Internet and Profit Newbies

If you're new to making money on the internet, get to know the Do's and Don'ts of taking the step into the world of generating income online. 

Site Design and Search Engine Optimization

Get nuts and bolts tips on how to plan, build, and optimize your web site for maximum online impact.

Peter Browne

Copyright and Your Website!

First off let me make it clear that this information should not be construed as legal advice in any way what so ever. I am not a Lawyer nor do I claim to be providing any legal advice.

The purpose of this article is strictly to act as a guideline in regards to websites and copyrights.

First: Everything is Copyrighted!

This is the safest assumption to make. The moment anything is placed into a reproducible form, it becomes copyrighted information under the law. A website is considered a reproducible form. It would take scads of money to launch a lawsuit but in the end is it worth the risk?

Did you know when you go to a website and see a copyright notice posted on the page that it is not legally required to be there in order to show copyright. View it strictly as a courtesy. There are also acceptable ways to list a copyright notice, so if you want to place a copyright notice, DO IT RIGHT! The proper format for a copyright is a C within a circle �, a C within parenthesis will not cut it. You should also include the word Copyright along with the year the website was created. Seeing as you are going this far, also include the term �All Rights Reserved.� This can afford some extra protection in the International Markets where they may not adhere to the �Berne Convention�.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/treaties/berne/overview.html 

(Sample)
This Article Copyright �2005 by
Peter G. Browne �All Rights Reserved�

Graphics and photographs are a couple of the greatest sources of copyright infringement. Many people think that just because they took a photograph that they automatically can use it as they see fit. Where this becomes a real big problem is with a celebrity or person of some notoriety. Just try to use a picture that you took of a Hollywood celebrity, especially if you use it to try to promote a product. Once there is a perception of profit, then there is a perception of endorsement.

If you hire a photographer to take a photo the photographer owns the copyright to the photograph, unless you get it in writing that they release all copyright to you. You cannot take a photograph you paid to have taken and just use it commercially without a release.

If you take the picture yourself, you own the copyright to it and have certain legal rights:
You may sell the photo.
You may produce them on a website.
Unless, you are using them to commercially, promote or endorse a product or service where normally, the subject of the photograph would be paid for such an endorsement. This holds true for any photo, it does not have to be a celebrity; it can be a photo of any person on the street. Have you ever seen them shooting a movie? They stop pedestrian and vehicle traffic when shooting on location so that they do not have pay the people walking or driving by for an appearance in the movie. That is why they hire extras.

Do you know the one thing that celebrities have lots of; Lawyers, lots and lots of them. Always play it safe �Don�t Feed the Lawyers�.

Website graphics are also a big problem. People see a graphic and they like it so they just use it. You might have paid to have a custom designed website made and then one day you see a website that looks the same as yours. I have seen this happen on more than one occasion. The whole website was copied and put up on another domain. So, what can you do about it, the person that stole it knows you will not come after them with a Lawyer, the cost is just to high. The best you can hope for is to contact the hosting company and explain the copyright infringement in a clear articulate voice, and hope that they will see this, and remove the site. Don�t hold your breath waiting, as they are making an income form hosting it. However, sending a registered letter might make then take more notice as you can now show a Lawyer your request, as it was made to them and the hosting company knows this. Never rely on e-mail for this, as there is always a chance that they might not get the e-mail.

In regards to graphics, there is another issue of interest, when you just link to a graphic on another website and load the image on your website another type of theft is happening. Bandwidth theft, you are using the resources of the other host and website to load items on your website. You didn�t steal the graphic or picture, you just hot linked to it. This is still theft and can actually have the other web site owner facing higher bandwidth charges, until they realize what is going on.

There are many things one needs to consider in regards to copyright and the legal speak around it, can be so confusing. We are dealing with intellectual property laws as well as fair use policies. There are times when we might confuse copyright law with trademark law, another area that you really want to avoid if possible.

If you have a website and you ever feel that your rights have been violated, check with an Intellectual Property Lawyer. If you are looking at creating a website, always use the golden rule, when in doubt, get written permission to use, copy or modify copyrighted works Always assume everything is copyrighted.

You can get more information on copyright law at http://www.copyright.gov/

Copyright has become a huge problem on the Internet and has brought about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Even the major search engines are playing along with this one. You can see Googles stance on this by going to http://www.google.com/dmca.html.

Now you might think, How can I get caught? There is just way to many websites for that to happen, there is no way that the person�s article or content I stole and used as my own can find out. I mean they cannot surf every website out there. Can they?

They do not have to; there is a wonderful website that does that for them. Smart people will use something in their copy so that even if you change enough of the copy to make it look or sound different, you will want to leave this one particular sentence or paragraph in tact, then all they need to do is use http://www.copyscape.com. This is just one tool available to them.
The result is you are BUSTED!

One final note of interest, I have seen people talk about and use other company names in their �META TAGS�. They think this will somehow help to elevate a website in the search engines under the same terms as some of the larger competition. You might find the following to be of interest: http://searchenginewatch.com/resources/article.php/2156551. 

