A Blogger's Look at Digg.com

Blogging is one of the best ways to share information as well as advertise yourself on today's Internet, but are you doing everything you can to make sure that you put yourself out there? As many bloggers are finding out, putting out a blog that has good information simply is not enough; advertising is an important part of any endeavor on the web. Luckily, you will find that the Internet is a great place to see viral marketing in action. Digg.com, a site that many bloggers have begun using, is one example of this.

At first glance, Digg.com seems to be a lot of information stored in one place, but with a second look will actually show you how organized it is. The search function is particularly useful, and the range of topics, images, and information that it covers is rather exhaustive. From learning about mountain bikes to hearing the latest news out of Washington, this is one of the best sites that you can frequent, especially when you are looking for a diverse field of information.

At its most basic, Digg.com is a sharing site. People will post things that they find interesting online, and no matter how obscure or how important it is, you will be able to find it here. Digg.com is one of many social bookmarking sites that have appeared, and there is a good reason for that. Despite its invaluable presence and despite its admitted scope and staying power, many people are becoming impatient with the results that come from a simple Google search. People are looking for relevance when they look for information, and nearly the only way to get that is by looking through material that has already been gone through for relevance by other people.

On Digg.com, you start contributing as soon as you sign up, and something that might surprise you is the level of community on this site. This is one great way for people to get to know one another, and it is a great way for you to get information about your blog out there. Many blogs end up being linked by other people, and you will find that this improves your link building status; your links will not only be out there, they will also be contributing to your Google search engine rankings.

As any marketer will tell you, part of the key to success to marketing online is to give people content, and with Digg.com, you can do exactly that. Take some time and look at the content you have simply bookmarked for your purposes. Similarly, many bloggers have a list of links on their sidebar, you can get started just by putting that up. Reach out and make sure that the members of your Internet community know that you exist!

(C) http://www.writingcareer.com/

Freelanceblogger.net Takes Aggressive Step to Help Bloggers Find Work

Professional bloggers are stepping up their efforts to locate new and challenging blogging assignments by joining FreelanceBlogger.net - a new online community designed to connect bloggers and organizations looking for freelance bloggers. This new blogger community allows bloggers to post free profiles highlighting their blogging expertise. Companies, organizations, and individuals can post open blogging jobs - completely free of charge.

Unlike other blogger-for-hire communities, FreelanceBlogger.net requires that each blogger post a profile in the appropriate category using a standard format established by the community's administration. This posting format makes it easier for companies to search for the blogger who would be perfect for them.

Stevens has aggressive goals for FreelanceBlogger.net. She says she hopes to see the community become the premiere resource for both freelance bloggers and the companies looking to hire bloggers. She says, "We're on Twitter promoting the site; we're on Facebook; we're on MySpace. You name it, we're there."

Website: http://freelanceblogger.net

Five Things You Can do to Take Charge of Your Career During Harsh Economic Times

With recent shortages in employment and with unemployment agencies in most States reportedly running out of funds, American workers are taking charge of their own careers and what they are doing to survive today's economy may surprise you. Below are five things you can do to backup your current employment, (http://www.prorecruitertraining.com/) and if you are currently unemployed you may still benefit from the information here.


1) Be prepared to engage in a major job search:

Career experts have always advised that if you feel threatened by job-loss you should up-date your resume, make sure that you have all your current skills and experience listed and then start your search. Recruiters are better able to place candidates that are still employed, since employment is one of the elements that make an individual what recruiters call a "Most Placeable Candidate" or an MPC.


Here are some tips:

• Update your resume.

• Contact recruiters or start contacting employers.

• If you plan to work with recruiters, try not to post your resume on every search engine. This will make you an active job-searcher and may reduce your chances of being placed by a recruiter.

• Submit your resume to the right sources. Make sure you are getting your resume in front of the hiring manager and not just sending it to a resume bank. The best way to do this is to call ahead of time and ask who is in charge of hiring for the particular position you are interested in.

• Follow-up. Make sure you call the contact person for the positions you applied to and find out the status of your applications. This is the one step that makes the difference between a high chance of success or failure in any job search.

• Finally, do not wait till you lose your job to start searching; start today.


