from one location, the length of time spent on a site is more important than the page view.
Web Stats Lie #5 - Hits Are Meaningful
This is an old myth that has plagued the internet and allowed many unsuspecting web owners to be duped by companies promising outlandish results.
One of the first things you should learn about website traffic is what a hit is. A hit is a successfully requested file. But your typical web page may yield five hits when it is loaded. How is this possible?
A web page is a file often made up of several other files. The text of your web page might be accompanied by four pictures. Each of those files is counted under the term hit, where page view, or impression entails the entire web page.
In fact, it's possible for hits to be down when page views and uniques are up. If you change the design of your pages to include fewer images, each web page will yield fewer hits.
Next time you look at your web stats, ignore the hits column. It doesn't mean anything significant in terms of traffic, and is truly a relic of the early era of the web.
Web Stats Lie #6 - Only Your High Volume Keywords Are Important
Since you are probably only seeing the top few dozen, few hundred, or few thousand keywords in your reports, you might think that only the keywords that bring the most visitors are of any importance. They're at the top of the list, and the program might not be able to show the lower volume terms.
In some cases, the high volume visitors aren't the ones that bring the most sales. The lower traffic keywords also often pave the way for keywords that yield larger volumes, and can give you clues about what you're likely to rank for in the future.
Web Stats Lie #7 - The Amount of Traffic You Get is All That Matters
Your stats are measuring who came to your site, how long they stayed, what they did, where they came in and how they left. These are all of significance, but of equal importance is the number of those visitors who turn out to be buyers. And there are other aspects of a site's success that stats can hint at, but not necessarily predict.
This isn't to say that the information that web statistics programs give us aren't valuable or don't give us important data. In proper context, the information we get from observing visitor activity is helpful to the point of being essential to monitor.
It just helps to understand what you're reading.
Want to learn more about web traffic? Visit us at http://freetraffictip.com for more free tips about your traffic.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com
The Myth of the Internet Success Secret
The Myth of the Internet Success Secret
Author: Ron Jones
Author: Ron Jones
Before the Internet became the World Wide Web as we know it, people were trying to turn a quick buck by posting what came to be known as "usenet spam." What we now know as spamming a forum.
As soon as the Web entered the mainstream of everyday life sometime in the late 1990's, the inevitable guru moved in, set up shop and began selling the secrets to building an online fortune. As is usually the case, it was the guru who built the fortune.
Fast forward to today; nothing has really changed. There are even more marketers selling the secrets to Internet business success, and the price is higher.
Why is this so? Why do people continue to buy into the snake oil of easy, push-button, online riches? The answer is far outside the scope of this short document. Although it should say something that libraries have been filled with works on the peculiarities of human nature, yet we are no closer to understanding it.
Most people online are attracted to wealth building secrets that are complex and arcane. I suppose it appeals to our natural human tendency to want exclusivity. The "forbidden secrets" angle is always a big seller.
It also provides a subconscious "out" in the event of failure. After all, If I start an Internet business using these secrets and I fail, then "it must work for only a few." My ego is saved the bruising of failure because the method was too complex
Yet hope springs eternal in the human breast, and still we search for the secret to that mythical Internet fortune.
There are a few however, who have actually discovered the real secrets to building a stable, income producing, Internet business. The incredible thing about these secrets is that they are available to anyone, without cost. I have found them, and I want to share them with you:
1. Find or create a high quality product that fills a need. You'll need to do some market research to discover if there is enough demand for your product to warrant the investment of time and money in production. Read Chris Anderson's book "The Long Tail" for an eye-opening look at just how extensive the market will be.
2. Offer your product to the marketplace of people who are actually looking for it. Read Mark Joyner's book "The Irresistible Offer" for tips on developing a high ROI offer that your prospects cannot pass up.
3. Treat your customers like the golden goose. Communicate with them, ask them for input, find out what they want, and act upon it.
4. With the knowledge you gained in step 3, go back to step 2 and do it again. Become a resource for your customers and you will earn their business for life.
It's really that simple. The secrets that have the greatest affect on our lives and in our business are usually the ones that are rooted in common sense.
If you can grasp the power of these secrets to Internet business success, you will be one of the very few who will have the keys to online fortune.
People will continue to seek the obscure and arcane because of wishful thinking and continue to believe in those things despite evidence to the contrary, simply because they are unwilling to accept a simple answer.
About the Author:
Develop your Internet Success plan with this proven formula. Ron Jones is the owner of www.internetprofit101.com A free Internet Marketing resource that cuts through the hype and shows you how to succeed online.
Productivity and the Big Project Myth
Productivity and the Big Project Myth
Author: Duane Hennessy
Job advertisements in newspapers and on the internet asking for IT professionals usually tout large projects as the sole reason for wanting an IT professional in the first place. A programmer, system analyst or system tester must have had experience in large corporate projects and the larger the better.
Many businesses, in Australia at least, see IT departments as a liability and a necessary evil so as little money as necessary is thrown into IT infrastructure where other areas of a business, for example the Engineering Department or the Buyers Department, get inundated with large budgets. IT Departments have to justify their existence with staff time-sheets and charging internal clients for IT solutions.
Although grandiose back-slapping projects bring in the money and look good on a resume these projects do not necessarily improve the expediency with which a company does business. In fact large corporate systems can increase the workload where more data is required to be captured by the users, call centre staff and so on.
Throughout my consultancy career my main philosophy has been to improve the user's or developer's work environment by making their job easier. As well as large projects I have developed many small applications that took anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour to create but have saved employees anywhere between hours to months of hard tedious work. The accumulation of small time-saving applications can out-perform some of the larger projects when measuring productivity especially when used over and again exponentially increasing productivity within a company.
Those employees who benefit from many of these small applications are usually confined to the IT department itself where users have direct access to an IT professional who can put together a small custom application during their spare time. Those outside of the IT department though are usually left to their own devices and this is where end users and macro recordable office suites or keyboard capturing software comes into play.
What begins as simple macro instructions within an application built by an end user eventually become large complex and business critical applications held together with chewing gum and string. As news of the application spreads throughout the department more demands are made upon the hapless user who provided the solution and ergo their stress is increased as they maintain the original solution with all its additions whilst trying to cater for a stream of new requests. When a system grows to the point of being unmanageable the department can then justify the expense of a business case which the IT department will then accept, all too often though the business case specifies an upgrade of the original system, a band-aid solution as the ultimate solution, where a total rewrite is really the only solution.
There would be more control over such a situation if IT departments provided small applications for individuals and groups, and companies realised the benefits of incorporating the IT department more into its overall infrastructure instead of annexing it to the companies structure as if it were a parasitic necessity.
About the Author:
Duane Hennessy
Senior Software Engineer and Systems Architect.
Bandicoot Software
Tropical Queensland, Australia
(ABN: 33 682 969 957)
Productivity...No Stress!
http://www.bandicootsoftware.com.au
How to build great software.
How to build great software.
Author: Chris Grahamn this article I'm going to explain the top 10 software development fallacies my company avoids. By avoiding these myths and concentrating on excellence, we are able to make great quality software.
Myth 1) Software must be designed in detail before development starts, so that a clear plan can be out-layed.
The truth) The more complex a design, the more like software the design itself is. By perfecting a design, then writing the software to that design, you're effectively writing the work twice. Instead, by doing just some simple design sketches and data modelling rather than a book-like design, a good development team can create a shell for the software and efficiently refine it towards the finished product. This process of refinement creates natural prototypes, allows easy adaptation when issues that would be unforseen by a design arise (or brought up as fresh concerns by a client), and the total process takes significantly less time. To pull this off requires a close team, skill, and experience, but it is by far the best option for the majority of situations.
Myth 2) There are programmers, designers, analysts, and users.
The truth) By structuring development so that all developers get some exposure to each part of the development process, skills may be shared and greater insight may be gained. If developers are encouraged to actually use the software then they can use that expertise to think of improvements that otherwise would not come to light.
Myth 3) A happy team is a productive team.
The truth) A team of people with a wide variety of natural skills, experience and concern, that criticises each other and argues vehemently over the smallest details, will bring up and resolve issues that otherwise would never be tackled. A furnace of relentless argument is the best way to forge understanding and reach perfection.
Myth 4) It's important we understand our direction and don't compromise with it.
The truth) Life is compromise, and compromise is not a weakness. There will always be issues (such as efficiency, budget, ease-of-use, power, scope, and the need for easy internationalisation) that cannot be simultaneously met without such compromise.
Myth 5) We know what the client wants, we know what the issues are.
The truth) Without constant re-evaluation, it is easy to lose track of the objective. Developers are often faced with problems to solve that they consider the issues, when those are in fact separated from the actual market goals and can become totally irrelevant. Developers must always understand the market goals and be able to adapt when other things change, or even the goals themselves change.
Myth 6) Bigger is better. Features are cool.
The truth) Features can easily confuse users, and their actual value should always be considered against the cost of confusion. In some cases it is sensible to actually remove working features due to such concerns.
Myth 7a) The customer is always right.
The truth) Most customers try hard not to look ignorant in front of software developers, and hence phrase their suggestions in a technical way. The effect is that often suggestions aren't really appropriate, because they're not founded on a solid understanding of technical issues.
Myth 7b) The customer is often wrong.
The truth) Although customers needs are often not best met by doing literally what they say, they always know what they want and why they want it - and usually for very good reason. Understand them and adapt what they say, discuss with them, but never ignore them.
Myth 8) Comment your code a lot.
The truth) Good code needs hardly any commenting, because sensible uses of naming and white-space are better alternatives. Comments should only ever explain the non-obvious, or provide standard API documentation.
Myth 9) Such and such is needed, such and such is great.
The truth) A bad workman blames his tools. Whilst some development tools aid development substantially, a good developer can do great results in most things served to them. There are a few exceptions, like Microsoft Access, or assembly language, but generally speaking the difference in quality results is much more due to the skills of the developers than the quality of their tools.
Myth 10) The customer will understand if there's an efficient and easy-to-use interface.
