Setting Your Goals - Easier Said, Easily Done

Personal February 13th, 2008 Say Something (0)

The basics of setting a goal is an open secret known by top-caliber athletes, successful businessmen and businesswomen and all types of achievers in all the different fields. The basics of setting goals give you short-term and long-term motivation and focus. They help you set focus on the required knowledge, help you to plan and organize your resources and your time so that you can get the best out of your life.

Setting clearly defined short term and long term goals will enable you to measure your progress and achieve personal satisfaction once you have successfully met your goals. No doubt in my case, where I would think about getting my tasks done, then next think I knew it was 5 hours later with me staring at my blog. So, charting your progress will enable you to actually see the stages of completion leading to the actual realization of your goals. This eliminates the feeling of a long and pointless grind towards achieving your goal. Your self-confidence and level of competence will also improve as you will be more aware of your capabilities as you complete or achieve your goals.

The basics of goal settings will involve deciding what you really want to do with your personal life and what short term and long term goals you need to achieve it. Then you have to break down goals into the smaller and manageable targets that you must complete in your way to achieving your lifetime targets. Once you have your list waste no time in tackling your goals. I always write things down on my pocket notepad of things that I need to do and then organize them later onto a larger peice of paper.

A good way to have a manageable list is to have a daily and weekly set of goals. By doing this you will be always in the position of going towards you life plan goals. Everyday will give you the opportunity to fulfill a certain goal giving you the feeling of accomplishment.

Here are some pointers that should be taken into consideration in setting goals and achieving them.

Attitude plays a very big role in setting and achieving your goals. You must ask yourself if any part of you or your mind holding you back towards completing your simplest goals? If there are any part of your behavior that is being a drag or puts your plans into a burning flame? If you do have problems in these areas then the immediate thing to do is to address this problem. Maybe you need to see a shrink
Education is key in achieving your goals. If your goals require you to have a certain kind of degree or require a certain specialization or demand a certain skill to be developed, make plans in getting the appropriate education.

Your family should never be left out of your plans. If you are just starting out then you have to decide if you want to be a parent or when you want to be a parent. You also have to know if you really would be a good parent and how well would you relate to extended family members. Or if you have a significant other who knows nothing about your online endeavors, then make sure you make time for them. I know that the internet world tends to suck you in and everyone around you suffers.

Personal financial situations also play a major role in achieving your goals. Have a realistic goal on how much you really want to earn. You also must be able to create plans or stages by which you will be able to reach your earning potential.

Physically gifted individuals may be able to achieve sports related goals like being in the National Basketball association or National Football League. Determining your physical capabilities should be one of your priorities. Physical limitations could however be conquered with proper planning.

As the saying goes -’All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’, or something to that effect, is by all means true down to the last the letter. Giving yourself a little pleasure: should be included into your plans.

To start achieving your lifetime goals, set a quarter of a century plan, then break it down to 5 year plans then break it down again to 1 year plans, then 6 month plans then monthly plans, then weekly, then daily. Or just take it one day at a time…

Then create a things-to-do list for the day.

Always review your plans and prepare for contingencies.

The basics of goal settings should not be so difficult once you get to be familiar with them.

Viral Marketing 101

Internet Business February 12th, 2008 Say Something (0)

Creativity.

This is one virtue a site must possess to lead the race in the ruthless competition in the Internet based business. With so many competition and rivalry going on, every method of marketing must be employed and utilized.

It doesn’t matter if you have a killer product or a fantastically designed website, if people don’t know that you exist, it doesn’t matter, and you are not going to make it big. Worse of all, you business could just get killed.

While there are so many methods and schemes used by so many e-commerce sites today, there are still some of those that can help you with an extra boost in the popularity ratings. One of these is the so called Viral Marketing.

While the term Viral easily depicts a virus, a word very much dreaded by all computer owners, it is not what it seems. You do not actually use a computer virus to spread your business; on the contrary it just might kill you. Everyone has had enough of all those pop up ads and spywares.

Viral Marketing Overview

Viral Marketing also known otherwise as Viral Advertising is a marketing technique used to build the public awareness of one’s product or company. They use many forms of media to reach out to the public without actually promoting the product by riding on in other forms of addictive means that could get a person hooked and be obliged or amused to actually pass it on, with the product or company advertisement along with it.