2) Get a second job

Another option to consider as a back-up is to get a second job. Be careful with this option, since it may alter the balance of material aspects of your life. Also note that in hard economic times, getting a second job may be as difficult as keeping your first one, but still it may be worth a try. The advantage to having a second job is that you do not fall flat on your behind when you lose your main job.

A few things to bear in mind when looking for a second job are:

• Make sure that you are in agreement with your family or any other person that is an important part of your life, or who may be affected by changes in your schedule; since this will alter your available time and lifestyle greatly.

• Try not to engage in full-time work as a second job option. Doing so may affect your health and your efficiency at both your first and second jobs.

• If working part-time, try to find a job that offers flexibility.

• Find a second job that you have the skills for so that you can hit the ground running. Training may tend to be stressful and may affect your first job.


3) Become a recruiter

You can start a recruiting or staffing business (http://www.prorecruitertraining.com) and work from the comfort of your home at your own time. The home based recruiting business environment is booming and seems to offer workers a lot more stability than the traditional work environment, especially in hard economic times. Individuals with a will to succeed enjoy 100% control over their careers.


The employment recruiting industry is especially booming; In general, employment recruiters find candidates for organizations (typically hard to fill positions), and are compensated quite handsomely for this service. A recruiter's fee is approximately 15-20% of the total first year's compensation of the candidate placed; with the average fee being $15,000


Employment recruiting, which includes staffing continues to rank amongst the top home based business opportunities today, by Entrepreneur.com, The Fordyce letter and The Recruiter's Network. This may sound ironical given the current reports of increased unemployment and job shortages. The fact remains that there are skill sets that are always in demand regardless of the economy. Further, there are some organizations that depend completely on particular positions to function. These include positions in information technology, nursing, allied health, accounting/finance, legal support, consulting and various levels of management.


Employment recruiting (http://www.prorecruitertraining.com/) is easy to get involved in and therefore makes a great career backup opportunity. The following pros puts recruiting at the front of other home based opportunities. 1) The start-up costs are unbelievably low. 2) Individuals can do this effectively with minimal time investment, given advances in technologies and increased networking opportunities. 3) Recruiters work comfortably from their homes or offices. 4) There are a myriad of industries to choose from including employment, sports or even college recruiting; and 5) The financial rewards are outstanding.


The great thing about joining the recruiting industry is that the employers you will be working with really do not care how long you have been in business, as long as you can produce the perfect candidate for their open positions. This puts brand new recruiters almost at the same standing as experienced recruiters. All you need to get started is the right training, and there are numerous resources and recruiter training materials (http://www.prorecruitertraining.com) available online.


4) Go back to school

If you are threatened by job loss, as a significant percentage of Americans are today, and you are not sure you can find a new job; it might be time to consider going back to school. There are three main advantages to this.


To begin with, your perceived value to your current organization increases. This may help you escape the down-sizing list if one ever pops up; and even if you do lose your job, you have something positive doing towards the sustenance of your career.


Secondly, increased education boosts your marketability. If contacted by future employers or recruiters for a position, the fact that you are enrolled in program that may be a requirement for the position might help your qualify for an interview. Also, employers will perceive you as more focused and growth-oriented than most.

Thirdly, increased qualification means a larger pay check. Not only do you become more marketable, but you can easily enter a higher pay bracket. As a matter of fact, you have the potential of increasing your income by up to $30,000 in annual pay, just by increasing your level of education.


5) Start a home based business:

An option that you could consider whether or not you are at risk of losing your job, is to start a home based business. On the positive side, you do not need to quit your day job to start this. Also, there are millions of possibilities available from home based recruiting, (http://www.prorecruitertraining.com/) consulting, selling online, network marketing to offering services such as pet grooming, tutoring and so on. Gone are the days when home based businesses meant clipping, cutting and stuffing. Today, there are lots of professional work that can be done from home. The income potential is huge; and as mentioned earlier, recent technologies mean that everything that you could do from a traditional work place setting can be done anywhere today. On the down side, there are too many scams out there purporting to be legitimate opportunities. Do your homework first. Check out scam reporting websites or search the organization on http://www.bbb.org/.