The truth) The interface doesn't just need to be easy-to-use, it needs to be navigatable without an overall systems understanding. Screens need to be self-describing.
About the Author:
Managing Director of ocProducts, a company specialising in software (ocPortal) to help people build a website.
The Biggest Myth About Ecommerce - Squashed
The Biggest Myth About Ecommerce - Squashed
Author: Fabian Tan
It is a popular assumption by many people that there is no money left to be made in the Internet. Those big boys at eBay, Google, Yahoo, MSN and Amazon have eaten all the pie. Or so they think.
Wrong! There is more money than ever to be made on the Internet. The pie is getting bigger and bigger every day.
People see the competition on the Internet and wonder, how are they going to make money?
Let me tell you how - simply by tapping into a worldwide market, a feat that was unachievable by most companines before the Internet came along.
Internet commerce sales now comprises of 12% of all retail revenue. This is expected to reach 25% in 2012. Ok, so 75% will still belong to offline sales.
But humor me, how many of these offline businesses are able to target a worldwide market? More specifically, how many of these businesses merely sell to their local neighbourhood or city? And how many of these businesses operate 24 hours a day?
While the costs of doing business in the real world is increasing, costs of doing online retail is decreasing. To book a domain name in 1999 cost $40, now you can buy one for $8 or less.
Every year, the number of people going online is increasing. The opportunity to tap into these new people who get online every year, and turn them into customers, is an opportunity not to be missed.
So if you're wondering whether or not there is still money to be made on the Internet, you'd better believe there is!
About the Author:
Fabian Tan is the author of the free 51-Page Report: Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30 Days Or Less! Head over to http://www.MurderYourJob.com to get your free copy now before its gone!
Author: Fabian Tan
It is a popular assumption by many people that there is no money left to be made in the Internet. Those big boys at eBay, Google, Yahoo, MSN and Amazon have eaten all the pie. Or so they think.
Wrong! There is more money than ever to be made on the Internet. The pie is getting bigger and bigger every day.
People see the competition on the Internet and wonder, how are they going to make money?
Let me tell you how - simply by tapping into a worldwide market, a feat that was unachievable by most companines before the Internet came along.
Internet commerce sales now comprises of 12% of all retail revenue. This is expected to reach 25% in 2012. Ok, so 75% will still belong to offline sales.
But humor me, how many of these offline businesses are able to target a worldwide market? More specifically, how many of these businesses merely sell to their local neighbourhood or city? And how many of these businesses operate 24 hours a day?
While the costs of doing business in the real world is increasing, costs of doing online retail is decreasing. To book a domain name in 1999 cost $40, now you can buy one for $8 or less.
Every year, the number of people going online is increasing. The opportunity to tap into these new people who get online every year, and turn them into customers, is an opportunity not to be missed.
So if you're wondering whether or not there is still money to be made on the Internet, you'd better believe there is!
About the Author:
Fabian Tan is the author of the free 51-Page Report: Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30 Days Or Less! Head over to http://www.MurderYourJob.com to get your free copy now before its gone!
2008/01/08
Debunking the Top Ten Internet Home Business Myths
Debunking the Top Ten Internet Home Business Myths
Author: Angela
Spend a few days online and you'd think that the Internet
is a community of multi-millionaires. Everyone seems to
be making $10,000 each and every month using a simple,
guaranteed system that requires virtually no work on your
part ... and they're all kind enough to want to share it
with you.
Every day we're bombarded with offers that claim we can
make money quickly and easily on the Internet, often with
a 'proven' system that 'guarantees' success. Unfortunately
it's not as simple as some might have you believe. Here's
the truth behind 10 common myths about building a business
on the Internet:
MYTH #1: It's Easy... Everyone's Doing It.
Sure, lots of people have tried to start a business online.
But how many of them actually *stick* with it and earn a
reasonable profit? It's not uncommon to see estimates that
85-95% of all Internet businesses fail within the first
year.
An online business is still a business. It might be more
affordable to start than a traditional 'brick-and-mortar'
business, but online business has its own set of
challenges.
MYTH #2: You Only Have to Work a Couple of Hours a Day.
How many business owners do you know that work only a
couple of hours a day, especially when first starting
out? There is plenty to learn about building a long-term
profitable business online. Long hours and hard work are
required for ANY type of business -- even on the Internet.
MYTH #3: Build A Website and the Masses Will Come.
Consider this: there are literally billions of web pages
available on the Internet. Your tiny little website has
to somehow stand out from the rest. This is no easy task!
It's essential for every Internet business owner to learn
how to effectively promote his or her site to attract the
*right* people -- not just the curious who might browse
and leave, but those who have an inherent interest in
your products and services.
MYTH #4: I Can Do It For Free!
Again, an Internet business is still a business -- and
every business requires an investment. Marketing can be
significantly cheaper online, but not everything can be
done without cost. Even the very basics such as registering
a domain and hosting your site are costs you have to pay
every year.
MYTH #5: It's Fast.
Success isn't built overnight. Anyone can create a web
page and open up a website for business... but it takes
time to learn how to attract visitors to the site and
then convert them into paying customers.
MYTH #6: It's Perfect Because I Never Have to Deal With
People.
Email is undoubtedly a convenient tool, but as easy as
it is to forget, email messages are still written by
people. You cannot shield yourself from interaction
with real people. Even if you do most of your business
via email, there will be times when it's more appropriate
to speak to someone over the phone or even face-to-face.
MYTH #7: I'll Have Lots of Free Time and Flexibility.
You might... after you've put in the time and effort to
build your online business to the point where you don't
have to monitor it constantly. Realistically, this can
take *years*. Until then you'll be doing what most
start-up businesses are doing: learning to build profits
and putting in long hours.
MYTH #8: I'll Make Money While I Sleep.
Certainly you can -- but again, not until your online
business is receiving a steady stream of targeted traffic
and paying customers, and you've learned how to automate
the appropriate parts of your business. Even the most
beautiful site with the most incredible products is
utterly useless unless people can find it.
MYTH #9: I Just Have to Follow a Guaranteed 'System' to
Become Successful.
There's no such thing as a 'guarantee' for success. The
very best information in the world won't do any good unless
it's put to use! We're all individuals with our own skills,
experiences, and interests. No 'system' can account for
all these differences.
MYTH #10: I'll Make My Fortune On the Internet.
Perhaps you will. Are you willing to put forth the effort?
_____
Angela is the author of Online Business Basics, a practical guide to building a profitable Internet business on a beginner's budget. It's received rave reviews -- see why by visiting http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html or request a series of 10 free reports to get you started: http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/freereports.html
Seven Myths about Search Engines Demystified
Seven Myths about Search Engines Demystified
Author: Alicia Harper
Today there is a lot of information available on the web about how to get good search engine rankings, some information is good and some information is bad. Over the few years search engines have been around, some myths have developed. Some of these myths are actually just out dated techniques and some are misunderstandings because the web is such a new medium. Below I have explained the top seven myths I have seen floating around the net.
$45 will get you #1 position
This is my number one pet peeve. The ads that say for $45 you can get a top page listing with Google, Msn and others. This is not a myth it is an out and out lie. It's absolutely impossible to guarantee any rankings. All you can do is have someone optimize your pages, apply an Internet Marketing Plan to your website and hope for the best. It is also a lot more complicated then paying for your listing. If that's the case the highest bidder would receive the highest listing.
Multiple submissions help your rank
The truth is submit your website once, if in a few months your website has not been indexed then submit it again. Chances are that your site will be indexed by Google (indexed pages are pages that a search engine has added to its list of pages it has already looked at and uses when a searcher performs a search) and Yahoo and many other search engines because the search engines want to supply as much relevant information to the searcher, therefore they need to have more indexed pages. That's the bottom line. Also, if submitting your website to the search engines is something you are doing yourself, then think about only submitting to a few of the important ones that feed the other search engines, this cuts down the time.
It's all about meta-tags
First I'll explain meta-tags. They are HTML tags that can be used to define the HTML specifications a webpage follows, keywords and description of the page, etc..
The most common use of a meta-tag in online marketing is the keyword and description tags, which tell the search engines that index meta-tags what description to use in their SERP (search engine rankings page). Meta tags are good, they definitely can't hurt. Unfortunately they are not everything the search engine uses to determine the topic of your site or it's ranking. There are many other key factors you need to consider. The best thing to do is not to cram 50 keywords in your meta tags. The best practice is to put one or two per page with, each page having different keywords relevant to the page. The truth is that most meta-tags aren't particularly important and aren't used by search engines at all. Google has already stated it ignores most meta-tags. They can be useful to show the description that comes up after your listing in the SERP.
Page Rank is God
Page Rank is definitely not God. Although, it is a good tool. As a web designer, I like to use it determine whether I would like to trade links with another website. Again, there are many things search engines use to determine rankings. Page Rank is not the only thing used to determine your placement in the SERP. There are a load of other factors that come into play. Basically Page Rank is over rated by a lot of people. For example I searched Google for "purple monkey" and the first page on the SERP had a Page Rank of 5 and the second result has a Page Rank of 5 and the term "purple monkey" was in the url. The third page had a Page Rank of 7. Therefore higher Page Ranks do not necessarily mean higher listings but, it does help.
All website designers and developers understand search engines.
The answer is no, not all designers understand search engines. Just because they can create websites doesn't mean they know how to optimize them. Some designers tend to show off what they can produce, such as a fully flash site with all kinds of "bells and whistles" and no text for the search engine to read. Before you hire a website designer/developer or SEO expert ask for some case studies of sites they have optimized.
The more links the better�
The truth is the more relevant links the better. You can add your site to a gazillion free directories and it's not going to help your SERP ranking. What helps your rankings is relevant links. Links from sites on the same topic or a site that would be relevant to your visitors.
Search Engine Optimization is technical
Honestly, it's boring and time consuming. It takes a lot of time in front of your computer and knowledge of how search engines work. It is something you can do yourself, but the easy and cost effective way would be to hire an expert. SEO is one of the most cost effective marketing strategies you can use for your business.