In a nutshell, companies ride on the idea that if people like the content of a media they will pass it on to their friends and family. They sponsor the certain media, such as a cool flash game, funny video, amusing story and such, which one may pass on to another with the company brand or logo or the products description or any other content to help promote the company or its product.

Viral marketing has become a popular means of advertising and marketing because they are relatively low cost. To avoid being tagged as spam mail, viral marketing counts on the eagerness of one person to pass on the product. If a person sees the name of the person they know as the sender, they won’t block it and open it as well.

Many companies offer incentives such as discounts and rebates when they help in spreading their viral marketing. They rely on the number of recipients a viral marketing gets from one person in determining the amount or number of incentive they can be attributed with.

Using Viral Marketing to your advantage

The main and foremost advantage of viral marketing is that you get a lot of publicity and public awareness about your site and your products. You get to generate a flow of traffic that are potential customers. With a little ingenuity and imagination, plus some incentives or prizes, you can reach out to a great number of people and announce your existence.

Most every site and companies are catching on to the effectivity of Viral Marketing and Advertising. Not using it could kill your business or not. Along with other schemes and methods in promoting your site, like Search Engine Optimization and such, viral marketing could easily push you ahead in the rating games.

Viral Marketing could be a sneaky way to get people to know about you and your company. You get them to pass your advertisement along. They are also very low cost that not investing in it could be downright a business suicide. All it takes is a great idea, a good addicting game, a funny story many ideas are still out there. Create a gossip or a buzz, many movies are promoted by using scandals and gossips to make them more popular. Remember the movie “The Blair Witch Project”?

Many big companies have tried viral marketing and have had many success stories with it. A classic example is Microsoft’s Hotmail. They were the first known big company to utilize the scheme and it has worked wonders for them.

Now it’s your turn to use viral marketing to work wonders for you. Here is a good report I had on my hard drive called Virology. Sometimes I need to just go in there and see all the give away goodies I have and bring them here for a resource for newbies. Hmm… Anyway, click the image below to download it.

This is a report from Mike Filsaime called the science of viral marketing. Print it out and read it when you have time… or read it while you are at work

“What Really Makes You Tick?” 10 questions you should ask to yourself: a preparation to self-improvement

Personal February 10th, 2008 Say Something (0)

Be all you can be, but it’s not always in the Army. The Air Force was a better route… I often see myself as somewhat contented with my life the way things are, but of course it’s hard to think of anything else when where are real issues to be discussed. Before finding out my mom had breast cancer, I didn’t care about much and just did what I had to do to make money online. I was not passionate or happy having to do the daily “chores” to doing this. After I found out, had a reality check, and told myself that life is short so do something online that makes money but also makes you happy…

Still I aspire for something deeper and more meaningful.

So we’re all pelted with problems. Honestly it shouldn’t even bother or even hinder us to becoming all we ought to be. Aspirations as kids should continue to live within us, even though it would be short-lived or as long as we could hold on to the dream. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks… or can they?

1. What do I really want?
The question of the ages. So many things you want to do with your life and so little time to even go about during the day.

Find something that you are good at can help realize that small step towards improvement. Diligence is the key to know that it is worth it.

2. Should I really change?
Today’s generation has taken another level of redefining ’self’, or at least that’s what the kids are saying. Having an army of teenage nieces and nephews has taught me that there are far worse things that they could have had than acne or maybe even promiscuity. So how does that fit into your lifestyle?

If history has taught us one thing, it’s the life that we have gone through. Try to see if partying Seventies style wouldn’t appeal to the younger generation, but dancing is part of partying. Watch them applaud after showing them how to really dance than break their bones in break-dancing.

3. What’s the bright side in all of this?
With so much is happening around us there seem to be no room for even considering that light at the end of the tunnel. We can still see it as something positive without undergoing so much scrutiny. And if it’s a train at the end of the tunnel, take it for a ride and see what makes the world go round!

4. Am I comfortable with what I’m doing?
There’s always the easy way and the right way when it comes to deciding what goes with which shoes, or purse, shirt and whatnot. It doesn’t take a genius to see yourself as someone unique, or else we’ll all be equally the same in everything we do. Variety brings in very interesting and exciting questions to be experimented.

5. Have I done enough for myself?
Have you, or is there something more you want to do? Discontentment in every aspect can be dangerous in large doses, but in small amounts you’ll be able to see and do stuff you could never imagine doing.