Always play it safe and use original content on your website or hire a professional that considers all of these issues and more as they develop your web site.

Peter G. Browne
http://www.BengalMarketing.com 

 

Network Marketing Publications & Tutorials

Network Marketing Electronic Publication and Distribution

Beverly Armstrong

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Blogs Blogs Everywhere There Are Blogs!

What is a Blog? Definition: A frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts, ideas, business matters etc. and Web links.

A blog is often a mixture of what is happening in a person's life, their business, and what is happening on the Web, a kind of hybrid diary/guide site, although there are as many unique types of blogs as there are people.

People maintained blogs long before the term was coined, but the trend gained momentum with the introduction of automated published systems, most notably Blogger at blogger.com. Thousands of people use services such as Blogger to simplify and accelerate the publishing process.
_______________________________________________

You cannot afford to close your eyes to Blogs, because they're simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they're going to shake up just about every business on the Internet, including yours. It doesn�t matter WHAT you are offering, blogs are a phenomenon that you cannot ignore, postpone, or delegate. Given the changes barreling down upon us, blogs are not a business elective. They're a prerequisite. (And yes, that goes for me, too.)

There's a little problem, though. Many of you don't visit blogs -- or haven't since blogs became a sensation in last year's Presidential race. According to the Pew Research Center Survey, only 27% of Internet users in America now bother to read them.

Since there are over 900,000,000 users on the Internet, this means that: your Blog has the limited potential of being visited by only TWO HUNDRED MILLION USERS! Ahh well you can�t have everything!


In case you haven�t entered the �World Of Blog � yet, let me take you into the world of blogs by delivering this story. There are approximately 9 Million existing Blogs, and over 30,000 new ones popping up each day. Some discuss poetry, others constitutional law. And, yes, many are plain silly.

But even assuming that 99.9% are off point. So what? That leaves some 30 new ones every day that could be talking about your business, and giving you the latest and the best on the web.

Even if you have NEVER been known before, Blogging your ideas, your unique story or perspective announces you to the networking world, the buying public, and your fellow entrepreneurs!

Admittedly, most Blogs are painfully primitive. That's not the point. They represent power. Look at it this way: In the age of mass media, publications print the news. Sources try to get quoted, but the decision is that of the publication.

The same is true with letters to the editor. Now instead of just speaking through publications, people who want to be heard can blog. And if they master the ins and outs of this new art -- like how to get other bloggers to link to them -- they have the potential to reach a HUGE audience.

This is just the beginning. Many of the same folks who developed blogs are busy adding features so that bloggers can start up music and video channels and team up on editorial projects. The divide between the publishers and the public may simply collapse turning the mass media upside down. In essence, it is creating � The Media of the Masses.�

How does business change when everyone is a potential publisher? Whoa, talk about change, and the laws pertaining to or covering fairness, advertising, and libel? They may not exist anymore! A shift in power unlike anything we�ve seen in decades may be occurring! Think about it.

Will companies and publishers get back the power they�ve lost? Not entirely. Not when bloggers now realize that THEY can:

1. Blog For Bucks by selling advertising
2. Do a book review. Existing affiliate programs will allow you to do a review and link to Amazon and when someone uses that link to buy, YOU get paid.
3. Use Adsense it is FREE
4. Market your own wares and save the cost of a website.

In blogging, there is no limit except the one you set for yourself. Did I mention that many Blogs are FREE and with sound? Will wonders never cease?

Here is my personal favorite blog source: http://www.blogger.com/start

Here is a present from me to you.  Get your emails checked here for spam filter passing ability FREE: http://spamcheck.sitesell.com/ 
 

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Sales and Sales Strategy

Words To Get You On Your Feet 

Jim Martin

10 Blockbuster Ways To Ignite Your Sales

1. Sign-up to win web site awards. When you win,
   some award sites publish your web site link, name
   and description on their site.
    

2. Join online business associations or clubs. If you
   join, they will usually list all their members on their
   web site. It will give your business extra exposure.
    

3. Utilize a simple form of viral marketing. Write or
   have someone else write a small report with your
   ad included on it and allow others to give it away.
    

4. Improve your business by promoting customer
   feedback. Tell them you want their honest opinions
   about your business, good or bad.
    

5. Design your packaging so it sells your products.
   Utilize colors and lettering that make your product
   more attractive to your prospects.
    

6. Compare your product's guarantee to your main
   competitors. Find a niche were your can design
   your guarantee to be more powerful.
    

7. Try not to assume your audience understands
   everything in your ad copy. If you have words they
   may not know the meaning to, define them.
    

8. Build alliances with other online businesses. You
   could trade links or ads, create joint venture deals,
   cross promote your products, etc.
    

9. Design your web site to be a valuable resource
   for people. Include original content, links to other
   interesting web sites, ebooks, software, etc.
    

10. Compete with the highly branded businesses by
    practicing good customers service, strong product
    quality and speedy service.

Quote of the Day:

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which, in
prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant." --
Horace

Warm regards,

Jim Martin