Online Audio Advertising - How to Boost Your Internet Business With Online Audio Advertising

Online audio advertising is becoming more popular by the day. Internet marketers have realized that using audio can drastically increase conversion rates. You may have noticed that a large majority of sales pages (particularly relating to information products) utilize audio and/or video. This is no coincidence.

Good marketers split test their sales pages and have come to the conclusion that using audio simply makes the prospective buyer feel more at ease and forges a relationship that is not possible with text alone.

Online audio advertising relates not just to the audio on a sales page, but also to any audio used to attract visitors to that sales page. These can include podcasts, interviews and teleconferences as well as a variety of other strategies.

The aim of online audio advertising is to gain recognition, build trust and ultimately convert your listeners into buyers.

Producing audio for online marketing purposes is easy. You do not need an expensive, elaborate set up. Just a simple inexpensive microphone and some free software can do the trick for you.

Of course, if you wish to do fancy effects and editing, then you will need a more advanced set up. However, for the majority of uses, this will suffice. If you already use Camtasia to produce videos, then you can also use it for audio recording and production.

Many marketers realize the benefit that online audio advertising brings to their business, but feel that they do not have a great voice, or are ultimately just too shy to broadcast their own voice.

In this case, it can be ideal to hire a voice over person. Whilst the voice over person should not necessarily claim to be you (although this is possible), they can act as a partner in the business or simply as a professional guide.

This is a good option for those marketers who are not yet comfortable recording their own voice. Keep in mind, however, that by using your own voice you are gaining considerably more credibility amongst your audience.

The quality of your audio recording is extremely important. A low quality audio recording will give the impression that you are unprofessional. This will reflect badly upon your product and on you. You may even lose a large amount of sales solely due to a poor quality audio recording.

If you are unsure of how to record a high quality recording, then this can also be outsourced. There are many great audio production specialists online who are willing to work for a small amount of money. Hiring one of these people can save you time, headaches and increase your conversion rate.

Online audio advertising is going to become more prominent as the years go by. Many sites now play an audio file as soon as the site loads. The benefits of this are debated, so it is wise to give your visitors the option to play the recording as they wish. You will find that most people will be willing to listen to your audio, provided it is interesting and clear.

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Weight Loss After Pregnancy - 5 Reasons New Moms Must Ask for Help

Have you found yourself overwhelmed at the enormous responsibility of being a mom? The daily list of things to do combined with the daunting task losing the baby weight.

If you feel this way, it is important to know you are not alone. Many of my newsletter subscribers share how they have successfully dealt with these issues and the common theme they share is that they all at some point and in some way asked for help. The good news is that their story of triumph can be yours as well.

Let's discuss the top 5 reasons new moms should ask for help.

Reason #1 - You'll Get More Sleep

It may seem impossible to get a full 8 hours of sleep when you have a newborn or toddler around the house however those extra hours can pay big dividends when it comes to your emotional stress level and your body's physical recovery after the delivery.

Reason #2 - Your Older Children Learn Responsibility

So often the arrival of a new baby causes older siblings to feel left out. These children don't want to trade places with the baby however hey do want to play a role in helping he newborn grown and develop. By giving your older children tasks around the home they can do, you will be well on your way to raising healthy, happy, responsible kids.

Reason #3 - You'll Get to See What Your Family is Capable of Doing

As mothers, so often we get so accustomed to doing everything ourselves, our health and our outside interests. Traditionally we do this because deep down we truly desire to be needed by our families. This was certainly true in my life and perhaps you may relate. By asking your family for help, you will truly get to see what they are truly capable of doing, not just for this week or this month but for the remainder of the year.

Reason #4 - Helps Battle Your Negative Thoughts

Sometimes the voice inside is not always the best voice in which to rely. By allowing others to help you, it is not long before you begin to realize that your friends, family and others truly care about you and whenever a negative or depressive thought comes to mind, it is beaten back by the force of your loved ones supporting and serving you in any way they can. It is more than okay to allow yourself to be cared for rather than you doing the caregiving.

