ADLANDS' DIGEST
                                        A Free subscribed Discussion List
                                                 of 21477 subscribers
                                       on web marketing and promotion
                               supported by AdlandPro World's Classifieds
                                          at http://www.adlandpro.com/
                                              Bogdan Fiedur, Publisher
                                                       contact at
                                  http://www.adlandpro.com/adlandpost.htm
                                         Moderator, Amalia Sotiriadou
                                        Vol. 1 issue #412 Aug 27, 2004 


 

Topics in this issue:
================
Word from the Moderator

Continuing Discussions (7)
======================
1. Re: The look of a website`
Mike Towle, Mike Moreland, Pawan Varma

2. Re: Storesonline - Bad business
Mireille Carrier, Grace Adele, William Jaroske

3. Re: network marketing
Charles Green

New Discussions (3)
====================
1. Help Please
Alexandria Schekov

2. New to Adland Pro
Anita Fiander

3. Question about company
William Hathaway

Site Review Requests   (0)
===================

Site Review Responses (3)
===================
1. Site Revew for Carol Ferrara
Larry Strait, April Waters

2. thanku
From: Les Szancer

GUEST ARTICLE (1)
=================
"Planning" To Make A Decision?  By John Robertson

Joke of the Day
==============


Word from Moderator
------------------------------

Congratulations to all countries whose athletes won those coveted medals these past couple
of weeks! As the Olympic Games draw to a close this weekend, I truly hope the world got a
small taste of what Athens is like, that everyone enjoyed themselves and finally, that the
spirit of the Olympics will triumph over pettiness, misery and doping.
I was pleased to see many responses to my question regarding website aesthetics last week.
I believe we should continue this discussion and add a new parameter: If you had to choose,
what would be more important - the "look" of a website or the contents and/or product and
why?

Amalia Sotiriadou
Moderator
Adland Digest
My AdLandPro Community page: http://www.adlandpro.com/directad/go/56876/


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===========Continuing Discussions (11) =====================

===========C o n t i n u i n g D i s c u s s i o n (1.1)=============

Re: The look of a website`
From: Mike Towle

Hi Amalia,

The look of a website is critical. The comparison can be made to a retail store. If the
entrance is messy, and it is difficult to get through the door, customers will turn away, no
matter how good the products inside are, or how fantastic the bargains.

A website is similar. If the site is messy looking, and is hard to navigate, visitors will not
take the time to look further, and will not be aware of the value of the product or service
being sold.

You are correct. The look of sites is improving, but webmasters need to admit when they
don't have a good sense of design, and consult with a good designer who can give the site
the look that will make visitors stay and find out what value is contained there.

Mike Towle
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Banner Guy creates attractive graphics for web sites. Take a look at:
http://ebiztoolz.com/bannerguy.htm
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===========C o n t i n u i n g D i s c u s s i o n (1.2)=============

Re: How big a role does the "look" of a website play?
From: Mike Moreland

Hi Amalia

I used to be involved in the real estate game, buying, building and selling houses.

One of the saddest things for me to see, were homes designed by what I called "kitchen
table architects." People would be proud to say that they had saved themselves the 7%
architect fee (This was the standard fee charged by a professional architect in South Africa
at the time). What had happened was that some friend of theirs had designed the house for
them for a couple of hundred Rand.

Well as you can imagine, the completed house looked like a total abortion.
By "thinking" they had saved themselves a few thousand Rand they in fact lost tens of
thousands in the end because no one wanted to buy this lousy looking house

To me there is a parallel here. If you have a lousy looking site people will not even look at
it let alone buy from it. You may think you are saving money by getting Johnny down the
road to design and build your site instead of having it done buy a professional web
designer. You have saved cents on the design but by comparison lost thousands in sales.

If I come across a site that has obviously been designed by some "kitchen table" amateur I
immediately click off the site and move on.

A properly designed site not only creates a good impression it also does something that is
critical to people who want to buy something on the internet, it gives them a feeling of
confidence and trust.

The bottom line for me is: I do not care how great the product is or how good the offer is I
will not even consider buying it from a site that does not create a good professional
impression.


----------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Moreland
CEO of SelfdriveZa Holidays and Tours in Cape Town www.selfdriveza.com
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===========C o n t i n u i n g D i s c u s s i o n (1.3)============

Re: Importance of your website's "look"
From: Pawan Varma

Hi, Amalia.