Finding Time To Build Your Online Business By Writing

Finding the time to write or do anything related to your online business may be difficult in the beginning, but once you get into the habit of managing your time well you will see how much you can accomplish in a short amount of time.

Time management is a very personal matter for each of us, so learning what works for you and what doesn't is the first step to being successful in your business. If your business is based on writing, as mine is, setting aside a scheduled amount of time each day in which to complete my writing is crucial to my bottom line.

Because I work from home, I am able to set my own hours and stick to a schedule that works for me. I find that I can write for about two hours in the morning and then take a break and do some other tasks related to my internet business. During those early morning hours my mind is fresh and alert and I can write several articles and blog posts before checking my email.

Checking my email is a necessary task that can also become a time waster if you are not careful. I only check my email three times a day, so now I am in the habit of waiting until those times to send or receive messages from friends, family, and clients. You will do whatever works for you in your business model, but try not to get into the habit of checking email every hour.

I also make a list of topics I will be writing on the following day. I leave these notes next to my computer so I am ready to begin writing articles and posting to my blog as soon as I start my computer each morning.

Writing daily if you have not been doing this before, or have not been writing for a number of years, may seem like an extremely difficult task. But once you make a schedule for yourself and stick to it, the writing will just flow and it will become a joyous time you look forward to each day. If you are having a hard time thinking of what to write, make notes and do research the afternoon or evening before and you will be able to get started more easily than if you have to start out by looking at a blank page.

Learning how to manage your time as a writer will help you to become successful in your online business and give you the freedom of having time to do the other things you want to do with your life.

About the Author:
Connie Ragen Green teaches you how to write articles and eBooks to build an online business, as well as how to use the technology needed. Visit http://www.ebookwritingandmarketingsecrets.com/ to find out more.

85 Ways to Market Your Small Business

With the advent of the internet, new and existing businesses would be foolish to ignore such a huge pool of potential customers. The world is becoming a much smaller place – the intimacy between business and customer more intense than ever before. So how do you go about your marketing strategy to encompass traditional methods, as well modernising for the internet? Thankfully, the underlying principles remain the same.

Research Your Market

Integral to a small business marketing plan, gathering comprehensive information about your potential clients, competitors and potential marketplace, will help you effectively package and position your product and service. This helps you can fit demand, rather than the other way round.

Understanding What People Buy

People buy products or services for an outcome, either to satisfy a positive or to avoid a negative outcome. What a person values is normally what determines their buying decision. These values are things that matter deeply to a person. Your values create mental filters which search for satisfaction when choosing a product or service. Company slogans sometimes choose a few simple words to satisfy their target market's needs. For example, Sainsbury's is ‘Making life taste better'.

Getting the Price Right

Setting a price is a balancing act. It has a strong influence on how you feel about the value of your work. Undercharging for your product or service may make you feel undervalued, or you may be perceived as being cheap therefore not so valuable. Overcharging can be as problematic. You may inadvertently price yourself out of the market or put yourself under pressure to deliver a high value product or service that equates to the price you're charging.

Making it Easy to Buy from you

As mentioned in the opening paragraph of this article, the internet as a purchasing vehicle means everything is expected in an instant. If you don't make the effort to hit between the eyes within the first few seconds, people won't make the effort to understand your product or service. Your communication message must be instantaneous and positive, within any industry. The easier it is to do business with you, the more business you are likely to do thus helping to grow your business.

Fine Tuning Your Marketing Plan

Revising your marketing plan means re-evaluating it every year and making changes for it to succeed. Re-evaluating means new goals and priorities, therefore you'll need to integrate these additional tasks with your original plans. This may need some flexibility, a contingency fund, or the benefit of trial and error to get it right. It's likely to alter your marketing plan.

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How To Build Passive Income And Create A Home-Based Business With Internet Marketing

Making money online is the way many people are building their home-based businesses. I knew that I wanted to work from home, so I learned as much as I could about building an online business. After two years I have broken it down into 5 main areas that you must focus on to be successful on the internet.

Blogging
Article writing and marketing
Social networking
Teleseminars
Creating info products

I call this my 5 pronged approach to making money on the internet. By combining these 5 activities and marketing methods, you can become known in your niche and will begin to attract people into your little part of the internet.