Reason #5 - It Gives Your Family an Opportunity to Support You

In this article we have focused primarily on how you would benefit from asking for help but there are also side benefits for those providing the help. Service is the one way people can support you and show their love for you. Buying gifts for new moms is always difficult because nothing ever truly signifies your love and given that you have already received the best gift, nothing else could compare.

Helping out is the ultimate gift because it builds up the self-esteem, trust and love that can only experience when you simply ask for the help you need.

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Uncovering New Money Making Ideas Online

Uncovering new money making ideas is a great way to gain a competitive edge for any internet marketer! The field of internet marketing is very crowded which is understandable when you consider it is global in nature! This as a result is the primary reason any and every internet marketer is always on the lookout for new ways to make money! The only 'drawback' in exploring potential opportunities is the time you need to invest which detracts from the effort needed to maintain any ongoing businesses! The solution for this can be found in the amount of attention to detail an entrepreneur pays while maintaining their current business interests! Done properly it is very possible to discover new ways to make money AS you invest your efforts into any current ventures with which you are involved!

Here are 3 ways prosperous opportunities can inadvertently be uncovered by any internet marketer through the normal course of their current business operations!

Discovery By Incidental Research

Researching is an integral, necessary and ongoing task for any internet marketer trying to stay current in their field! Looking for content or simply trying to keep updated within your industry will require your researching skills which by the way, if you don't have any, develop them! Having said that there's no telling what you may uncover that you can turn into another income earning opportunity! Keep you eyes, ears and mind open at all times since new ways to make money can be found almost anywhere!

Increasing-Learning 'Trade' Skills

Invariably new skills will need to be learned which can and will transition into a whole new field or niche other than the one you currently are working! Perhaps it's the way the skill is carried out that you can make modifications on or even discovering new ways to apply it! Skills are skills, some people have them and some don't but they're always in demand or needed to be learned! If you can find different ways to apply old skills or even make them easier to learn, you may have found some new ways to make money!

Expanded Knowledge Base

As your own knowledge base expands so does your confidence to explore other areas you may have previously not even considered! With new knowledge also comes an expansion of your creative thinking capabilities and when you combine both of these immensely important assets you are also increasing your competitive edge online! No two minds think alike along the lines of creativity and when you combine that with additional knowledge you always have the potential for developing new ways to make money on the internet!

Discovering new money making ideas is like digging up buried treasure since this offers a competitive edge to any internet marketer willing to pursue new income avenues! Being the field of online marketing is such a crowded one, any time you can find new ways to make money should serve to help distance you from the more intense competition! In this way not only will your efforts be less as due to the competitive edge you now have by pioneering a new opportunity' but your income should grow accordingly as well! The 3 ways of uncovering such opportunities, as discussed above, can occur in the normal course of any current business operations provided your creative mind is active, open and receptive! Remember all you need is simply a 'spark' that you can fan into an all out 'blaze' when looking for new ways to make money online!

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The Way from Science to Soul - Book Review

Using quantum physics to illuminate the spiritual journey? The author does just this in the book, "The Way from Science to Soul: Integrating Physics, the Brain, and the Spiritual Journey," by Casey Blood, PH.D. But, why would you do such a thing? Why mix science and soul, quantum mechanics with spirituality? Dr. Casey Blood is a Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University, so if he wants to do this, I suppose he is qualified to. I'm not a scientist, so what do I know? A little something about spirituality at least.

Physics is the study of the physical universe, and one wouldn't expect to learn about the spiritual side of life, or the nonphysical universe when reading about it. However, Dr. Blood begins our education on this matter with an in-depth coverage of physics and quantum mechanics, the brain (including the synapse), and how these all pull together so that we can either see the spiritual side, or choose not to. The point of it is that there are several versions of reality to perceive while we choose to only see one; the existence of the soul can not be disproved, nor proven by science. So how does the nonphysical soul interact with the physical world? The soul can perceive the physical brain and through this, perceive the world. But, the physical world is not the only plane to be aware of. The soul can exist on many planes, the physical, the angelic plane, which is closest to the source of all, and the "jinn" plane, which is where our souls can communicate with other souls. Dr. Blood explains that our soul's journey is much longer than that of our earthly existence, and that we have time to spend on each plane.