We have found that the most important factor for the look of a website is how it fits with
the company's marketing program.

A properly designed marketing program has a focus, and that focus determines the best
look.  When Nike launches a new marketing campaign aimed at boys aged 15-17 years,
their new websites will have a certain look.  The same look would be totally inappropriate
for the release of the latest Mercedes Benz.

What you are marketing, who your are marketing to, what your campaign's focus is; all of
these play into what makes your website's look appropriate and successful.


Bottom line:  If you are looking for a successful website, build its look around your
marketing message so that the website serves to strengthen that message along with
everything else that you do.

----------------------------------------------------------------
"Succeed with God" helps people succeed financially and otherwise through the help of
practical, simple, and profoundly effective techniques that bring the power of God to bear
on your business. www.succeedwithgod.com
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===========C o n t i n u i n g D i s c u s s i o n (2.1)============

Re: Storesonline - Bad business
From: Mireille Carrier

Hi Charles,

My girlfriend called me one day to attend a free luncheon on how to make money online at
a local hotel.  She knows that's what I do for a living and she was curious to go.  So was I. 
It turned out to be Storesonline, aka GalaxyMall.

I couldn't believe the garbage they fed people.  The 1.5 hour seminar/lunch was only a
preview of a full day seminar which was to take place two weeks later.  It cost $30 to attend
the full day, or you could split that $30 with a guest to pay only $15 each but just one
person would get the free laptop bag.  Big deal!  So my girlfriend and I both paid $15 to go
see what the full day event would bring.

When I got home after that luncheon, the first thing I did was look them up online.  I found
out that they were banned from operating in the state of Maine, and they had MANY,
MANY complaints going as far back as 2000.

I was even more curious now to attend the full day seminar...

There must have been well over 200 people there.  They offered one on one consulting
during breaks to counsel people on what type of internet store they should have.

It started at 8:30 am and by lunch time, we didn't know anything about making money
online.  All they had talked about for 4 hours was FINANCING.
They had passed credit application to everyone in the room (prequalifying
people) so they would know what to tell them when they applied for their website at the end
of the day.

At lunch time, we sat with a few other people. I told them what I had found out about
Storesonline after the first day.  I hadn't even touched the fact that the price they charged for
those websites was OUTRAGEOUS!

People at other tables were listening to us, and some even stopped by to chat with us.  We
exchanged phone numbers and URL's with those who had websites. Many didn't care and
thought that Storesonline would make them rich.  They didn't know the first thing about the
internet, never looked them up, didn't care they had a bad reputation - what they were
saying made sense and they were thinking about it.

We, my girlfriend and I, knew they weren't THINKING about it, it was obvious that they
had already made the decision to buy.  Sad...  We left after lunch.  These speakers are
GOOD, they know how to con people.
That's why they have the job!

I was going to add them to my "scam" page and never got around to it.
Charles, if you want, send me your story with Storesonline and I'll make a new page just for
them and ask others who have had business dealings with Storesonline to send in their story
as well, good and bad.  I'll publish it all. (my email is on my website)

Before you pay any money to anyone online, ALWAYS, ALWAYS do your due diligence. 
Search the company name on a few search engines, not just one.
Look at several pages of results, not just the first page.  Read the good and the bad, and
make up your own mind from there.  But NEVER, EVER give anyone thousands of dollars
without researching them first.

I'm very sorry you lost money with them Charles, they're pretty darn good, I have to give
them that much!  I heard the "speech" and like my girlfriend said, for people who don't
know much about the internet or don't know anyone who does that for a living, it's very
tempting.

Mireille


----------------------------------------------------------------
There is no free lunch on the internet, you don't work, you don't make money. Tired of
getting scammed? Learn everything you need to know BEFORE you start!
http://www.my-biz-world.com
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===========C o n t i n u i n g D i s c u s s i o n (2.2)============

Re: Storesonline.com BAD BUSINESS
From: Grace Adele

While I am not going to bash SOL (as I, "tongue in cheek", refer to them) I am not going to
praise them either.

They do extremely over simplify how easy it is to get started on the internet. Their
customer service and technical support is excellent in that they are cheerful, prompt, &
courteous. Unfortunately all they could ever tell me was that I had to send information to
the programmers to find out if something could be done. This, of course would cost more
money.
Fortunately, I didn't know enough to even figure out what to ask them. So I avoided those
fees.