The bottom line in Search Engine Optimization is it's time consuming, hard work and it has to be done by a human. If you are a small business and have a little knowledge you can do it yourself, as long you have a lot of time on your hands. If you don't have a lot of time to waste, hire an expert.
Author: Alicia Harper
Today there is a lot of information available on the web about how to get good search engine rankings, some information is good and some information is bad. Over the few years search engines have been around, some myths have developed. Some of these myths are actually just out dated techniques and some are misunderstandings because the web is such a new medium. Below I have explained the top seven myths I have seen floating around the net.
$45 will get you #1 position
This is my number one pet peeve. The ads that say for $45 you can get a top page listing with Google, Msn and others. This is not a myth it is an out and out lie. It's absolutely impossible to guarantee any rankings. All you can do is have someone optimize your pages, apply an Internet Marketing Plan to your website and hope for the best. It is also a lot more complicated then paying for your listing. If that's the case the highest bidder would receive the highest listing.
Multiple submissions help your rank
The truth is submit your website once, if in a few months your website has not been indexed then submit it again. Chances are that your site will be indexed by Google (indexed pages are pages that a search engine has added to its list of pages it has already looked at and uses when a searcher performs a search) and Yahoo and many other search engines because the search engines want to supply as much relevant information to the searcher, therefore they need to have more indexed pages. That's the bottom line. Also, if submitting your website to the search engines is something you are doing yourself, then think about only submitting to a few of the important ones that feed the other search engines, this cuts down the time.
It's all about meta-tags
First I'll explain meta-tags. They are HTML tags that can be used to define the HTML specifications a webpage follows, keywords and description of the page, etc..
The most common use of a meta-tag in online marketing is the keyword and description tags, which tell the search engines that index meta-tags what description to use in their SERP (search engine rankings page). Meta tags are good, they definitely can't hurt. Unfortunately they are not everything the search engine uses to determine the topic of your site or it's ranking. There are many other key factors you need to consider. The best thing to do is not to cram 50 keywords in your meta tags. The best practice is to put one or two per page with, each page having different keywords relevant to the page. The truth is that most meta-tags aren't particularly important and aren't used by search engines at all. Google has already stated it ignores most meta-tags. They can be useful to show the description that comes up after your listing in the SERP.
Page Rank is God
Page Rank is definitely not God. Although, it is a good tool. As a web designer, I like to use it determine whether I would like to trade links with another website. Again, there are many things search engines use to determine rankings. Page Rank is not the only thing used to determine your placement in the SERP. There are a load of other factors that come into play. Basically Page Rank is over rated by a lot of people. For example I searched Google for "purple monkey" and the first page on the SERP had a Page Rank of 5 and the second result has a Page Rank of 5 and the term "purple monkey" was in the url. The third page had a Page Rank of 7. Therefore higher Page Ranks do not necessarily mean higher listings but, it does help.
All website designers and developers understand search engines.
The answer is no, not all designers understand search engines. Just because they can create websites doesn't mean they know how to optimize them. Some designers tend to show off what they can produce, such as a fully flash site with all kinds of "bells and whistles" and no text for the search engine to read. Before you hire a website designer/developer or SEO expert ask for some case studies of sites they have optimized.
The more links the better�
The truth is the more relevant links the better. You can add your site to a gazillion free directories and it's not going to help your SERP ranking. What helps your rankings is relevant links. Links from sites on the same topic or a site that would be relevant to your visitors.
Search Engine Optimization is technical
Honestly, it's boring and time consuming. It takes a lot of time in front of your computer and knowledge of how search engines work. It is something you can do yourself, but the easy and cost effective way would be to hire an expert. SEO is one of the most cost effective marketing strategies you can use for your business.
The bottom line in Search Engine Optimization is it's time consuming, hard work and it has to be done by a human. If you are a small business and have a little knowledge you can do it yourself, as long you have a lot of time on your hands. If you don't have a lot of time to waste, hire an expert.
The PPC Branding Myth
The PPC Branding Myth
Author: Halstatt Pires
PPC is touted as many providing many things to the site owner. The use of a PPC campaign as a way to build a brand is one. In most cases, branding with PPC is a waste of money.
Branding is the marketing strategy of getting the word out on a product or company. Your goal is to get people to recognize a particular phrase as meaning something. The most famous brand in the world is probably Coke. Why? Well, think about it for a minute. Most people refer to practically any type of soft drink as Coke. Instead of asking for a soda, they ask for a Coke. Talk about a successful marketing effort!
Obviously, just about every company under the sun would want the kind of branding Coca Cola has pulled off. Feeding into this vein, many PPC search engines and services providing PPC management tout the fact a PPC campaign can help you build your brand. Ah, it all sounds so perfect.
There is one problem, however. Brands are not built through advertising. Brands are built through PUBLICITY. Sorry, but you can’t buy your way to success. Don’t believe me? Consider Amazon, the online bookstore.
When was the last time you saw an Amazon PPC advertisement? How about an Amazon television advertisement? You might see television ads around Christmas, but Amazon pretty much limits it’s advertising to snail mail, joint partnerships and newspaper inserts. Why? It already has brand recognition from all the publicity it did early on. If you think books online, you think Amazon. The same goes for EBay in the online auction market.
The simple truth is brands are not established by paid advertising. The only time advertising such as PPC comes into the picture is to support a brand. This means the brand is already established and you want to keep the name out there. This is what Coca Cola is doing with its advertising for Coke.
There are many reasons to pursue a PPC campaign for your site. Establishing a brand is not one of them.
Halstatt Pires provides PPC campaign management services at MarketingTitan.com.
Author: Halstatt Pires
PPC is touted as many providing many things to the site owner. The use of a PPC campaign as a way to build a brand is one. In most cases, branding with PPC is a waste of money.
Branding is the marketing strategy of getting the word out on a product or company. Your goal is to get people to recognize a particular phrase as meaning something. The most famous brand in the world is probably Coke. Why? Well, think about it for a minute. Most people refer to practically any type of soft drink as Coke. Instead of asking for a soda, they ask for a Coke. Talk about a successful marketing effort!
Obviously, just about every company under the sun would want the kind of branding Coca Cola has pulled off. Feeding into this vein, many PPC search engines and services providing PPC management tout the fact a PPC campaign can help you build your brand. Ah, it all sounds so perfect.
There is one problem, however. Brands are not built through advertising. Brands are built through PUBLICITY. Sorry, but you can’t buy your way to success. Don’t believe me? Consider Amazon, the online bookstore.
When was the last time you saw an Amazon PPC advertisement? How about an Amazon television advertisement? You might see television ads around Christmas, but Amazon pretty much limits it’s advertising to snail mail, joint partnerships and newspaper inserts. Why? It already has brand recognition from all the publicity it did early on. If you think books online, you think Amazon. The same goes for EBay in the online auction market.
The simple truth is brands are not established by paid advertising. The only time advertising such as PPC comes into the picture is to support a brand. This means the brand is already established and you want to keep the name out there. This is what Coca Cola is doing with its advertising for Coke.
There are many reasons to pursue a PPC campaign for your site. Establishing a brand is not one of them.
Halstatt Pires provides PPC campaign management services at MarketingTitan.com.
Passing The CCNA and CCNP: Three Myths About Cisco Exams
Passing The CCNA and CCNP: Three Myths About Cisco Exams
Author: Chris Bryant
Whether you're just getting ideas for your Cisco home lab or adding to your existing lab, ebay is a great place to get ideas for your lab as well as pick up some great bargains.
Of course, the internet being what it is, there are always going to be a few people looking to take your money while shipping you inferior merchandise, or worse, no merchandise at all. While these "dealers" are in the minority, you still need to be careful when purchasing Cisco equipment on ebay. In this article, I'll give you several tips on browsing ebay ads for home lab ideas, and a few things to look out for when purchasing equipment on ebay.
For those of you just starting your Cisco certification pursuit, the idea of purchasing a home lab kit -- a set of routers, switches, and perhaps some cables and study guides -- seems like a good idea. Instead of putting your lab together one piece at a time, these kits allow you to get a head start on your studies.
One thing to watch out for in these kits is outdated equipment, or the inclusion of outdated study guides. Often, vendors will use these kits as a way to get rid of unwanted inventory.
The Cisco 1900 family of switches falls into this category. A recent search on ebay for "ccna lab" showed seven different CCNA lab kits that contained 1900 switches. The problem here is that the current CCNA exams do not test on the 1900 switches, which are menu-driven and do not have an IOS. You'll need to be well-versed with switches that do have an IOS, such as the 2950s.
The plus side here is that you will probably save money by using 1900 switches. If you're on a tight budget, having a 1900 switch is better than no switch at all. If at all possible, though, get a Cisco switch with an IOS.
The cables and transceivers included with these kits are generally exactly what you need to set up that particular kit, and this can be very helpful to those CCNA candidates who are new to the various cables needed to physically configure a home lab. Just make sure you're not buying a kit with 10 transceivers (used on AUI ports) when you've only got two routers with Ethernet ports.
Watch out for kits that include outdated study guides. I've seen four-year-old CCNA books included with some kits. If you already have your study guides, feel free to ask the vendor how much the kit costs without the books.
That leads me to the most important point. Get to know the vendor before buying anything. Visit their website and check their ebay feedback. If buying from an individual as opposed to a reseller, find out what conditions the router or switch has been kept in, and make sure to define the terms under which they will accept returns. There's nothing wrong with buying equipment from someone who's selling their CCNA/CCNP/CCIE home lab, but just make sure you ask the right questions first. Professional resellers generally have their return policy right in their ebay ad; if they don't, ask for a copy.
Building your own CCNA and/or CCNP home lab is a little intimidating at first, but speaking as someone who has climbed the Cisco certification ladder from the CCNA to the CCIE, I can tell you that it is the best investment you can make in your career. Use a little caution, ask the right question, and soon you'll be leaving the world of "router simulators" behind - and you'll be developing your skills as a true professional should: On real Cisco routers and switches!