Dr. Blood describes spiritual practices which help us to remember that we are a nonphysical soul that has a physical body. These practices include meditation, yoga, focus on breathing, using retreats and finding teachers to help us. These practices though, are not the end goal. Our personality and contribution to society is important too. Dr. Blood states that we need to develop certain qualities like insight, compassion, friendship and wisdom and gives guidance on how to do so.

I was a little worried when I was asked to review this book. However, Dr. Blood takes a very complex topic and relates it to the average reader in a carefully chosen tone of support. The interest in spirituality is growing in leaps and bounds so that this connection to quantum physics will surely have a target audience, but, is still something of interest to the masses. The book is not an easy read, but it is worthwhile to wrap your physical mind around it for a time. Your spiritual mind will thank you.

The Way from Science to Soul

by Casey Blood PH.D.

ISBN: 978-0-9797888-8-8

Review by Heather Froeschl

The Way from Science to Soul - Book Review   Physics, Complexity, Gravity and the Universe - Humans at Home in Their Habitat   

Physics, Complexity, Gravity and the Universe - Humans at Home in Their Habitat

Physics is much about the nature of things in this realm we live. In this dimension there are laws and those laws as far as we can see seem to be consistent throughout our universe, perhaps everywhere for all we know. Thus, a bit of philosophy is in order to comprehend the order of things.

Perhaps, you have heard of Murphy's Law, well there is a good amount of reality behind complex systems, mathematically speaking, they more things you have running the more chances of one of them breaking. And maybe you have heard the thought that; simplicity breeds complexity, which in observation seems to be very true to our realm. To help illustrate these points and other topics which intersect this concept; I'd like to recommend this book;

"At Home in the Universe - the search for the laws of self-organization and complexity" by Stuart Kauffman. 1995

If you are looking for a book that takes all the observations, natural laws and known science and then poses the question and looks for the ultimate answers in complexity, chaos and natural self-organization from atoms and molecules to complex bio-systems and planetary systems. The author makes some great points in the book and takes the reader into deep thought.

The author considers snowflakes, oil on water, DNA, evolution, corporations, politics, government, and "the rise and fall of great civilizations." Kaufman also wrote the book; "the origin of order." This book also ponders the future of the human race and the future of Globalization, as the forward progression of mankind continues.

The Way from Science to Soul - Book Review   Physics, Complexity, Gravity and the Universe - Humans at Home in Their Habitat   

Adding Great Audio to Your Website

Adding great audio to your website is done very easily, and could make a huge difference in your website's success.

There are a few things you must know before adding sound or recorded information to your website.

First; Recorded messages can be very annoying for your visitors when arriving on your site if the sound is loud or unwanted. Make sure you give an option to here the message by providing sound buttons for the recorded messages. This way, it gives the visitor a choice to hear the message or not. In most cases, if the visitor wants more information, they will almost always click the sound activation button to hear the recorded message.

Adding audio to your site can add to your website by providing extra information in the form of a recorded message. Most people would rather watch a video or listen to an offer from a recorded message than they would want to read the sale's page. That is why it is always best to give both options. It is also a proven fact that adding audio to your website can actually increase your conversion rates. This is very important because it means more sales, and more success for your website.

There is a lot of recording software available to use to record your messages. Most of the newer visions have gone to a MP3 format because it is easy to use, it can be downloaded, and it sound very clear. Some of the older versions sound terrible with cracking and other distracting sounds. A bad sounding message can really hurt your website and give a bad impression; however, a great sound can increase your sales.

When recording your messages, you will want them to sound great; therefore, do not purchase a cheap USB mic for your recordings. Instead, you should invest in a great sounding mic, which will cost around a hundred dollars or more. You can find great USB mics around one hundred thirty dollars that will not only sound great, but will give you many other options as well. By making this extra purchase, you will also have a product that will last.

Some people do not like the way their voice sounds when it is recorded. Do not let this keep you from adding audio to your site. You can either record the message with your own voice, or outsource this task. Finding someone for this task can be very easy to accomplish. You can either find someone online, or use a friend for this task. It is a quick solution to getting the job done with not much effort on your part.