The cost to set up a store is actually reasonable. You couldn't hire a programmer to set one
up for any less and it probably would cost more. But you do have to know the basics and
understand things that are clear as mud to almost every newbie. But if you know enough, it
is a pretty good deal.

Their cost for hosting is way too high but that's another topic.

They have a 1 year time limit because the stores are set up on their servers. That is most
likely why you were shut down, Charles.  After 1 yr., they charge $100/store to continue
using their servers if you have not "opened for business". That is a definite "Ouch"!

I don't think they are ripping people off any more than a lot of other programs, courses, etc.
that spout how easy it is to earn money on the internet. I actually think a lot of people could
have better success with SOL than most of the "TurnKey" and "MLM" programs. I did
learn a lot in my inept efforts at setting up a store. At least, I figured out what my questions
were - lol.

I do think they should do a much better job at helping people learn the basics so they can
actually use the SOL product.

Forget PMI coaching which is what SOL recommends. They don't teach the basics either. I
wasted more money on that than I did on SOL. Get a 1 on 1 mentor. I am now working with
a wonderful mentor and actually see the  possibility for success blossoming on a
daily basis. I would be happy to share his name with anyone interested.

As far as my SOL stores go, I have dropped them. So I guess SOL is, well, sol.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Grace Adele
http://www.wondrouswords.com
Weaving words into webs of wealth.
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===========C o n t i n u i n g D i s c u s s i o n (2.3)============


Re: Storesonline  BAD BUSINESS
From: William Jaroske

"Moderator's comment: I don't believe in using this Digest to bash people's businesses
indiscriminately, and I was not going to publish this at all. On the other hand, I don't
believe in censorship either."

Bashing or not. It leads me to believe that any Moderator can rush into misjudgment.

Charles  W. Blakemore is merely informing the subscribers of this digest of a dishonest
company. From Complaints.com to the Ripoff Report, it is evident that this is not a
representable company to deal with. I sure hope that this does not turn out to be shooting
the messenger, since there are about 5 pages of complaints on the Ripoff Report from
January to August 2004


William Jaroske
----------------------------------------------------------------
MaxInCommon.com - THE meeting place online.
Join for free or go for the "Gold" and MAXimize your connections!
http://maxincommon.com?dcode=coolretirement
----------------------------------------------------------------
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===========C o n t i n u i n g D i s c u s s i o n (3.1)============

Re: network marketing
From: Charles Green

Rose Phyland wrote:
> Read Paul Zane Pilzner 'the next trillion dollar business' He predicts
that the health and
> nutritional supplement market will make trillions of dollars from the
"Baby Boomers" who
> want to stay young, fit and healthy.
> If you are impressed then go for one of these businesses. Remember to
make money you
> need to invest time, effort and money. I wish you all the best in
finding the business most
> suitable for you.
> Rose
>

Rose,

That's basically what I wrote back in Issue #387.

Someone had asked which was the best industry and I explained how Paul Zane Pilzer
predicted the next boom industry to be the Wellness industry.

Many people are also familiar with my comments regarding time, effort and money being
necessary to maximize success.  So, I certainly agree with you there.

Unfortunately, Issue #387 is not included in the Adland Digest archives
at http://www.adlandpro.com/archives.   #'s 385 - 390 are missing.

However, issue #387 is amongst those I have saved.

Here's that post again...

From: Charles Green
Subject: Looking for a good MLM

Howard Winwood wrote:
> I am looking for a new mlm opp and would like to know what industry
> seems to working the best.

Howard,

The industry that works "best" at any time is often the one catering to the Baby Boomers.
Around a billion people born from about 1946 to 1964 (some say 1945-1965, but you get
the general idea).

Look to the Baby Boomers. What do they want? What are their needs? What are they
looking for?

As babies they needed feeding, companies like Gerber became a huge success.

Later they needed toys, companies like Mattel and Hasbro boomed.

As adolescents they wanted to be entertained and became interested in hanging out at places
like McDonalds.

Eventually they settled down and wanted somewhere to live.
There was a real estate boom.

They are beginning to age. Currently and for about the next 20 years, around 140,000 baby
boomers turn 58 every day. I realise not all of them are in a country where MLM exists, but there are a lot who are.

Anyway...

According to research, what is the number one thing on a baby boomer's mind right now?

#1 HEALTH and/or WELLNESS

They want to be healthy. They want their health back, or want to at least maintain the health
they've got.

The Health industry is about fixing people who are already sick, diseased or suffering from
a condition.