Affiliate Marketing - Easy Money is a Myth
Affiliate Marketing - Easy Money is a Myth
Author: Charles Essmeier
If you surf the Web regularly, you won’t have to look to hard to come across the term “affiliate marketing.” Affiliate marketing is the term used to describe retail sales where one party offers a product for sale while another party, or “affiliate”, advertises the product. If the customer buys, both the affiliate and the retailer of the product make money.
Many of the products sold on the Web via affiliate marketing are books devoted to the topic of making money online. Many of these products promote affiliate marketing heavily, using such phrases as “the easiest money you will ever make” or “make money on autopilot.” Advertisers often exaggerate extensively, suggesting that you can work mere minutes per day while taking in hundreds, or even thousands of dollars daily. There is certainly money to be made, but it’s more work than it appears.
A few affiliate marketers do earn the kind of money they mention in their ads. Their claims of huge earnings are not necessarily false, but their suggestions that you can easily achieve the same results that they get are a bit far fetched. Many of the more established online marketers have been doing online sales for years. There is more to their years of experience than simply wisdom; many of them have mailing lists with tens or even hundreds of thousands of customers. When a new product becomes available, these people can type up a single e-mail sales pitch and have it delivered to 50,000 people or more within an hour. Everyone else has to try to sell the product by writing articles or by trying to attract paying customers to their Website.
Selling through one or more Websites is profitable, but it takes time to learn how to draw visitors to your site. After that, you have to learn how to create your site in such a way that visitors become persuaded to become buyers. As with any other business endeavor, there is a learning curve and discovering how to build an effective Website can take months of valuable time.
Anyone who is interested in affiliate marketing shouldn’t be discouraged by the notion of hard work. In time, one can create a network of profitable Websites and a large mailing list of customers who are ready to buy. These things are achievable, but they take time and effort. In spite of the advertisements that litter the Web about “printing money”, “autopilot profits” or being buried under an “avalanche of cash”, most people who make money through affiliate marketing do it the old fashioned way – they work for it.
©Copyright 2007 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro-Marketing.com, a firm devoted to affiliate marketing and a site about Affiliate Project X.
Cold Calling: The Myth of Cold Calling 2.0 and other Urban Legends
Cold Calling: The Myth of Cold Calling 2.0 and other Urban Legends
Author: Frank Rumbauskas
I receive Google Alerts daily on my favorite subject of conversation, cold calling, and I read them. I'm always on the lookout for an opportunity to contribute to a discussion on cold calling, sales, or any other related subject, especially if I can inject some self-promotion!
In the over four years that I've been following this subject, I've gotten very good at spotting trends, and there's one that is popular right now: The idea of "Cold Calling 2.0."
Whoever coined this term no doubt took the name from Web 2.0. However, the idea that cold calling is any different today than it was in the past is far-fetched and ignorant at best. In my opinion, attempting to dupe salespeople and small business owners that there is anything new or different about cold calling that might work in today's economy is problematic at best, and downright unethical and dishonest at worst.
Here's an example: I had a coaching call today with an individual who spent over four figures (yes, four figures!) on a package from one of these "Cold Calling 2.0" gurus. What was he taught for that obscene amount of money? To send e-mails to companies, pretending to ask for help, all with the lowly goal of learning who the contact person is.
Well, that's a lot of effort - and a bit of lying - just to find out who the contact person is. After all, the sales interaction doesn't even begin until that contact person is, well, contacted ... and I'm guessing the recommended advice is the old, ineffective, obsolete cold call.
Let's face it: A cold call is a cold call is a cold call. I don't care if it's a direct, in-your-face, old-school cold call, or a sneaky, pretend-to-be-someone-I'm-not-to-get-a-contact-name cold call. (And if all you have is a contact name, you still haven't even made the cold call!)
Here are some key reasons why cold calling - whether it's "old-school" style, or especially this sneaky "cold calling 2.0," continues to become less and less effective as time goes on:
1. Cold calling lacks honesty and integrity. I've been talking a lot lately about honesty and integrity. They need to be the foundation for everything you do, end of story. Without building on those principles, nothing else you do will last for the long term. Sure, you might get a lead and maybe even a sale now and then by being sneaky and telling little white lies, but what will that do for your reputation and self-esteem in the long term?
I have many clients and students who now receive 100% of their business from referrals. Do you think this could be possible if they didn't live and do business by the highest, utmost standards of honesty and integrity? No way.
A big part of the "cold calling 2.0" myth is using a new "angle" to cold call. Well, I hate to break it to you, but honest, ethical people don't have to use "angles" or "gimmicks" to do business.
2. Cold calling provides zero value to others. Another subject that's coming up a lot in my talks and programs lately is that of giving value first. If you give first, with no expectation of reward, and no strings attached to your giving of value, you will reap rewards like you've never dreamed possible. People will look up to you as a trusted business adviser, they will respect you, and they will see you in an entirely different light than your competition.
Here's the clincher: You can't give value first if your initial contact with a prospect is through a cold call. Instead of positioning yourself as a generous provider of value, all a cold call does is position you as a hungry salesperson who just wants to get a sale ... with no regard to providing any value first. This is precisely why closing rates of leads that come from cold calling are the lowest of all, or as my friend and author Jeffrey Gitomer has said, "Cold calling has the lowest percentage of sales call success." It's also why prospects tend to trust cold callers far less than other salespeople - they wonder what's wrong with you and your company that you have been forced to cold call - the last resort of a desperate salesperson - to drum up business. It doesn't speak highly of you or of your company's financial stability.
3. Cold calling strictly limits your income by time. Due to the sheer amount of time required to make enough cold calls to get enough qualified leads, you will never make a high income by cold calling. Think about it - with all the time it takes to run appointments, meet with prospects and customers, handle customer service issues, attend sales meeting, write proposals, prepare reports, attend training (including your own continuing education), and so on, how on earth are there enough hours in every week, day, and month to make all those cold calls? There simply aren't! Sure, if your product or service is a great offer and you're good at cold calling, you might manage to eek out 100% of quota and hang on to your job for another month, but do you really want to spend the rest of your life eeking out your quota and starting over again next month? Of course not! I assume if you're taking the time to read this article, it's because you're focused and have high goals for your career and your life and want to make the big bucks!
You're not going to make the big bucks cold calling. Even if you're some kind of cold calling genius who can make it work, you're going to severely limit yourself by time and never reach the six-figure and higher income brackets. The only way, and I really mean the only way, to achieve that is through leverage. You need to have lead-generation systems in place that work exponentially, and simultaneously, to generate the quality and quantity of leads you'll need to have to make the big bucks. That's what will open the doors to promotions to upper management, consulting opportunities, or my own path - becoming a bestselling author and speaker.
If you're out in the ocean, you have two choices: Swim back to shore and live on, or tread water until you die. Cold calling, including the new, so-called "cold calling 2.0" tactics, are treading water. Do you want to break through and move to the next level and beyond, or do you want to continue treading water?
Hopefully those points clear up this idea of "cold calling 2.0" and expose that urban legend as just that - a legend. I'm tired of hearing from struggling salespeople who have spent hundreds, or in some cases, over a thousand dollars on these "new cold calling" courses, only to have them fail. Save your money, use your brains, and think for yourself ... and stop treading water with those ineffective and time-consuming cold calls!
------
New York Times bestselling author Frank Rumbauskas has taught tens of thousands of salespeople how to stop cold calling forever! His training and products teach salespeople how to generate hot leads without cold calling and how to keep their power and remain in control of sales situations. Frank also consults with businesses large and small to build lead-generation systems that will provide a consistent supply of ready-to-buy leads for their sales forces. For more information please visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com
I receive Google Alerts daily on my favorite subject of conversation, cold calling, and I read them. I'm always on the lookout for an opportunity to contribute to a discussion on cold calling, sales, or any other related subject, especially if I can inject some self-promotion!
In the over four years that I've been following this subject, I've gotten very good at spotting trends, and there's one that is popular right now: The idea of "Cold Calling 2.0."
Whoever coined this term no doubt took the name from Web 2.0. However, the idea that cold calling is any different today than it was in the past is far-fetched and ignorant at best. In my opinion, attempting to dupe salespeople and small business owners that there is anything new or different about cold calling that might work in today's economy is problematic at best, and downright unethical and dishonest at worst.
Here's an example: I had a coaching call today with an individual who spent over four figures (yes, four figures!) on a package from one of these "Cold Calling 2.0" gurus. What was he taught for that obscene amount of money? To send e-mails to companies, pretending to ask for help, all with the lowly goal of learning who the contact person is.
Well, that's a lot of effort - and a bit of lying - just to find out who the contact person is. After all, the sales interaction doesn't even begin until that contact person is, well, contacted ... and I'm guessing the recommended advice is the old, ineffective, obsolete cold call.
Let's face it: A cold call is a cold call is a cold call. I don't care if it's a direct, in-your-face, old-school cold call, or a sneaky, pretend-to-be-someone-I'm-not-to-get-a-contact-name cold call. (And if all you have is a contact name, you still haven't even made the cold call!)
Here are some key reasons why cold calling - whether it's "old-school" style, or especially this sneaky "cold calling 2.0," continues to become less and less effective as time goes on:
1. Cold calling lacks honesty and integrity. I've been talking a lot lately about honesty and integrity. They need to be the foundation for everything you do, end of story. Without building on those principles, nothing else you do will last for the long term. Sure, you might get a lead and maybe even a sale now and then by being sneaky and telling little white lies, but what will that do for your reputation and self-esteem in the long term?
I have many clients and students who now receive 100% of their business from referrals. Do you think this could be possible if they didn't live and do business by the highest, utmost standards of honesty and integrity? No way.
A big part of the "cold calling 2.0" myth is using a new "angle" to cold call. Well, I hate to break it to you, but honest, ethical people don't have to use "angles" or "gimmicks" to do business.