Adding great audio to your site can make your site appear more professional, giving you increased sales. If you are not using audio on your site, you should start using it today.

Is Your Church Social? Part 17 - Podcasts - What is a Podcast?   Marketing With Podcasting   What is Podcasting For Business Marketing?   10 Ways a Podcast Can Build Your Business   How to Use Podcasting to Gain Authority For Your Business - Part Two   6 Tips to Eliminate Background Noise in Your Podcast   

Eliminate Spam

Well over 90% of all spam is sent by compromised PC's. Spam send by dedicated spam servers are easy to blacklist.

It should therefore be possible to eliminate spam world-wide by

a) restricting Internet access of compromised PC's sending spam

b) forcing owners of said PC's to take anti-virus and anti exploitation measures

c) null routing the few remaining deliberate spam servers.

We have been using such a method for several years now. While it does nothing to stop the flood of spam reaching the network, it ensures the ISP has a far lower ratio of end users creating spam.

Spam is reported to an ISP by other ISP's, in particular AOL has an excellent opt-in spam reporting systems for other ISP's to use. Almost all spam sent in the world makes it to at least some AOL users, and AOL reporting system has very high integrity. Of the many thousands of spam reports received, there is yet to be a false positive.

The common format of the AOL, and some other ISP, spam reporting means the email notices can be parsed by an automatic processor. That processor strips the local IP address and creates a list of IP address which are then sorted and run through the unix/linux utility 'uniq'. The result is a list of single IP addresses from which we can be certain spam has been sent.

That list is then submitted to a database utility that matches the IP address to the end user. From there another utility changes the end user IP address from a public IP to a private IP address on a specific 10.x.x.x address block. The next step is to initiate a disconnect through radius so that the current user session is dropped and when reconnected, acquires the private IP address.

All outbound traffic on the network is directed through core routers. Those core routers have specific route-map lists that look for 10.x.x.x addresses and redirect them to captive portal servers. The really nice thing about this method, is that it costs very little in terms of router CPU, because of the very specific nature of the traffic the route-maps are looking for.

The result is that all identified sources of spam are:

a) blocked from access to the global Internet, so they can do no more harm

b) Directed to a captive portal web page that provides specific instructions on how to resolve their spam/virus issue

c) except for the expected exceptions of those very ignorant people that can not understand written instructions, there is no intrusion of extra support burden placed on the ISP helpdesk support as a result of spam.

d) End users are forced to consider and take action on the inconvenience they cause to all other Internet users as a result of their carelessness.

Really, it is a win for everyone.

Side note: Who do you think are the most critical of this method? Of course it is the self fancied 'IT Gurus' who sell themselves as so-called experts. Yet despite their self acclaimed 'expert' status, are unable to prevent their own servers, or their long suffering clients, from sending spam - that the most basic of competent prevention methods would eliminate.

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A Guide To Selling Your Gold Watch Chain - Read This Article Before Selling To Avoid Losing Money

First off do not sell any gold pocket watch chain as scrap unless it is in a dire condition, nearly all pocket watch chains whether silver or gold, have an above scrap value price to collectors and pocket watch dealers.

Follow my simple suggestions and you will maximise your return.

What type of gold - find out what carat gold the chains made from, normally it is be marked on each link, or hallmarked on the end rings. The majority are 9 carat, the price of 9 carat gold that you can expect from a reputable dealer is around £13 per gram, for 14 carat it's £18 per gram, 18 carat is £24 and if 22 carat it's nearly £30 per gram. So the carat of gold is of huge importance, if you are not sure what it's made of then take to a reputable jewelers to test for you.

Weight of the chain - this is self-explanatory, the heavier the chain then the more valuable, so get a good jewelers scales and write the weight down, with the carat of the chain.

Design - Pocket watch chain links vary in design, some are plain rings, or elongated, or bar shaped, oval, the links can also be hollow. The chain could be a double Albert, that has two same length chains linked in the middle with a bar and two lobster clips at the end of the chain, one for the watch the other probably for a fob, these double Albert's always fetch a higher price. You need to note the design, with the carat and weight.