Choose a niche as quickly as you can. This doesn't mean you have to stay with this niche forever, just for the first 6 months or so. It will take that long for you to make money that can go on without you. This becomes passive income. To get to that point you must spend some time with each of the 5 prongs.

Blogging is the fastest, easiest, and most inexpensive way to create a presence on the internet. Within a few days people will be able to find you and your topic when they do a search on Google or any of the other search engines. Use your keywords in your post titles and your visibility will soar.

Article writing and marketing is a must. Write articles on your topic and you will position yourself as an expert in your field. You can also put your blog or website address at the end of the article so people can see what you have to offer and sign up to receive more information from you. Build your credibility with articles.

Both Facebook and Twitter are the places to be in order to make connections online. You can set up Twitter to automatically tweet your blog posts and every time one of your articles is published. Facebook allows you to create your own group to build a list very quickly. Be seen in these two places and your list will grow.

Teleseminars and internet radio give people the opportunity to hear you and to make a different kind of connection with you and what you have to offer. Use teleseminars to build trust with your prospects.

Creating your own products is a must if you want to make passive income online. Start with small digital products and grow your inventory slowly over time. You will make money while you sleep once you have your own info products to sell.

These are the five prongs of building a successful online business. I encourage you to spend time in each area to maximize your potential for success.


About the Author:

Connie Ragen Green teaches you how to write articles and eBooks to build an online business, as well as how to use the technology needed. Visit http://www.ebookwritingandmarketingsecrets.com/ to find out more.

Use Your Skills to Recession-Proof Your Career

Despite Congress approving a bailout plan, stocks are continuing to fall and the economy is continuing its downward spiral. Workplace productivity expert Marsha Egan says that now is the time for U.S. citizens to focus on recession-proofing their careers.

"In these tough financial times, many of us are worried about keeping our jobs," says Egan, an ICF-certified Professional Coach. "People need to make sure they're brushing up their skills so that, even with so many cutbacks happening, their companies will see them as the valuable assets that they are."

Egan says that there are four steps that people can take that will recession-proof their skill sets, starting with enhancing their existing skills.

"Don't just do what you've always done, but enhance your skills," says Egan. "For example, take the computer programs you're already using and advance your skills. Maximize your productivity with all the technology available to you. Learn new, complimentary programs."

Following this, Egan urges that workers take a second step and broaden their skills and knowledge. She encourages them to branch out and try taking on new responsibilities, and to volunteer for new things. "Volunteer for new projects, and do it quickly," she says. "The more you're willing to stretch yourself and the more things you're willing to try, the more valuable you become to your employer."

Once you show that you're willing to take on new and different projects, Egan's next step is to develop leadership skills. She recommends that workers take on every opportunity available to them to lead a group or committee, and, if the opportunity doesn't arise at work, they should seek it out in the community.

"All of these steps move you toward step four, which is to make absolutely certain that your resume reflects a valued company asset," says Egan. She recommends reviewing your resume with a discerning eye - finding the skill gaps and figuring out how to fill them in.
"You have to ask yourself what kind of story your work experience and resume tell," says Egan. "Make sure that it's a well-rounded and up-to-date story, and your skills will help carry you through these rocky times."

Marsha Egan, CPCU, PCC, is CEO of The Egan Group, Inc., Reading, PA. An ICF Certified Success and Executive Coach, she is a leading authority on business and email productivity, and leveraging strengths for personal and business growth. She is a frequent keynoter and the creator of the popular seminar series, "The Silent Signals(TM) of Success." More information can be found at her website, http://www.marshaegan.com/.

New Website Bridging the Gap Between Studio Owners and Artists

Rentmystudio.co.uk is a free and innovative service which aims to provide a comprehensive search facility for those in need of the perfect studio. The site enables studio owners to rent out their studio to artists searching for the ideal place to be creative. Whether it be for music, photography, dance, art, film or any other creative use, Rentmystudio.co.uk provides "spaces for creatives".

The site has been meticulously designed and tested to the highest level. The easy navigation allows viewers to search through an extensive list of studios And if viewers don't find what they are looking for, the team at Rentmystudio.co.uk will be sure to alert them as soon as it becomes available. All listings on the site are as comprehensive as possible, providing imagery, facilities, mapping location and even a list of customer reviews.