2. Cold calling provides zero value to others. Another subject that's coming up a lot in my talks and programs lately is that of giving value first. If you give first, with no expectation of reward, and no strings attached to your giving of value, you will reap rewards like you've never dreamed possible. People will look up to you as a trusted business adviser, they will respect you, and they will see you in an entirely different light than your competition.
Here's the clincher: You can't give value first if your initial contact with a prospect is through a cold call. Instead of positioning yourself as a generous provider of value, all a cold call does is position you as a hungry salesperson who just wants to get a sale ... with no regard to providing any value first. This is precisely why closing rates of leads that come from cold calling are the lowest of all, or as my friend and author Jeffrey Gitomer has said, "Cold calling has the lowest percentage of sales call success." It's also why prospects tend to trust cold callers far less than other salespeople - they wonder what's wrong with you and your company that you have been forced to cold call - the last resort of a desperate salesperson - to drum up business. It doesn't speak highly of you or of your company's financial stability.
3. Cold calling strictly limits your income by time. Due to the sheer amount of time required to make enough cold calls to get enough qualified leads, you will never make a high income by cold calling. Think about it - with all the time it takes to run appointments, meet with prospects and customers, handle customer service issues, attend sales meeting, write proposals, prepare reports, attend training (including your own continuing education), and so on, how on earth are there enough hours in every week, day, and month to make all those cold calls? There simply aren't! Sure, if your product or service is a great offer and you're good at cold calling, you might manage to eek out 100% of quota and hang on to your job for another month, but do you really want to spend the rest of your life eeking out your quota and starting over again next month? Of course not! I assume if you're taking the time to read this article, it's because you're focused and have high goals for your career and your life and want to make the big bucks!
You're not going to make the big bucks cold calling. Even if you're some kind of cold calling genius who can make it work, you're going to severely limit yourself by time and never reach the six-figure and higher income brackets. The only way, and I really mean the only way, to achieve that is through leverage. You need to have lead-generation systems in place that work exponentially, and simultaneously, to generate the quality and quantity of leads you'll need to have to make the big bucks. That's what will open the doors to promotions to upper management, consulting opportunities, or my own path - becoming a bestselling author and speaker.
If you're out in the ocean, you have two choices: Swim back to shore and live on, or tread water until you die. Cold calling, including the new, so-called "cold calling 2.0" tactics, are treading water. Do you want to break through and move to the next level and beyond, or do you want to continue treading water?
Hopefully those points clear up this idea of "cold calling 2.0" and expose that urban legend as just that - a legend. I'm tired of hearing from struggling salespeople who have spent hundreds, or in some cases, over a thousand dollars on these "new cold calling" courses, only to have them fail. Save your money, use your brains, and think for yourself ... and stop treading water with those ineffective and time-consuming cold calls!
------
New York Times bestselling author Frank Rumbauskas has taught tens of thousands of salespeople how to stop cold calling forever! His training and products teach salespeople how to generate hot leads without cold calling and how to keep their power and remain in control of sales situations. Frank also consults with businesses large and small to build lead-generation systems that will provide a consistent supply of ready-to-buy leads for their sales forces. For more information please visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com
The Myth of Mega pixels.
The Myth of Mega pixels.
Author: Colin Aiken
The myth of mega pixels (MP) is that more is always better. The more mega pixels your camera produces, the higher the quality your pictures will be. Whilst that is not untrue, it only applies under certain conditions. For many people, a larger number of mega pixels will not make the slightest bit of difference to the quality of their digital images.
But first - what exactly is a mega pixel?
The word itself simply means a million pixels and a pixel is the smallest individual part of a digital image. If you have some viewing software that allows you to zoom right in to an image then you can see them for yourself - they just look like different coloured squares. You might recognise the "pixellated" effect used on TV to obscure peoples faces.
Every digital image (including the screen you are looking at now) consists of a rectangular array of pixels, the more is has, the bigger the image. If you look at the display settings on your computer, you can find the number of pixels in the screen image you are viewing right now. This should tell you the horizontal and vertical number of pixels. Multiply these two numbers together to find the total number of pixels.
A very common screen size is 1024 (horizontal) x 768 (vertical) pixels. Multiply these numbers together and you get 786,432 pixels in total. In terms of mega pixels, that's less than 0.8MP. So, if you are looking at an image from your 10MP camera on a screen that is only showing you 0.8MP, where have all the other pixels gone?
In truth they have just been lost. The fact is that you cannot see any more pixels than exist for the size of the screen on which you are viewing them. In order to see an entire 10MP image your viewing software has to "lose" 90% of the pixels. If it didn't, you would only see a small part of the image at one time and you would have to scroll around to see the rest of it. This is exactly what happens when you get a large image in an email or a website.
The myth of resolution
The number of pixels or mega pixels in an image is often called the "resolution" of the image and the more you have, the higher the resolution your picture will be. Resolution means the ability to see fine detail in the image so you should expect that a 10MP image would show a lot more fine detail than, for example, a 1MP image. But does it?
Well, if you are looking at the whole of your digital image on screen, the simple answer is - no!
You don't have to take my word for it, you can see this for yourself if you have software that allows you to resize an image as well as zoom in or out. If you take a large image, make a copy of it and then reduce it in size to something around the size of your screen, you can then compare a high and low resolution version of the picture side by side.
When you make an image smaller you are, of course, lowering the number of pixels in it and therefore, its resolution. This is also what happens when your viewing software zooms out to fit a large (high resolution) picture on your screen. The difference being that the zooming process has no effect on the digital file itself.
When you compare a high resolution image that has been zoomed out to fit the screen with a low resolution one that is the same visual size without zooming, you will find the level of detail in both to be identical. It cannot be any other way. The maximum resolution you can ever see on screen is that of the screen itself. There may be much more resolution in the original image but you cannot see it and look at the whole image at the same time.
So, what does this mean in real life?
The fact is that of the millions of digital pictures taken each day, very few are ever printed. Most are simply viewed on computer screens and stored somewhere for later viewing. Whilst there is absolutely nothing wrong with that if you are one those people who never print digital pictures, then the myth of mega pixels applies to you especially.
If you are looking for a new camera, you will probably not find anything with less than about 4MP, rising up to about 12MP. As we have seen however, both these cameras effectively have exactly the same resolution if you are just viewing the whole image on screen.
What is more, the 12MP image will take up more space on your memory card (so it will hold fewer pictures) and you will need to resize it for sending by email or posting on a web page. It will also take much longer to send by email and view on a web page.
Even if you have a high resolution, large mega pixel camera that does not mean that you are stuck only taking large pictures. Digital cameras can take pictures at different resolutions and you simply need to find your settings menu to make this happen. The setting may be called resolution or size. Depending on the camera, you may have numbers or just high/medium/low as your choices. Setting the value to the smallest number or low will give you images that are much better suited to viewing on screen.
You will get the benefit of being able to store many more pictures on your memory card and anywhere else you need to keep them. They will load faster, go by email faster and generally be much easier to view.
Colin Aiken
You can view my photographs at: -
www.lovethepictures.co.uk
Affiliate Marketing: The Myth About Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing: The Myth About Affiliate Marketing
Author: Zack Lim
Many people will enter affiliate marketing with the thinking of making some quick money whilst doing the least amount of work and preparation. They will expect to make tons of money without doing much except to send just a few advertisements. This is totally not true at all.
Affiliate marketing is just like any other kind of business. You must treat affiliate marketing as your own real business. If you actually know what you are doing, you will be much nearer to your affiliate success. But all these successes will require your time, effort and persistence.
One of the common things that all super affiliates have is that they have their own websites and newsletters. The second thing that they will do is that they will never ever drive their traffic directly to their affiliate links.
What the super affiliates will do instead is they will drive the traffic to their own website which has the ability to collect the lead’s data. They will offer the visitor a free reports or training course if they sign up for their list. The content the super affiliates gives to the customer in the report or training course will be quality content which will really gives value to the customer. This step actually helps to builds up the super affiliates’ credibility.
They will actually build a good relationship with their list so that they will be able to presell their affiliate products better. They will be able to promote new affiliate products to the customer again and again as long as the customer is still inside the list. You will realize that the content and the newsletter and the eBooks that is given by the super affiliates will be quality content. The customer will likely buy from them because the customer trusts them.
These are the few things that all super affiliates have in common. It is a proven model and it has already works for people who have applied them. What you will need to do now is to put in the required time, effort and persistence to achieve your own affiliate success.
Zack Lim is an up and coming affiliate marketer who owns http://www.MyAffiliateMarketingOnline.com providing information on Affiliate Marketing. To get Free "7 Days to Affiliate Marketing" course, go to http://www.MyAffiliateMarketingOnline.com
Author: Zack Lim
Many people will enter affiliate marketing with the thinking of making some quick money whilst doing the least amount of work and preparation. They will expect to make tons of money without doing much except to send just a few advertisements. This is totally not true at all.
Affiliate marketing is just like any other kind of business. You must treat affiliate marketing as your own real business. If you actually know what you are doing, you will be much nearer to your affiliate success. But all these successes will require your time, effort and persistence.
One of the common things that all super affiliates have is that they have their own websites and newsletters. The second thing that they will do is that they will never ever drive their traffic directly to their affiliate links.
What the super affiliates will do instead is they will drive the traffic to their own website which has the ability to collect the lead’s data. They will offer the visitor a free reports or training course if they sign up for their list. The content the super affiliates gives to the customer in the report or training course will be quality content which will really gives value to the customer. This step actually helps to builds up the super affiliates’ credibility.
They will actually build a good relationship with their list so that they will be able to presell their affiliate products better. They will be able to promote new affiliate products to the customer again and again as long as the customer is still inside the list. You will realize that the content and the newsletter and the eBooks that is given by the super affiliates will be quality content. The customer will likely buy from them because the customer trusts them.
These are the few things that all super affiliates have in common. It is a proven model and it has already works for people who have applied them. What you will need to do now is to put in the required time, effort and persistence to achieve your own affiliate success.