Condition - is always important, many chains have been worn for years will be heavily eroded, and will not be of interest to the collector, these chains should, if you so wish, be sold for scrap, but as mentioned make sure you get the best price possible. The prices I gave above are current but they fluctuate daily, especially in these hard economic times. Historically gold always goes up in value during recessions. If the condition is good, with minimal wear, then collectors will be interested, and you will get more than scrap value.

Accessories - that is the bar for clipping on to the lapel, lobster clips for watch or fob, fobs, and sometimes pencil. The accessories will also normally be gold, might vary in carat though, but will normally have a hallmark, with the carat, the makers initials, and the date mark. You can find a compendium of hallmarks by 'Googling' gold hallmarks. Generally the older the chain then the more valuable it is, the accessories are often a good guide to the age of the chain.

Fobs - they are many and varied, the best are in gold, they can be shields that depict events, or societies, Free masons, or have personal details, the older and more elaborate fobs are the most valuable, especially if they have a gem.

So combine all the above, write all the details down, and then decide how you want to sell to get the best price possible.

Specialist auctions - some very good auctions that attract not only the dealer, but also collectors, and due to the internet, will also attract possible buyers from around the World. Do not sell to your local small town auction house, they are good to pick up bargains, and that is what your gold pocket watch chain will be, you want the major town auction house, that has an international dealers and collectors from around the World. One of the best ways to find high-profile auctions is to browse the salesroom.com, here you can find the best auctions that specialise in all sorts of products, including gold or silver pocket watches, that will also auction the chains that go with them.

Ebay - not to be ignored, it is once again a Worldwide market, your gold pocket watch chain if listed correctly will fetch way above scrap value, eBay can also be used to find out what your chain is worth. Follow these instructions, log into eBay.

Then in the description field type ' 9 ct gold watch chain' and hit search, on the left hand column find the completed listings title and click.

This will bring up all the gold watch chains that have been sold, then find the sort by box and drop down menu, at the top of the price list, drop the menu and select Price: highest first.

Now you have a complete list of chains and accessories completed in the last 30 days, from here you can easily make a comparison to your gold pocket watch chain, using all the details you should have noted down i.e. the carat, weight, design etc.

Here you will realise what you should be receiving, whether you use eBay, or not, to sell on.

If you do use eBay then make sure your chain is listed by someone who is very familiar with the listing process, it makes a ton of difference.

I cannot imagine anyone once having read this article wanting to sell any gold or silver items through dealers, forget all the 'get cash for gold' outfits they will buy at the lowest price possible - Avoid them at all costs. you can do so much better.

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Choosing the Right Banner Software For You

Banner software has come a long way over the years, thanks to the boom of internet marketing. Just a few short years ago, the web was flooded with very simplistic banners because "flashy" ones were difficult for anyone other than coders to create. Now more complex banners are a cinch to make with the right banner maker. The problem now is that there are so many options that it can be hard to choose the right one for your needs. This is twice as hard if you are a beginner. Some tips and basic knowledge-may help you out.

First, if your creating a brand-new site for the banner to be on, how you are building it is important. If you are an expert at HTML or CSS and are building the entire Site from code or script, then a banner software which provides code that's easy to integrate is best. Creating a site using the drag and drop method means you'd want software which gives you an image of the finished product to place on your site.

If you are simply creating a banner to be placed on sites created by others, it's best to have a banner creator which offers several options for them to embed the banner easily. Also, knowing the file types is helpful when using banner software. For example, GIF file extension is used for simple animated banners, while other files types present simple text or stationary banners such as JPEG. Some software will go a step further and create banners using flash technology.

Many types of banner software come with pre-loaded backgrounds, pictures, and templates to make creation easy. This is both helpful and harmful for a banner creator because it allows them to create banners quickly and easily, but they may fall into the trap of making banners which look the same as a dozen others, and therefore get ignored. Software which allows you to choose between pre-loaded images and templates or to use your own is the best way to still create them easily, but create unique banners that get noticed.

The best part of the evolution of banner software is that it has become so easy to use. You may want to take a bit of time choosing the best software for you, but once you have you will be creating banners in no time. Once you've made them you can use them for any purpose you like, and hopefully they can start earning for you.