The site is giving away ipod shuffles to 10 lucky artists that sign up before the end of the month.

Website: http://www.rentmystudio.co.uk/

Crash Course in Finding the Work You Love

The AARP Crash Course in Finding the Work You Love explores the growing social phenomenon known as recareering. In a time of economic uncertainly, many of America's Baby Boomers are reevaluating their career decisions. Others have been laid off and need to find a new job. For a generation that redefined society with social protests and sexual experimentation, recareering may represent the final frontier of personal reinvention. No matter what the driving motivation -- necessity or aspiration -- record numbers of people age 50+ are reinventing themselves and their careers. AARP's latest book offers a wealth of knowledge and resources for those in this position.

Switching careers is a challenge at any age, yet boomers may have more to overcome than their younger counterparts. Many must beef up their education or seek retraining; cope with seismic lifestyle shifts such as lower income and a new circle of friends; and learn how to find a happier balance between their work and personal lives.

The AARP Crash Course in Finding the Work You Love helps ease Boomers into this transition and allows them to seek greater fulfillment in their personal lives by tackling new -- and often much more socially significant -- work. The book includes:

How to sort out feelings about an existing career.

Strategies to successfully transition to a new one.

Tips for working toward a greater sense of balance in everyday life.

Profiles of recareering veterans and how they attained their goals.

Tips, quizzes, worksheets, how-to sidebars, and other practical resources.

With this handbook to guide them, readers of any age can finally make the leap to finding the work they will truly love.

Sam Greengard brings a wealth of knowledge to this timely topic: Since 1981 he has written about career issues for publications as diverse as The Chicago Tribune, Family Circle, The Los Angeles Times, MSNBC/MSN Online, Wired, and Workforce Management. He has changed careers twice so far: from restaurant manager to telecom-industry executive, and thence to business writer. A past president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Greengard is currently an instructor in the UCLA Writer's Program.

100 FREE Tips on How to Get Profit-Producing Publicity

Marketing and publicity are key to positioning your brand and getting a steady stream of customers to keep coming back for your products and services. In a tight economy, free publicity is vital for all business owners – and possibly the only way business owners can afford.

A new website offers business owners free tips on how to get publicity, regardless of what type of business they own. They're all available at http://www.freepublicitytips.com/.

Paul Hartunian from FreePublicityTips.com said: "At our website you'll find links to information that'll help you get free publicity for any product, service, cause or issue. It makes no difference whether you're a for-profit business or a non-profit organization. The media people need the information you have. If you know how to give it to them the right way, they'll reward you with an endless stream of free publicity. Enjoy these free resources and use them to your advantage. Publicity is Power".

At http://www.FreePublicityTips.com you can also: learn the single biggest mistake people make when they start a publicity campaign, download over a dozen articles that help you get free publicity, hear a RealAudio presentation of Paul Hartunian showing you how to get tons of free publicity for your business, find out how to get your press release to #1 on Google News and much, much more.

Australian Blogger Gives Self Three Months to "Make It"

Tired of the online audience's continuing failure to "get him," a disaffected Australian blogger has threatened to turn his back on the Net for good, unless Web readers display a "marked improvement in taste" by the end of 2008. David Free, 37, launched the blog "A Dancing Bear" in February of this year. The blog takes its name from the title of his first novel, which one critic described as being "just like 'The Da Vinci Code' only good."

Free, who describes his blog as "all killer, no filler," says that in recent months he's grown "well jack" of the public's preference for patently inferior blogs. Having already protested with a week-long strike that nobody noticed, he now feels he has no choice but to consider the draconian option of "pulling the plug" on his blog altogether.

Since his blog's inception earlier this year, Free has prided himself on his readiness to ask the questions that other bloggers can't be bothered to ask. Such as:

Who decided to call Starbucks' smallest coffee the "Tall", and why wasn't he kicked to death on the spot?

Why don't you ever hear the word knoll without the word grassy in front of it?

Why don't they make in-store surveillance cameras that actually work?

Do veteran character actors have stalkers?

Is it just him, or are the sword fights in a Shakespeare play like the harmonica solos in a Bob Dylan song?

Why don't you ever see statues wearing glasses?