6. Am I happy at where I am today?
It’s an unfair question so let it be an answer! You love being a good and loving mom or dad to your kids, then take it up a notch! Your kids will love you forever. The same goes with everyday life!

7. How much could I have?
I suppose in this case there is no such things on having things too much or too little, but it’s more on how badly you really need it. I’d like to have lots of money, no denying that, but the question is that how much are you willing to work for it?

8. What motivates me?
What motivates you? It’s an answer you have to find out for yourself. There are so many things that can make everyone happy, but to choose one of the may be the hardest part. It’s not like you can’t have one serving of your favorite food in a buffet and that’s it. Just try it piece by piece.

10. What Really Makes You Tick?
So? What really makes you tick? You can be just about anything you always wanted to be, but to realize that attaining something that may seem very difficult is already giving up before you even start that journey. Always remember, that self-improvement is not just about the physical or philosophical change you have to undergo, but it’s something that you really want.

10 Guidelines for Designing a Credible Website or Blog

Blogging Tips February 8th, 2008 Say Something (1)

The advent of internet has drastically changed the information landscape. People are increasingly relying on ‘The world wide web’ for information and research. The fact that information from various sources is made available at the comforts of home is attracting more and more people towards it.

In today’s world, a website is the fastest and cheapest medium to reach a wide range of audience. A website is an absolute need for business, organizations or even individuals. A website has become one of the important identities of organizations and individuals. A good website attracts prospective customers and serves as an interface between the organization and its customers. There might be a day, when not having a website is not an option!

Designing a not ‘rocket science’ anymore. With the help of website generators and various tools anyone can design website. The internet is flooded with such tools and applications, a simple search with Google would do. The flip side is anyone can create a website and the burden is on you to differentiate yourself from the clutter. Creating a professional and good looking website involves a lot of thought process and research.

Here are some guidelines for successful website development:

• Design to look professional

A professional look is very important for a website. A professionally designed website will attract visitors and retain them. Take some time to identify the niche audience you are targeting, study them, understand their preferences and plan your design accordingly. Decide if you require a simple HTML site, an integrated dynamic site or Ecommerce application. The visual design must match the purpose of the website and never distract form the main theme. Your website must leave a good impression over the visitor at the first instance and build their confidence in the products and services you provide. Make sure your site is consistent from beginning to end.

• Make easy to verify the accuracy of the info on site The facts and information provided in the website must be accurate and verifiable. You can improve the credibility of your website by providing third party support for the information you provide. You can provide the links to citations, references and sources in support of your information. The references and citations must be taken from reliable a source. This goes a long way in inspiring trust and confidence in the customer. After all a customer doubting your information is the last thing your want.

• Show that there is a real organization behind your siteShowing that there is a legitimate organization behind the website is a very important in establishing the credibility of the website. Show verifiable information like the physical address or contact number in your website. Other features like providing reference to previous clients, posting office photos or listing a membership with commerce chamber can also help.• Highlight the expertise in your organization, in the content and services you provide

Stress the experience and expertise of your organization in your domain. If you are a product based organization provide facts (support them with third party references) that support your position as a market leader in your domain. Similarly you can list the fortune 500 organizations that you supply products or render services. Highlight the recent technologies, inventions or patents registered under your organization. By clearly highlighting your expertise you

• Show that honesty and trustworthy people stand behind your site You can provide a simple bio of the people working in your organization their family and hobbies. Staff photographs can have a positive impact on customers if used with care. Testimonials can also be used for this purpose.

• Make it easy to contact youOne way to make your website credible is by showing contact information like physical address, E-mail addresses and phone numbers clearly. You can even provide a simple form for the customers to get their reviews and comments. This helps you evaluate your performance and makes the customer feel you really care for his needs. • Make your site easy to use and make it usefulSimple things like providing the link to your home page at the bottom of each webpage can bring a professional look to your website. Your site should be easy to find, easy to read, and easy to navigate. The site graphics should be neat and catchy, and should not distract visitors from the central focus. A bad choice of color and graphics can leave a bad taste in the visitor’s mouth. Go for a right blend of technology, functionality, graphics and content to match the purpose of the website.

• Update your sites content oftenPeople tend to rate websites with up to date information higher than the rest. The content should be dynamic and should keep pace with the recent developments in the industry.• Use restraint with any promotional content

Avoid using promotional contents like ads in your website. If it is necessary to place ads chose the right place to ensure you differentiate the sponsored content from your own. Avoid pop-up ads at any cost.