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Problems With Your Contractor

Suppose you have hired a contractor and the work has been going smoothly until all of the sudden you have hit a snag. Now there is a problem that needs to be resolved. What are you to do?

If an issue arises and you find that you and your contractor are not seeing eye-to-eye, then you need to calm down and relax, before tempers start to get out of control. Take a deep breath so that you can begin to think clearly. Being hotheaded will not solve anything.

Choose a time when you and the specialist can sit down and consider the issue that has come up. Look over the contract together. To get the situation figured out, you both must give each other the time to express your concerns, but also take the time to listen. If the problem is greater than the two of you, then seek out the advice of someone else you trust before you return to the issue at hand with the professional that you hired.

When you hire a contractor, the most common types of problems that can arise include misunderstandings about how the work is being done, delays in production, money squabbles, and poor workmanship. If the individual you have chosen to do work in your home is doing work for other homeowners at the same time and this has slowed the progress of your project, then you must insist that the contractor come up with a regular type of work schedule that you both are comfortable with. This is necessary to get the project finished in a timely manner.

If the renovator you have hired refuses to work with you on this, then send him a registered letter letting him know of your intentions to cancel the contract that the two of you have. Then, you should ask for a refund of the prepayment you made to him. Find out what the law has to say about this in the state where you live before you go ahead with this course of action. This should only be a last resort. Your first step should be to have a civil conversation with the person you have hired and try to come up with a solution that is suitable to you and will not lead to an interruption of the work.

If bad workmanship is the problem that you are dealing with or business practices that are poor, then you can find out which government agency the contractor received his license from and you can report him to that agency. If the department in question feels that action should be taken, then it will be.

To prevent problems like these from arising in the future, you need to be very selective with the person that you hire. Always check all references. You also must be sure that the individual has the proper license and carries the right amount of insurance for the job.

What Is Antimicrobial Cladding and What Can It Be Used for?   Why Should You Use A Residential Architect?   Should You Buy A Model Home?   5 Questions to Ask a Custom Home Builder   Choosing the Right Architect for Your Project.   

Whom Will You Consult on Home Extensions and Renovations?

Ideally, to make a sound decision when it comes to housing, many individuals still look forward to a cheaper way of realizing a comfortable home to fit in. And often times, they consider home extensions and renovations to aid their predicament, more importantly, when an old house is already available. But often than not, the problem lies to the person who will work with the extension and renovation. It is sometimes advisable to ask professionals to do the job rather than taking the risk of doing it without any precaution that it will be effective in your hands. The question is, to whom will you consult about home extensions and renovations? There are actually two people who are adept in the fields of home extensions and renovations, the architects and interior designers.

Architects, of course, do the house extension. They are well capable of understanding your house extension needs. Just elaborate and explain to them how you want your house to look bigger. In some cases, they render advices or suggestions for the betterment and more idealistic construction of your house. Moreover, architects ensure the safety of the dwellers. They make it a point that the construction will not be inferior so as not to compromise the dwellers when unnecessary catastrophes occur incidentally. Their services are of very good quality. But sometimes, some architects are not capable of rendering their services well, maybe because of poor understanding or lack of quality education during their bachelor courses. At the very least, it is still advisable that you go check for a wonderful architect so as to secure quality service.

Renovation is a not so hard task to do. But for less creative people, renovating the house might be a difficult challenge to undertake. Most of the time interior designers are hired to provide an artistic remodeling for the house. They are known for their effective plans to give an alluring design to the house inside. They also take time to get a very attentive look to the house and later give their professional service after inspecting what is best for entirety of the home. In just a week or two, with some few investments for the materials to be used in renovation, the former old look will surely be hit.

Sometimes, if renovation means reconstructing the house for a stronger foundation, architects or engineers are also capable of rendering their service.

Home extensions and renovations can sometimes be costly. Of course, you need to hire professional people and pay them their fees. Moreover, materials to be used are imperative to materialize the plan. Well, it is still more pragmatic to hire them instead of relocating. Anyway, their services are of security as well.