Why on earth wouldn't a farmer want his chickens to come home to roost?

More recently, Free broke the story that Sarah Palin has the same last name as a man who once hit another man on the head with a large fish, causing him to fall into some sort of canal.

Asked exactly how many new readers it will take to save his blog, Free admits that he has set no numerical benchmark, preferring to rely on gut instinct to tell him if and when he's achieved "success."

"I can't define it up front, but I'll know it when I'm rubbing my enemies' faces in it," he said.

http://adancingbearblog.blogspot.com/
http://adancingbear.com/

CREATIVITY: A Science-based Outlook on Life and Work

Creativity is one of the most important and sought-after qualities of a productive person in our society. In "CREATIVITY: A Science-based Outlook on Life and Work" (published by AuthorHouse - http://www.authorhouse.com/) authors Anders Lennart Swahn and Staffan Svahn take creativity beyond the workplace to reveal its true nature and origin.

The burgeoning science of creativity can look to "CREATIVITY" as the first universal, basic textbook on the subject. Swahn and Svahn develop a vocabulary that makes this subject accessible. Included in this vocabulary are the terms "ReActions," which stem from actions that take their cue from past experience, a part of the brain called "Knowing," and "CreActions," that are generated from a part of our inner unconscious the authors call "Being," which diverges from experience.

Swahn and Svahn see their theory of creativity as a human complement to Einstein's theory of relativity in respect to the integrated way we generate and use creative action in all aspects of our lives regardless of our five senses. The domains of Being and Knowing their content and function, form the foundation of Swahn and Svahn's research. They write:


We have established that all information from Knowing is an individual interpretation of facts. It is expressed in a relative, comparative, logical and analytical way, and this is what we call an analog process. The only alternative to relative is absolute, and the only alternative to analog is digital; we can compare this with what we have found out - that the only two alternatives to our inner reality are either Knowing or Being. This would mean that Being is of digital nature. This hypothesis is probably correct, because in Being we find the true representation of life, and not the filtered version that we have received through our limited senses. There is no possibility or room for interpretation. It holds only absolute values. Something is, meaning it exists, or it is not; it can only be or not be. This is similar to information processed in a computer, which is digitally decoded into ones (is) or zeros (is not). This would indicate that Being is working with digital processing.


"CREATIVITY" will assist the evolution of a new creativity science that can be taught globally as it transcends all ethnical, cultural and religious differences among people. It reveals a basic Operating System for all human activities that potentially will present a leap for human resources development comparable to the leap in materialistic terms taken during the digital age. Swahn and Svahn reveal how recent advances in cognitive science can unlock the creative potential of everyone while stressing the necessity of studying creativity science in every high school and university.

Anders Lennart Swahn has a global career as an engineer and industrialist in the private sector and technical education and training specialist for UNESCO, the ILO and the World Bank.

Staffan Svahn works internationally in the retail and wine industry as a human resource consultant.

The Next Level of Career Management and Networking

The career resource conglomerate, Monster(tm) and the social networking heavy weight, MySpace(tm) can now see what their "child" would look like if they were to form a union - http://www.jobdrama.com/.

JobDrama.com, which launched in February of 2008, is a creation that has brought the best of these two worlds together by offering a venue for social interaction while being a support for those in the workplace. With the ability to chat, start or join groups, post messages and blog, JobDrama.com fulfills today's need to reach out to others over the web. By offering work-related advice, career tips, job listings and even information and links to career alternatives, such as work at home opportunities, this online resource also fulfills a niche centered on career management.

The environment is positive, upbeat and supportive. Though many have negative experiences to share, everyone is professional and looks for honest feedback. The heart behind this social community welcomes members and keeps them coming back.

This website creates a social community that provides a truly unique experience. Members are able to contribute to discussions, post pictures, upload videos and create a profile, while giving and receiving support on both work-related and non-work-related issues. This career network then raises the bar further by offering the chance to win prizes based on participation through creative and fun contests, such as "Secret Hot Topics," "Gas Price Crisis," "Best Employee of Metro Detroit" and "Member of the Month."

Its CEO and founder, Nova Yeoman, has created a place where career management and social networking converge in a unified and practical setting.

Website: http://www.jobdrama.com/