The wellness industry is about maintaining health and remaining "well". It also strives to
improve the lives of those who are already unwell and/or remove some of the symptoms.

Professor Paul Zane Pilzer predicted each of the economic booms in the past twenty years.
He has never been wrong. He has a list of awesome credentials and was also an economic
advisor to two US Presidents.

Professor Pilzer predicts that the next trillion dollar industry will be the Wellness industry.
He predicted that it would expand from around US$200 billion in 2001 to $1 trillion by
2010. In fact, this should happen in around 2008!

So...if you wanted to secure a long-term residual income, where would you position
yourself?

I hope this helps.

Bye for now,


Charles


----------------------------------------------------------------
Charles & Kerri Green are Tahitian Noni International Independent Distributors.  TNI is
perfectly positioned in the Wellness industry, distributing one of the top 5 Healthy
Beverage brands.
Read more about Charles & Kerri at http://aboutus.nonilead.com
----------------------------------------------------------------

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==============New Discussion (1)==============

Help Please
From: Alexandria Schekov

I submitted my ad, giving my personal email address (above) not knowing I would be hit
with hundreds of ads a day--many carrying viruses!
To date, not one single person has visited my website!
Any suggestions?
----------------------------------------------------------------
SINCERELY,
ALEXANDRIA
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==============New Discussion (2)==============

New to Adland Pro
From: Anita Fiander

Hi everyone, I'm new to the small business scene and to this site. My name is Anita, I live
in NB Canada, I have 3 wonderful children. I have just joined as a Gold Member and there
is so much info here....*grins**. Where is the best place to start? I have my email set up,
waiting for webpage validation stuff, my affiliate things done except for the webpage. I
guess I would just like to know the easiest way to use all this info. Thanks for your help.
Hope your having a great day!!

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Sincerely,
Anita Fiander
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==============New Discussion (3)==============

Question about company
From: William Hathaway

I'm curious about a couple of companies that I've begun advertising for. I am not
knowledgeable enough about the internet to make an informed decision. I haven't been
doing this for very long.

One is: eqqu.com and the other is juiceboosted.com.

Juiceboosted's website is disabled for a few days, but they claim they will increase your
dialup speed 5 times the speed for free.

www.juiceboosted.com/index.php?RequestId=2&Id=vw6kh
http://www.eqqu.com/?wilaci

Are these reputable companies?  I do not wish to scam or spam anyone.  How do I
determine what is a reputable company?   What type of questions should I ask prior to
advertising for a company?

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William Hathaway
willaci777@yahoo.com
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Site Review Requests   (0)
=======================

Site Review Responses (3)
====================
==========================Site Review (1.1) ===================

Re: Site review- angelfire
Larry Strait

Carol,
 The first thing I noticed was it took along time to load, plus having banners in the middle
made me think what you had to say was over.
 If it were my site, I would keep the CBclick and the welcome, then I would move the
contents (make it one column) and the affordable paintings column next to it to the top.
Place the two paintings side by side below that, followed by my testimonials, then the
banners.
 This is only my opinion, others may be better.
 Larry Strait
----------------------------------------------------------------
Discover the world's #1 home business here:
http://www.portlavacae.com/plugin.html
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==========================Site Review (1.2) ===================
Site Revew for Carol Ferrara
From: April Waters

Hi Carol,
     I looked at your site and I am hoping my comments will be taken as constructive.

    1) Get your own .COM name. Something that you can call YOURS! They are cheap
enough now at places like GoDaddy.com, etc.

    2) Get away from that feebie site called TriPod/Angelfire. I can not even explain how
much I hate going to a site with pop ups, pop unders and almost half of the page being
taken up by their search ads. It is not only intrusive, it looks cheap. It is hard for buyers to
take you seriously.
Here is a link to a very good, inexpensive website building company that is super simple for
the beginner.
         http://www.CityMax.com/?domain=32543

     3) I do not mind the pale yellow background but your letters need to be darker. They
need to stand out better against a colored background.

    4) If I were you I would re-organize my front page. I almost did not go down to the
bottom of the page once I hit all your banner ads because that is usually the bottom of the
page. It actually looks like your front page starts at the bottom. For example, your counter
should be at the very bottom of the page, not in the middle. Your contents and such should
be in the very first frame of your page.

     The way you have the items that you will find on your site all listed together with
commas is one big blur. If your contents and links are on the top we would know what you
offered immediately. I guess what I am saying is the bottom of your front page should be on
the top showcasing your artwork.