Zack Lim is an up and coming affiliate marketer who owns http://www.MyAffiliateMarketingOnline.com providing information on Affiliate Marketing. To get Free "7 Days to Affiliate Marketing" course, go to http://www.MyAffiliateMarketingOnline.com
Broadband Phones: Myth and Reality
Broadband Phones: Myth and Reality
Author: Cy Yablonsky
Broadband phones are becoming more mainstream. There are articles whether broadband phone service reached a tipping point or not. What is clear, though, is that phone service delivered over the public internet is the future of telecommunications.
Let's take a step back and examine what the uses are for broadband phone service. More specifically, the technology behind it. Broadband phone service is utilized by a technology called Voice Over IP (Internet Protocol), or VoIP. It utilizes the bandwidth (the "speed" in layman's terms) to send voice packets. These packets are sent like any other data (i.e. email, web browsing etc.). When they reach their destination the data packets are reconstructed and converted into voice!
All of this happens in a fraction of a second but many issues can arise to degrade the broadband phone service quality. A slow connection, bad phone, over-utilized bandwidth and a bad service provider can all degrade the quality of the phone call.
While broadband phone service uses VoIP not all VoIP is using broadband phone service, at least in the traditional sense. Companies with multiple office can communicate using VoIP over direct connections or over the public Internet. Even though between the remote offices they are communicating over VoIP when a call is made outside the company they can still use regular phone service (PSTN or T-1 service). This allows them to take advantage of Voice Over IP without the detriments of broadband phone service.
There are usually significant cost savings by using broadband phone service that can alleviate the negative effects of service quality. For the general consumer this might be an acceptable trade-off. But a commercial enterprise might not want to accept this risk.
Another issue that arises with broadband phone service providers is their longevity. Since it's relatively inexpensive to start a VoIP company you should be extra cautious about the background of the company before you commit your number. Many consumers have been burnt by using new companies who offered too good to be true deals. Sometimes when it's "too good to be true" it IS too good to be true. Buyer beware.
There are many cool features that broadband phone companies provide. For example, many of them email you your voice-mails. You can open your email and listen to the audio attachment on your computer. Some also offer a voice menu system that you can change, when you want, on their website.
As the technology matures and the quality gets better broadband phone service will be the norm and old legacy phones will be just that, a legacy from the past. Cy Yablonsky is a Realtor Associate with ERA Othello Realty, with a strong concentration in technology. Visit Real Estate in NJ to visit the www.OthelloRealty.com website. You have permission to reproduce this article as long as this paragraph and all links are live.
Cyber Monday - Media Myth
Cyber Monday - Media Myth
Author: Lisa
“Cyber Monday” is the Monday after Thanksgiving and is commonly reported to be the start of the online holiday shopping season or the biggest online shopping day of the year, both of which are untrue. The theory purports that consumers do a great deal of their real world shopping on “Black Friday” (another myth about the Friday after Thanksgiving) and when they return to work on Monday, they start their online shopping.
The origin of the term is unclear; probably a media fabrication in their attempt to create a story where one didn’t exist. Sure, more and more of our holiday shopping is moving online and there is definitely a online holiday shopping season, but the start of the season is not as clearly defined as the media would like. They already have a term and day, Black Friday, to describe the start of the holiday shopping season, so they should also have the same for the online shopping season, right? In their quest for the story, the media created Cyber Monday.
In reality, there is no single day that kicks off the season. Online shopping ramps up from the middle/end of November and runs through about a week before Christmas
The Monday after Thanksgiving was convenient and made more sense years ago when consumers didn’t have high speed internet access at home. The rational for this is that consumers didn’t want to shop on a slow speed dial-up connection at home, so they waited until they could use their employer’s high speed connection. Now that most consumers have a high speed connection, this rational makes less sense. It is probably more likely that after a big Thanksgiving dinner, consumers will get online and get a head start on their online shopping instead of waiting until Monday when they need to get caught up on their work after the four day layoff.
The trend in consumer behavior has also been to ease into the holiday shopping season. We can measure this with the appearance of holiday decorations and merchandise appearing earlier and earlier every year. You can now find some Christmas décor before Halloween in some stores. It wouldn’t be there if consumers weren’t buying it. The same goes online as we ease into the holiday season as we can now find holiday décor year round online.
As far as the biggest online shopping day goes, that occurs between one and two weeks before Christmas as most of us procrastinate, waiting as long as possible. In our neighborhood stores, the biggest shopping day is usually the last Saturday before Christmas. Our deadline for completing our shopping is the last day that we can have something shipped so that it arrives before Christmas, about a week before. That deadline isn’t that important either as we can always get a last minute gift card which is also prolonging the holiday shopping season as more of our shopping occurs after Christmas when we have those gift cards in hand.
Hopefully the media will realize that “Cyber Monday” doesn’t really exist and we won’t be hearing all about it this year.
“Cyber Monday” is the Monday after Thanksgiving and is commonly reported to be the start of the online holiday shopping season or the biggest online shopping day of the year, both of which are untrue. The theory purports that consumers do a great deal of their real world shopping on “Black Friday” (another myth about the Friday after Thanksgiving) and when they return to work on Monday, they start their online shopping.
The origin of the term is unclear; probably a media fabrication in their attempt to create a story where one didn’t exist. Sure, more and more of our holiday shopping is moving online and there is definitely a online holiday shopping season, but the start of the season is not as clearly defined as the media would like. They already have a term and day, Black Friday, to describe the start of the holiday shopping season, so they should also have the same for the online shopping season, right? In their quest for the story, the media created Cyber Monday.
In reality, there is no single day that kicks off the season. Online shopping ramps up from the middle/end of November and runs through about a week before Christmas
The Monday after Thanksgiving was convenient and made more sense years ago when consumers didn’t have high speed internet access at home. The rational for this is that consumers didn’t want to shop on a slow speed dial-up connection at home, so they waited until they could use their employer’s high speed connection. Now that most consumers have a high speed connection, this rational makes less sense. It is probably more likely that after a big Thanksgiving dinner, consumers will get online and get a head start on their online shopping instead of waiting until Monday when they need to get caught up on their work after the four day layoff.
The trend in consumer behavior has also been to ease into the holiday shopping season. We can measure this with the appearance of holiday decorations and merchandise appearing earlier and earlier every year. You can now find some Christmas décor before Halloween in some stores. It wouldn’t be there if consumers weren’t buying it. The same goes online as we ease into the holiday season as we can now find holiday décor year round online.
As far as the biggest online shopping day goes, that occurs between one and two weeks before Christmas as most of us procrastinate, waiting as long as possible. In our neighborhood stores, the biggest shopping day is usually the last Saturday before Christmas. Our deadline for completing our shopping is the last day that we can have something shipped so that it arrives before Christmas, about a week before. That deadline isn’t that important either as we can always get a last minute gift card which is also prolonging the holiday shopping season as more of our shopping occurs after Christmas when we have those gift cards in hand.
Hopefully the media will realize that “Cyber Monday” doesn’t really exist and we won’t be hearing all about it this year.
The Myth of Web Based Applications
The Myth of Web Based Applications
Author: Terri Roeslmeier
Everyday we get calls from staffing companies asking about web based systems. My response is always "Why web based?" Most often, the caller does not have a firm answer. Typical responses are "Isn't that what everybody's doing?" or "I don't want to make a large investment" or "I don't want to be responsible for my own network." This underscores the general misunderstanding of the platform, and what its relative strengths and weaknesses happen to be. When choosing a staffing software system it's important to understand how the system is going to be used and to select a platform that will deliver the best and most cost efficient results. The following is a discussion of some of the main benefits that web based systems tout, some of the compromises one has to live with in order to use them and a review of the principal alternative.
Web based systems can be run from anywhere that has access to the internet.
This is true, but it is not the exclusive domain of web based systems. Pretty much any system can be run using the internet as a connection conduit. Microsoft has included a capability in their Windows operating system called Terminal Services that enables users to access applications on the Windows network via the internet. Conclusion: No clear cut advantage.
I won't have to maintain my own network.
This is only true if every user has a personal internet connection. In most offices, many users connect to the same line. In order for everyone to access the shared resource, a network must exist. Most likely they will need file sharing, e-mail and print services locally. Therefore, some network administration will be required. Firewalls, virus protection and some kind of local expertise are crucial. Most importantly, a back-up routine is still required. Conclusion: No advantage. You still have to do all the network admin stuff anyway. In addition, there's someone between you and your most valuable asset (your data). Should a dispute ever arise, someone would be in position to cut your company off from its life's blood.
The user interface is easier to learn since it's like a web page.
With any system the designer has to create the methods and workflows. They will be forced to use conventions, abbreviations, icons and other devices as they attempt to get the most functionality per inch of screen space possible. The user will still have to learn how the system works and get used to its specific rhythms. And while it is true that many people are familiar with how to navigate web pages, the same can be said of Windows applications. In fact, Windows programs generally adhere more rigorously to a set of standards than web based programs tend to. Conclusion: No advantage. There will still be a learning curve and a training requirement to effectively use these softwares.
What they're not telling you:
- Web based systems run through a web browser. This means that the user interface is constrained by the limits of the browser itself. The browser will limit the number of records that can be open at a time, will force more data integrity responsibility on the user and often experience long repainting delays.
- Web based systems, or just about any system delivered through an ASP are significantly more expensive. This is a classic rent vs. buy decision. If your company has 10 system users and you have to pay $199 per month per user, that's a $1,990 per month outlay. This is the equivalent of purchasing a $60,000 system (based on a 36 month, $1 buyout lease). There aren't many systems that charge $6,000 per user. This is exorbitantly expensive.
This is easy. Windows based (client/server) systems answer all of the questions raised above. These systems can be delivered to diverse and remote users via the web; run on the same basic network (with the addition of SQL Server) that satisfies the rest of our needs; have exceeding rich user interfaces � generally offering many more features; are easy to learn and usually out perform systems running through a web browser. They also provide a much more bang for the buck. Having your database in your office isn't necessarily bad, as it remains under your control. What's more, these systems are generally more mature and therefore offer a far greater range of features and are typically more stable. All this translates into a better, more cost effective computing experience for your company. After all, you're not in this to support the technology; you expect the technology to support you.
