Get Widgets
Although I like widgets I am relieved that I quickly got over my passion for them. Or at least realized that too much of anything just can’t be good. Some bloggers seem to be having a contest that requires them to try to show the most widgets.
Anyway, I’ll quit complaining and refer to yet another post from Mashable. Mark is doing a review here of iWidgets, where you kind find all the widgets you need. Even the ones for your contest. (shut up, Denephew.)
“Mom, I Need Cost Captain!”
I never thought I’d see the day when kids would be saying something like “Back to School with Microsoft Office 2007!” But when they do, hook them up with Cost Captain. CostCaptain.com is a Microsoft Authorized Education Reseller and carry the brand new Office 2007 Suite and Vista.
These programs are perfectly suited for schools, libraries and research labs. Home schools also qualify. Cost Captain has served hundreds of schools, colleges and libraries and thousands of students and staff members.
Here are just some of the great features available:
- 100% Authentic Microsoft products at academic discounts
- Microsoft Office 2007 from $129, Vista Upgrade from $89
- Friendly customer service.
- Buyers provide academic eligibility and after that the product is shipped
- Gift certificates that are a great way to give especially during back-to-school and holiday seasons
Pubmatic
Sunday night, and I blame Mashable, I was up until 2 a. m. I had heard of Mashable before, who hasn’t, but I had never taken the time to read any of the posts. I was totally absorbed, and there were several new social platforms or programs that intrigued me.
One of those was Pubmatic. You know how you have to tend to several different sites with different accounts that handle your advertising? You may use Adsense, Clickbank, and Chiquita Malls, for instance, on your site. You act as designer, accountant, and marketing manager for all three accounts on three different sites.
Well, with PubMatic all of your advertising accounts can be handled from one source. Yes, you heard me right. What a convenience and a time saver!
Read the article in the link above at Mashable to get the full skinny.
PepperJam’s Got the Experience
As I have said several times lately, I have been doing heavy duty research on which affiliate networkI wanted to be involved with. I finally decided that when it is time the network will be Pepperjam.
Why? Because Pepperjam Network is one of the true pioneers of affiliate marketing. This network started out as an affiliate and then successfully building one of the largest, most respected and recognizable full-service internet marketing agencies in the United States. To me that means they have first hand knowledge of the challenges facing new affiliates and aren’t just some guys/gals sitting in ivory towers behind shiny mahogany desks.
I believe I would be in very good hands with Pepperjam Network, and so would you.
7 Day Success Recipe for Wordpress Newbies
I found this great post at Blog Oh! Blog that takes one day at a time for seven days and shows Wordpress newbies how to start out on the right foot blogging. I am sure these tips would be good for bloggers on any other platform, too, but we Wordpress people are kind of prejudice. Wordpress IS the best blogging platform, of course.
Newbie bloggers, or hey!, even those of you who have been blogging for a bit will really get a lot out of the 7 Day Recipe for Wordpress Newbie Success by Blog Oh! Blog. (and thanks for the great themes too!)
The King of Sales Configurators
For most of you who are like me and didn’t have a clue what configurate, REALLY meant, let’s call this post a lesson. I love learning things, and I want to share with you what I learned today.
I ended up wanting to know what EXACTLY configuration meant after visiting Configure One’s website. I mean, we all know on a basic level what the definition of configure is: to design or adapt something to meet specific requirements.
But I really didn’t understand it on an applied level until I read up about the offering at Configure One. Their Concept™ Product Configurator Software is specifically designed for manufacturing companies who produce products that are highly configurable or are routinely customized to meet the unique needs of the manufacturers’ customers.
This creates a scalable product that can be quickly cost-justified by all manufacturing companies, independent of their size or industry. Implementations normally result in 100% return on investment within eighteen months.
The software also increases revenues and reduces costs. It immediately translates customers’ unique product requests into quotations, sales drawings, bills of material, routings, and more.
This software is priceless where sales teams need to quickly generate quotes. With Configure One sales configurator software the company sales team can plug in all of the client’s unique circumstances and get an accurate quote back.
Your Own Worst Enemy?
Laura Spencer, a freelance writer who lives here in North Texas same as I do, but whom I have unfortunately not had the pleasure of meeting, wrote this post called, “Are You Your Own Bully?” on the great B5 Media blog she authors called Freelance Folder.
I TOTALLY agree with Laura’s observations, writers are most likely among the most self-critical and introspective of any other profession. Laura has some really good advice for us about how to stop being so negative about ourselves and the things we tell ourselves. Be sure to read that post.
But I have another purpose for bringing up Laura Spencer, whose personal writing blog, Writing Thoughts, has offered me several years of tips and sound advice on writing. I am always trying, as one of the perfectionist in the above mentioned article would do, to improve my writing and blogging skills, so I asked for advice from the Master at my new favorite business blog, Sta.rtup.Biz and he gave me some on target tips.
He used Laura’s B5Media blog, Freelancing Folder, as an example of a good freelance writing blog to emulate. I don’t know what Laura will think about when she reads this, but it is words like that which make this job so worthwhile to me, or at least hearing them helps me to remember the reason I started writing in the first place, and that I am good at it, which she is!
Man, am I ever long winded!
My Eyes Thank Web Hosting Geeks!
I stay online at least50 hours a week. Now I am not complaining, no one has tied me to this office chair and commanded me to stay on my computer. I love what I do.
But I honestly want to thank the website, Web Hosting Geeks, for the easy to read, big lettered, easy to navigate web hosting rating section of their site. Easy on the eyes, clean, uncluttered, and very professional, the guys/gals at Web Hosting sure know what they are doing. Especially when it comes to comparing web hosts and filling us in on all the details.
Love it. Great job. I will be passing the word along to MY geek friends to visit Web Hosting Geeks before they even THINK about their next hosting plan or domain name purchase.
Mr. Blue Marketing
I swear I am going to slow down before the week is out and make a post with links to the great sites I have discovered. I’ve been researching affiliate programs, but the links I want to give you are sites I have run across that will help you with marketing, traffic, your blogs, writing, etc.
However, there is one site I just couldn’t wait to tell you about. It’s called Mr. Blue Marketing, (this post is NOT sponsored!) You can find everything you need to make your marketing efforts worthwhile.
Be sure to check this one out. We all wear many hats in this freelancing game, I am sure most of you realize that, and the long time pros have known it all along. We are writers but we have to be salespeople too. This site, Mr. Blue Marketing, as far as I am concerned could be the only marketing tool you would have to have.
cPanel Challenged
I don’t know about you but when webmaster start talking about PHP and cPanels my eyes glass over. I had a terrible experience three or four days ago when I was trying to be a smarty and edit my template of one of my blogs. I had to go searching for help. Thank goodness for Guy, from Pakistan! He had me back in working order within minutes.
However, it feels bad to not know what the heck to do when your site screws up, especially if you did it yourself! So I went looking for knowledge, and I found these cPanel Tutorials at webhostingrating.com that I can actually understand!
While I was there I discovered some really great articles that are helping me with other concerns, the kind I truly enjoy, like traffic and SEO, SERPs and keyword optimization.
The main site engine of Web Hosting Rating is not launched yet but you can see how it is going to look here.
If you are like me and want to learn more about the backend of your website or blog, or maybe you are a webmaster guru and want to compare web hosting specifications, Web Hosting Rating has something for you both.
Be sure to stop by Web Hosting Rating and check out their new site!