What Is Antimicrobial Cladding and What Can It Be Used for?   Why Should You Use A Residential Architect?   Should You Buy A Model Home?   5 Questions to Ask a Custom Home Builder   

How To Make Money With Antique Maps and Where To Find Old Maps

You may have dreamed as a child in finding a "Treasure Map", such as the one from Treasure Island. Such dreams can come true when hunting for an antique map. With a basic knowledge of history and an interest in finding a deal, one can discover some real "treasures" in old antique maps. There have been maps purchased for a few dollars that were actually worth the price of a house.

Even if you have been on the look out for the Treasure Map for as many years as I, you may not find it. However you may easily double or triple your money when you know what to look for in an antique map.

Finding the right map can sometimes feel like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. You should start your hunt by determining a selection of maps that have sold in the last two years between $500 and $3000. Start to learn about the cartographers and editions of these maps. You will find estimates of the sales of old maps on major auction sites or even on eBay.

The key is knowledge, so you will need to learn as much as you can about the individual maps you are hunting for. I suggest you choose a subject of cartography or a historical period you may interested in learning about. Consider maps made during the American civil war, maps of the Republic of Texas, maps of Scotland if you are of Scottish ancestry or maps of Rome if you went there on honeymoon. For example, your adoptive child is from China then you can concentrate on maps of China. The options are limitless. The idea is that within each field there will be a few fairly rare and desirable maps that can fetch some good money when sold at auction.

When you have become acquainted with the current sale price of your selection of maps you will need to consider condition and editions. By this I mean a specific edition, of a specific year for a map in good condition with no tears, water stains, major repairs and has good color.

By the time you have done the things described above you will have a fair amount of knowledge about the world of antique maps. You will now be starting your hunt. In your hunt you should go to all the consignment shops and thrift stores in your area. Visit antique stores and old book stores and ask to see if they have old maps. By doing this you will get to handle antique maps and get a feel for them.

Afterwards I invite you to go online and start looking for you specific maps on the major search engines and try to find your maps. You should ask your questions about condition and editions before purchasing your maps. Try to buy them at half to a third of the price you saw them for at auction. When you put your maps up for sale at auction you will then be reaping the rewards and your Treasure!

Collecting Compacts   Can Antique Collecting Be the Perfect Hobby?   Tips on Caring for Antique Bookcases   

What Is the Difference and Definition of Antiques and Vintage?

Antiques are items that were manufactured over 100 years ago. Used items which are less than 100 years are considered vintage.

This very simple definition can create much controversy among antique dealers, collectors and even wine drinkers! There is only one official definition of antiques in the United-States from US Customs in the Smoot-Hawley act of 1930. It basically says that an antique must be over 100 years old to be called an antique. In Europe and indeed in many other countries around the world there are many more laws governing antiques which help to define the subject. The US lacks such a base and this explains why there are such a variety in quality of "Antique" stores and malls around the country.

An antique store in France (Antiquites) will have to be operated by a state approved professional that has undergone appropriate studies in art, history and valuation. Those that do not have this training sell in stores or fairs called "Brocantes" which must hold a "Livre de Police" or Police Book in which items that are bought and sold are listed to fight against theft. All others can sell at the "puces" or flea markets where no legal mention of authenticity can be maintained.

Such safeguards do not generally exist in the US so the market for antiques is a wild place where dealers can use the word antique to describe items from the 1940s or even sell reproductions under dubious terminology such as Antique Chest circa 1940s. Such terms help increase the value in the eye of the buyer but nonetheless it is only a used chest (unless it was made from a desired designer or manufacturer).

Using the word "Antique" can up the price on a very simple object. Keep this argument in mind, it will offer you more perspective on price and value.

Now vintage is even trickier as there is no institution such as the US customs to define it. Vintage is the term commonly used by people in the antique world to define objects that have some age and are as one says "of a particular vintage". We would define a chest of drawers from the 1930s as being vintage.

Now wine drinkers are not very happy with the use of the word vintage for anything else than defining the age of wines. However common usage has applied the word to the world of antiques and collectibles for over a century now in the US. Quite respectable really.