Terri Roeslmeier is president of Automated Business Designs, Inc., software developer of Ultra-Staff, a full-featuered staffing software solution with components for front office, back office and the web. http://www.abd.net
The Truth And Myth About Internet Marketing: The Lie By Implication
The Truth And Myth About Internet Marketing: The Lie By Implication
Author: Roger Zimmerman
The Truth And Myth About Internet Marketing: The Lie By Implication
and
The Top Ten Things You Must Put Into Your Internet Marketing Business If You Want To Make A Living At It.
Author: Roger Zimmerman
Site: Internet Marketing Gurus Reviewed
http://www.pickaguru.com
(c) 2006 Roger Zimmerman All Rights Reserved.
The Truth and Myth About Internet Marketing: The Lie of Implication
Just read the ads from the Internet Marketing gurus and you'll be led to believe they will make you rich if you'll just buy this course or that software. After all, the ad will tell you, "this is the exact same system I used to rake in over 2 million dollars last year."
Are they lying to you? Probably not. They probably did rake in 2 million dollars last year using this or that method. But the implication is that they only did this one thing and money, traffic, or fame just poured in. They probably aren't lying about the facts, but there is a lie built into the implication.
Here's the truth. Nearly every one of these Internet Marketing gurus runs a large company. He (or she) has a formal business plan and a registered company. It is a full time job. Often it is a full time job for an entire staff of people.
They want you to believe that you can work two or three hours a day in your underwear and make a killing - just like they do. But again, that is the lie. Do you know how many hours most of these gurus put in? That's right, tons. In fact I remember a top ten list about the top ten signs you're a marketer. The number one sign was "You think a 'half-day' means leaving work at 5 O'Clock."
One of the reasons these guys achieve the success everyone else only wishes they could achieve is because they work -- hard and long!
So yes, you too can make millions using the same system they're about to teach you, but you must run it like a real business and you must be willing to devote incredible time and effort to it.
Having said that, let me present these and several other elements that must come together in order to be a successful Internet Marketer. Without them you will almost certainly fail.
Top ten things you must put into your Internet Marketing business if you want to make a living at it.
1. A Business Plan
You simply must treat your Internet Marketing Business like a real, formal business. If you can't even put together a business plan then you do not have what it takes to run a successful business.
2. Time, time and more time
Later on you may be able to hire out several functions like Web page building, answering email, and writers. But for now you will put on all these hats and it will take loads of time. When I was new at this I spent several days just figuring out how to set up one Web feature, like a mailing list or order system. And that was just a single feature. There are dozens of different things to worry about. Researching your content, affiliate tracking, mailing lists, SEO, Web page building, order cart systems, answering email, writing articles, researching keywords, blogs, RSS setup, forum posting and monitoring � the list goes on and on. Do you really think you can do all these things in two hours a day? If so, you are deceived. If you want to build your business as a full time business, plan 10 - 12 hours a day at least six days a week for the first six months or so.
If you do it part time, it can be done, but plan for a much longer gestation period before you expect to make any money. After it all comes together you will eventually be able to relax, but give it a lot of time to build traffic and attention first.
3. Communication skills
I can't tell you how many times I get email that looks like this:
"I'm new in marketings using the Internets. Could you tell me how I should make big money now. There are too many things to know so I think I'm not learning good. No body is no help for me."
My response? GET OUT OF MARKETING NOW! Spelling errors and typos are one thing. But if you can't form a sentence you are in deep trouble. Marketing is a medium of communication and persuasion. Good communication skills are a MUST!
Imagine reading an ad written by someone who writes like that? Does this person exude the intelligence to be able to run a business? Do I trust them? No!
In nearly every field, those who rise to the top are those who can communicate. Master the skills of speaking and writing and you're half way there. If you don't have those skills and you want to get rich I hope you have talent as a football player or rock star. They're not required to communicate well. But for goodness sake, get out of marketing!
4. Focus, focus, focus
I've heard countless interviews with top executives in business. One question nearly always posed to them is "to what do you most attribute your success?"
There is one answer that nearly always comes first, "FOCUS."
Successful business tend to be relentless organizers, goal setters and single-minded people. They will not jump from one project to another, but will stay on one task until it is either complete, or in the hands of someone else who is responsible for completing it and reporting back by a given deadline.
Focus and goal setting are nearly synonymous concepts. Here's a typical scene. You get all excited about the promises about writing Google Adwords when you buy Perry Marshall's excellent ebook 'Definitive guide to Google Adwords." You get half way through and start writing some Google Ads. But you're not proficient at it yet, so you lose some steam and suddenly run across Phil Wiley's very fine treatment on "Minisite Profits." It offers new hope so you jump on board, and soon you find you're not making big money there either. Then you go on to the next thing, and the next and the next - always hoping one will pay off, like a big lotto game.
This will not work. If you had paid attention to point one (write a business plan) you would have been more likely to stay on focus. You would complete one task at a time and each new one would build on the last, so that Minisites, Google ads, SEO and all the other elements of Internet Marketing would all feed each other in a big unified plan.
5. Multiple Streams of Income.
Robert G Allen popularized the phrase Multiple Streams of Income in a series of books on the topic. It is right on. If you count on only Pay Per Click Advertising, or only on Minisites, or only on Google Adsense, or only on article writing, then you will not do well in marketing.
You'll need to sell affiliate products, make and sell your own products, sell ad space, and use all of the different marketing techniques like email marketing, copywriting skills, pay per click, ezine advertising, article writing, forum presence, and all the rest. They will all combine into multiple trickles of income that can ultimately be very handsome indeed.
Put all your eggs in one basket and the bottom will almost certainly fall out.
6. Fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, succeed, fail, fail, fail, succeed, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, etc.
Get the point? Some day sit down and watch the E! channel when they dospecials on your TV and movie stars. You'll hear statements like, "So and so went to no less than 439 auditions before landing her first roll, which she did for free." Really! That's the kind of persistence you need to succeed in your new marketing business.
Trouble is, most of us tend to quit after maybe three or four failures. Many people give up after only one failure! This is what sets the big dogs apart from the squeaky miniature poodles.
We hear this concept our whole lives. How many times have you heard about the number of failures Edison had before he perfected the light bulb? I've heard that story dozens of times. But my nature is still to give up at the first sign of failure.
When you start a new project - say a new Pay Per Click ad campaign, get yourself a piece of graph paper. Every ad that doesn't get any clicks or make any money within say 10 days, check off one box. Promise yourself you will not quit tweaking and improving that ad until the entire sheet of paper is full.
7. Know when to quit
This advice sounds like the polar opposite of the previous advice on persistence. But it turns out there is a fine line between persistence and stupid.
Successful business people seem to have an innate sense of knowing where that line is. They seem to know when it is time to bail. But they do not do so on a whim. They do so after a lot of research.
Let's look at your Pay Per Click ad again from point six above. You've filled in five or six lines of your graph paper, constantly tweaking your ad, and you're just spending money with not a single lead.
Is it time to bail. Not yet. It's time to do some research. Have you chosen good keywords? Do some keyword research to find out. Is the market flooded for this type of item? Take a look at the number of Google Adwords ads and get a feel for this. You may find that your product is just too overused and worn out to be worth while.
Only after good research and some hard indicators do you give it up. But don't be afraid to admit defeat when you find you've made a bad choice of product.
8. Market first then product to fill it.
The most common mistake by new Internet Marketers is to try to start with a product rather than a need. The first question out of the mouth of new Internet marketers is usually "What should I sell?"
This person is in trouble already. You must take the time to educate yourself until you see a need to fill. What are people asking for? When I first started reviewing Internet Marketing gurus and their products on www.pickaguru.com I found that people were clamoring for unbiased reviews of marketing products.
The number of sites already selling Internet Marketing education materials was already staggering. It seemed a dangerous market to break into. But there was this wide open gap. Nobody, but nobody I knew was doing anything like what I started doing on pickaguru.com.
My email box became flooded with expressions of "thank goodness a truly honest site that is more interested in the truth than his bank account." And guess what. I found that more people were willing to use my affiliate links when they did make purchases just because they wanted to support me for my honesty.
This is what I mean by filling a need, or finding a market first. No matter what your area of interest - gardening, auto collecting, racing homing pigeons, music from Outer Mongolia, Dr. Who, I don't care what it is, there are needs to be found in the forums, newsgroups, friends, clubs, and so forth. Go out and find them.
They do not have to be needs people are asking for. I did not find people asking for unbiased Internet Marketing guru reviews. But I noticed a void in on the Internet and I filled it.
9. Do SOMETHING
While I teach lack of planning as one of the most common mistakes newbies make, I also advocate getting something out there. When I published my first page on pickaguru.com there was nothing more than a home page. There were no reviews. There also was no apology or "under construction" icon. I simply added a page at a time, about one page per week, until there were a few pages up.
Guess what. After I only had two gurus reviewed I was already seeing affiliate income and already getting some reader attention for my honest reviews. It took shape slowly. After one year I still only have twelve gurus reviewed. That's about one per month. But I would not be this far if I had not decided to build that first page and get it started.
If you plan to start with a Blog, get it going today. If you plan to start with Pay per click advertising, start today. Get something out there. Build it to its full potential later.
Doing nothing will guarantee failure.
10. Go with your heart, and the money will follow. If you go for just the money, it never works out.
I lifted this phrase from an interview in the local newspaper. A man I used to work with had suffered a near fatal motorcycle accident and couldn't do industrial work any longer. He had built a photography studio and now makes over $400,000 a year.
This was his wife's (and partner's) advice when asked about the best business advice she had ever received. I cannot pass it up as some of the sagest advice I know on marketing. If you concentrate on making money first, your customers will sense that and your business will struggle.