     Your artwork is very nice; you should showcase more of it on the front so people will
know right away the things you offer. I hope this helps.


----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.valudealz.com
Wholesale to the public!
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==========================Site Review (2) ===================

Re: thanku
From: Les Szancer

thanku to those good people who went to my Blueribbonoptions.com site and gave me
some great feedback. Regards, Les.
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----------------------------GUEST ARTICLE --------------------------

"Planning" To Make A Decision?  By John Robertson
=========================================

The longer I've been around companies the more I believe the words "Planning" and
"Decision" are seldom used in the same sentence! And the business fallout because of poor
planning when making decisions is staggering. The effects of a decision gone bad tend to
linger around for months or even years. It is a fact that most businesses fail not because
they did not make decisions but because they did not make good decisions.

With so much riding on your ability to make the right decisions it is prudent to brush up on
the technique of decision making and the process involved in planning to make them.
Planning allows a decision to be made on your terms and in a much more comfortable and
intelligent way. It allows you the time to consider several options without the last minute
rush.

There are four benefits to decision-making planning:

1. PLANNING ALLOWS YOU TO SET THE GOALS YOU WANT. That means you are
not so much focused on the external events that don't relate to what you are trying to
accomplish. Many decisions are incorrectly made based on things that steer one's life rather
than becoming proactive decision-makers.

2. PLANNING PROVIDES A WAY TO MEASURE SUCCESS. The plan of action is your
mirror to measure how close (or far) you are from accomplishing your goal. This measure is
important because it can show you immediately when you are off course and need to make
adjustments and corrections.

3. PLANNING CHANGES THE "DO" TO THE "GET". Planning converts ideas, values
and activities into action. Planning is not the end result; it is the tool to convert the idea into
a specific action or actions. Planning helps you convert your company's goals into your
individual goals and helps you get results. Remember most companies pay you for action
NOT activity. It's not the "do" it is the "get" that makes the difference. A good plan is to
keep what you are trying to accomplish in the focus at all times. Ask yourself is what you
are "doing" now, "getting" the results you are responsible for?

4. PLANNING HELPS ALLOCATE YOUR RESOURCES IN AN EFFICIENT
MANNER. Few companies have unlimited resources. A good plan helps you maximize the
resources you have. Remember that dollars are not your only resource. Resources that you
will need to manage includes people, tools, assets and company propriety information. By
consulting you plan often, you can see concerns before they become problems and you can
shift available resources to cover the unexpected issues.

Planning to make a decision is a perfect example of the Pareto principle - the idea that by
doing 20% of work you can generate 80% of the advantage of doing the entire job. Pareto
analysis is a formal technique for finding the changes that will give the biggest benefits. It
is useful where many possible courses of action are competing for your attention.

Perhaps by spending the 20% of your time thoroughly planning you next decision can save
you 80% of your time. Why not give it a try?

There are several methods you can use for planning. Words such as Strategic, Tactical, and
Operational may come to mind. However, these are specific planning procedures. Each has
their place in business.

================================================
(C) 2004 TrainingConnections.ORG

Sr. Level Management in several Fortune 500 companies. His real world experience will
bring credibility to your company. TrainingConnections.ORG focuses on three categories
of Employee Performance Improvement; Leadership, Management and Sales Training.
Contact us today for more information or check our web site.
www.TrainingConnections.ORG
info@TrainingConnections.ORG
====================================================

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-----------------JOKE OF THE DAY-------------------

Helicopter Problem


A helicopter was flying around above Seattle yesterday when an electrical malfunction
disabled all of the aircraft's electronic navigation and communications equipment.

Due to the clouds and haze, the pilot could not determine the helicopter's position and
course to steer to the airport.

The pilot saw a tall building, flew toward it, circled, drew a handwritten sign, and held it in
the helicopter's window. The pilot's sign said "WHERE AM I?" in large letters.

People in the tall building quickly responded to the aircraft, drew a large sign, and held it in
a building window. Their sign said "YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER."

The pilot smiled, waved, looked at his map, determined the course to steer to SEATTLE
airport, and landed safely.

After they were on the ground, the co-pilot asked the pilot how the "YOU ARE IN A
HELICOPTER" sign helped determine their position in Seattle.

The pilot responded "I knew that had to be the MICROSOFT building because, similar to
their help-lines, they gave me a technically correct but completely useless answer."

=========================================================



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