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Effective Communication Using Autoresponders

You must stay in touch with your customers and answer every question they may ask, or need they may have. It is part of building a relationship. A list of email addresses doesn't  look like much, but it is the plate on which you put your bread and butter. With most good  autoresponder systems/programs you can tell immediately when you are doing something wrong, or not doing something at all, your opt-outs will increase. There will be a natural attrition anyway, as people's needs are satisfied, but you really need to try to keep these prospects on your list - that way you can offer similar products that they may be interested in. But if the number is increasing  to an unacceptable percentage you need to do something about it.

Regular email that contain useful information and free offers are the key. Do not bombard your list every day. Autoresponders can be personalized to make your prospect feel like his needs are being addressed.

When a subscriber opts, he should receive an autoresponder that thanks him, and you could offer a free bonus, or useful information that he will remember and appreciate.

If you customer has purchased a complicated piece of technology, send him tips for using that technology. By watching blogs, you can see where people are having difficulty with something, and you can answer, sending them through to your site for more information.

Autoresponders are fantastic marketing tools when used correctly.  Once you learn how to set up and write good autoresponder messages, you can literally sit back and let your autoresponders do the work.

If you like to send your subscribers an email regularly, you can set up all the messages ahead of time.

There are a number of excellent companies that can do this for you:

GetResponse, Vertical Response, AWeber, TrafficWave, iContact, FreeAutobot, MailChimp, Constant Contact, etc. AWeber is the number one, followed by GetResponse and 1ShoppingCart in second and third, but they are all reliable companies..

Some offer their services for free, up to a certain amount of subscribers. You can try all of them that way, then go with the one that suits you best.

You can set up as many autoresponders you want, and organize them into categories. You can do split tests, to see which are getting you the best responses/sales/referrals. Test and test again. Too many of the autoresponders sent out are not spell checked, badly formatted and look very amateur. That is simply from laziness. Make sure you check everything twice, put your brand on the message and make it precise and to the point. People barely read anything past a couple of sentences these days!

Capture people's birthdays on your opt in form, have a field that asks what your customer is interested in and send an  autoresponder before the holidays. You will be surprised how many people miss that opportunity. Depending on your business, you have the opportunity of capturing a lot of demographics on your opt-in form, that can be used later for even more targeted email marketing.

An autoresponder system can be set up easily and you can design email templates to perhaps look like your website. Sign up with a big company like Amazon.com and take note of how they do it.

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Email Campaign Software - A Must For Online Business Part 2

In the first article about email campaign software I gave a brief overview of the software. Auto responders should only be used as a small part of your overall marketing strategy, you can also get into using social media for example Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and much much more.

There are a lot of different email campaign software in use today, the most popular are AWeber, GetResponse, iContact to name a few. They cost about $20 per month, depending on the size of your subscription list, it get more expensive s your list grows. To find the best one for your particular need just Google them and check out their individual websites

Steps To Take When Setting Up The Bulk Email Software:

1. Web form or contact box. The system will generate the HTML code for the contact box, all you need to do is copy and paste it to your blog or website, I usually ask for first name and email address

2. Upload Messages The next thing I do is upload the messages to the auto responder and the intervals the messages are sent out to the prospects or costumers. It is said a person receives a message 7 times before they act on it.

3. Double Opt in. Once prospects opt in to your newsletter they get a message in their inbox, instructing them to click a link, thereby giving permission to the sender that they will accept the messages.

These systems have to comply with the "Can Spam Laws", this is where the double opt in comes in and it leads to a better quality of prospect, as they will click on the link in their inbox making sure they receive the information they are looking for.

4.Unsubscribe From List You have to give your reader the ability to unsubscribe from your newsletter without any difficulty and make sure when they unsubscribe that they are taken from the list.

5. Broadcast Email campaign software allow you to broadcast messages to your list outside of the pre-programmed messages you have set-up previously. This gives you the opportunity of communicating with your list anytime you want.

6. Don't Over Sell. Provide quality content, don't be continuously selling to your list, give rather than take. People get fed up of being continuously being sold to. If you provide quality content, you will then be perceived s an expert in your field.

Auto responders are an excellent way of automating your business, prospects can come on your site 24/7 and still receive the information they require, even while your sleeping.

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