If you concentrate on an honest, heartfelt, desire to help your customer solve his or her needs you will succeed. As she put it, "the money will follow." This was also some of the advice taught by one of my favorite business celebrities of all time, Walt Disney.
I cannot end this article with better advice than this. I beg of you please follow it. Look out for others and they will support you.
Author: Roger Zimmerman
The Truth And Myth About Internet Marketing: The Lie By Implication
and
The Top Ten Things You Must Put Into Your Internet Marketing Business If You Want To Make A Living At It.
Author: Roger Zimmerman
Site: Internet Marketing Gurus Reviewed
http://www.pickaguru.com
(c) 2006 Roger Zimmerman All Rights Reserved.
The Truth and Myth About Internet Marketing: The Lie of Implication
Just read the ads from the Internet Marketing gurus and you'll be led to believe they will make you rich if you'll just buy this course or that software. After all, the ad will tell you, "this is the exact same system I used to rake in over 2 million dollars last year."
Are they lying to you? Probably not. They probably did rake in 2 million dollars last year using this or that method. But the implication is that they only did this one thing and money, traffic, or fame just poured in. They probably aren't lying about the facts, but there is a lie built into the implication.
Here's the truth. Nearly every one of these Internet Marketing gurus runs a large company. He (or she) has a formal business plan and a registered company. It is a full time job. Often it is a full time job for an entire staff of people.
They want you to believe that you can work two or three hours a day in your underwear and make a killing - just like they do. But again, that is the lie. Do you know how many hours most of these gurus put in? That's right, tons. In fact I remember a top ten list about the top ten signs you're a marketer. The number one sign was "You think a 'half-day' means leaving work at 5 O'Clock."
One of the reasons these guys achieve the success everyone else only wishes they could achieve is because they work -- hard and long!
So yes, you too can make millions using the same system they're about to teach you, but you must run it like a real business and you must be willing to devote incredible time and effort to it.
Having said that, let me present these and several other elements that must come together in order to be a successful Internet Marketer. Without them you will almost certainly fail.
Top ten things you must put into your Internet Marketing business if you want to make a living at it.
1. A Business Plan
You simply must treat your Internet Marketing Business like a real, formal business. If you can't even put together a business plan then you do not have what it takes to run a successful business.
2. Time, time and more time
Later on you may be able to hire out several functions like Web page building, answering email, and writers. But for now you will put on all these hats and it will take loads of time. When I was new at this I spent several days just figuring out how to set up one Web feature, like a mailing list or order system. And that was just a single feature. There are dozens of different things to worry about. Researching your content, affiliate tracking, mailing lists, SEO, Web page building, order cart systems, answering email, writing articles, researching keywords, blogs, RSS setup, forum posting and monitoring � the list goes on and on. Do you really think you can do all these things in two hours a day? If so, you are deceived. If you want to build your business as a full time business, plan 10 - 12 hours a day at least six days a week for the first six months or so.
If you do it part time, it can be done, but plan for a much longer gestation period before you expect to make any money. After it all comes together you will eventually be able to relax, but give it a lot of time to build traffic and attention first.
3. Communication skills
I can't tell you how many times I get email that looks like this:
"I'm new in marketings using the Internets. Could you tell me how I should make big money now. There are too many things to know so I think I'm not learning good. No body is no help for me."
My response? GET OUT OF MARKETING NOW! Spelling errors and typos are one thing. But if you can't form a sentence you are in deep trouble. Marketing is a medium of communication and persuasion. Good communication skills are a MUST!
Imagine reading an ad written by someone who writes like that? Does this person exude the intelligence to be able to run a business? Do I trust them? No!
In nearly every field, those who rise to the top are those who can communicate. Master the skills of speaking and writing and you're half way there. If you don't have those skills and you want to get rich I hope you have talent as a football player or rock star. They're not required to communicate well. But for goodness sake, get out of marketing!
4. Focus, focus, focus
I've heard countless interviews with top executives in business. One question nearly always posed to them is "to what do you most attribute your success?"
There is one answer that nearly always comes first, "FOCUS."
Successful business tend to be relentless organizers, goal setters and single-minded people. They will not jump from one project to another, but will stay on one task until it is either complete, or in the hands of someone else who is responsible for completing it and reporting back by a given deadline.
Focus and goal setting are nearly synonymous concepts. Here's a typical scene. You get all excited about the promises about writing Google Adwords when you buy Perry Marshall's excellent ebook 'Definitive guide to Google Adwords." You get half way through and start writing some Google Ads. But you're not proficient at it yet, so you lose some steam and suddenly run across Phil Wiley's very fine treatment on "Minisite Profits." It offers new hope so you jump on board, and soon you find you're not making big money there either. Then you go on to the next thing, and the next and the next - always hoping one will pay off, like a big lotto game.
This will not work. If you had paid attention to point one (write a business plan) you would have been more likely to stay on focus. You would complete one task at a time and each new one would build on the last, so that Minisites, Google ads, SEO and all the other elements of Internet Marketing would all feed each other in a big unified plan.
5. Multiple Streams of Income.
Robert G Allen popularized the phrase Multiple Streams of Income in a series of books on the topic. It is right on. If you count on only Pay Per Click Advertising, or only on Minisites, or only on Google Adsense, or only on article writing, then you will not do well in marketing.
You'll need to sell affiliate products, make and sell your own products, sell ad space, and use all of the different marketing techniques like email marketing, copywriting skills, pay per click, ezine advertising, article writing, forum presence, and all the rest. They will all combine into multiple trickles of income that can ultimately be very handsome indeed.
Put all your eggs in one basket and the bottom will almost certainly fall out.
6. Fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, succeed, fail, fail, fail, succeed, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, etc.
Get the point? Some day sit down and watch the E! channel when they dospecials on your TV and movie stars. You'll hear statements like, "So and so went to no less than 439 auditions before landing her first roll, which she did for free." Really! That's the kind of persistence you need to succeed in your new marketing business.
Trouble is, most of us tend to quit after maybe three or four failures. Many people give up after only one failure! This is what sets the big dogs apart from the squeaky miniature poodles.
We hear this concept our whole lives. How many times have you heard about the number of failures Edison had before he perfected the light bulb? I've heard that story dozens of times. But my nature is still to give up at the first sign of failure.
When you start a new project - say a new Pay Per Click ad campaign, get yourself a piece of graph paper. Every ad that doesn't get any clicks or make any money within say 10 days, check off one box. Promise yourself you will not quit tweaking and improving that ad until the entire sheet of paper is full.
7. Know when to quit
This advice sounds like the polar opposite of the previous advice on persistence. But it turns out there is a fine line between persistence and stupid.
Successful business people seem to have an innate sense of knowing where that line is. They seem to know when it is time to bail. But they do not do so on a whim. They do so after a lot of research.
Let's look at your Pay Per Click ad again from point six above. You've filled in five or six lines of your graph paper, constantly tweaking your ad, and you're just spending money with not a single lead.
Is it time to bail. Not yet. It's time to do some research. Have you chosen good keywords? Do some keyword research to find out. Is the market flooded for this type of item? Take a look at the number of Google Adwords ads and get a feel for this. You may find that your product is just too overused and worn out to be worth while.
Only after good research and some hard indicators do you give it up. But don't be afraid to admit defeat when you find you've made a bad choice of product.
8. Market first then product to fill it.
The most common mistake by new Internet Marketers is to try to start with a product rather than a need. The first question out of the mouth of new Internet marketers is usually "What should I sell?"
This person is in trouble already. You must take the time to educate yourself until you see a need to fill. What are people asking for? When I first started reviewing Internet Marketing gurus and their products on www.pickaguru.com I found that people were clamoring for unbiased reviews of marketing products.
The number of sites already selling Internet Marketing education materials was already staggering. It seemed a dangerous market to break into. But there was this wide open gap. Nobody, but nobody I knew was doing anything like what I started doing on pickaguru.com.
My email box became flooded with expressions of "thank goodness a truly honest site that is more interested in the truth than his bank account." And guess what. I found that more people were willing to use my affiliate links when they did make purchases just because they wanted to support me for my honesty.
This is what I mean by filling a need, or finding a market first. No matter what your area of interest - gardening, auto collecting, racing homing pigeons, music from Outer Mongolia, Dr. Who, I don't care what it is, there are needs to be found in the forums, newsgroups, friends, clubs, and so forth. Go out and find them.
They do not have to be needs people are asking for. I did not find people asking for unbiased Internet Marketing guru reviews. But I noticed a void in on the Internet and I filled it.
9. Do SOMETHING
While I teach lack of planning as one of the most common mistakes newbies make, I also advocate getting something out there. When I published my first page on pickaguru.com there was nothing more than a home page. There were no reviews. There also was no apology or "under construction" icon. I simply added a page at a time, about one page per week, until there were a few pages up.
Guess what. After I only had two gurus reviewed I was already seeing affiliate income and already getting some reader attention for my honest reviews. It took shape slowly. After one year I still only have twelve gurus reviewed. That's about one per month. But I would not be this far if I had not decided to build that first page and get it started.
If you plan to start with a Blog, get it going today. If you plan to start with Pay per click advertising, start today. Get something out there. Build it to its full potential later.
Doing nothing will guarantee failure.
10. Go with your heart, and the money will follow. If you go for just the money, it never works out.
I lifted this phrase from an interview in the local newspaper. A man I used to work with had suffered a near fatal motorcycle accident and couldn't do industrial work any longer. He had built a photography studio and now makes over $400,000 a year.
This was his wife's (and partner's) advice when asked about the best business advice she had ever received. I cannot pass it up as some of the sagest advice I know on marketing. If you concentrate on making money first, your customers will sense that and your business will struggle.
If you concentrate on an honest, heartfelt, desire to help your customer solve his or her needs you will succeed. As she put it, "the money will follow." This was also some of the advice taught by one of my favorite business celebrities of all time, Walt Disney.
I cannot end this article with better advice than this. I beg of you please follow it. Look out for others and they will support you.
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