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Amazon A-stores Experiment
"...inspired by the 30-days and no money series, I created an Amazon clothing shop. I finally had some decent sales last quarter which has inspired me to create an additional site. This time, I am testing out the Amazon A-store with the theme of web development and design books. The a-stores are easier to build than the associate-o-matic product I have been using but I am not sure that the search engines will crawl them the same way. ...Has anyone else here tried the a-stores? If so, did you implement it as part of a larger site and did you generate sales?"

Can Someone Explain What Skype Is?
"Skype is basically an internet phone service. It's a piece of software you download and install, and it lets you talk to other Skype users for free. It's just like instant messaging, except you have actual audio going back and forth. (I would suggest using a headset to avoid feedback.)"

Pet Industry Trends In 2007
"I know many of our listeners and readers are pet owners as well. Can you tell me a bit about your pets and which of these trends you are most excited about? Which of these trends really appeals to you as a pet owner? Have you made use of any of these recent trends? Are any of you currently involved in the pet industry as a small business owner?"

Free Contextual Ad Network
"Recently Nick contacted me about a free contextual advertising network he has been working on along with others. The site is called adGridWork. Basically it is an advertising exchange network that uses contextual advertising to target the ads. Kind of like mixing link exchange and Google AdSense and providing it for free."

Amazon A-stores Experiment
"...inspired by the 30-days and no money series, I created an Amazon clothing shop. I finally had some decent sales last quarter which has inspired me to create an additional site. This time, I am testing out the Amazon A-store with the theme of web development and design books. The a-stores are easier to build than the associate-o-matic product I have been using but I am not sure that the search engines will crawl them the same way. ...Has anyone else here tried the a-stores? If so, did you implement it as part of a larger site and did you generate sales?"

Can Someone Explain What Skype Is?
"Skype is basically an internet phone service. It's a piece of software you download and install, and it lets you talk to other Skype users for free. It's just like instant messaging, except you have actual audio going back and forth. (I would suggest using a headset to avoid feedback.)"

Pet Industry Trends In 2007
"I know many of our listeners and readers are pet owners as well. Can you tell me a bit about your pets and which of these trends you are most excited about? Which of these trends really appeals to you as a pet owner? Have you made use of any of these recent trends? Are any of you currently involved in the pet industry as a small business owner?"

Free Contextual Ad Network
"Recently Nick contacted me about a free contextual advertising network he has been working on along with others. The site is called adGridWork. Basically it is an advertising exchange network that uses contextual advertising to target the ads. Kind of like mixing link exchange and Google AdSense and providing it for free."

eBay to Roll out Feedback 2.0, Safe Payment Requirement
auctionbytes.com - As anticipated, eBay announced "Feedback 2.0," an improvement to its online reputation system that allows trading partners to rate each other on individual transactions.

Why the Landing Page Is the Life of the Party
clickz.com - Think of online media in the context of a dinner party. If the ads are the invitations, the landing page is the host. Without it, the evening has no real direction. You're not sure who to talk to or what to do. The comfort of having someone introduce you around and show you to the refreshments is lost. You're on your own, and you don't know a soul.

Peer Business Advisor Groups Ease The Pressure of Ownership
about.com - Where does a small business owner turn to for help in making critical business decisions? The choices are many with the boom in services for small business. Help may come from this website, a book, your accountant, a mentor or consider the power of a peer advisory group.

Small Businesses confident about 2007
bytestart.co.uk - British small business owners have forecast a Happy New Year in 2007, with rising confidence in both the performance of their own companies and the overall state of the economy, new research from Bank of Scotland Business Banking reveals.

Obtaining and Analyzing Franchise Financial Information
allbusiness.com - If you are serious about a particular franchise opportunity you will be given a copy of the franchisor's Uniform Offering Circular (UFOC), which contains financial and material information about the franchisor. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) mandates.

Leery of Windows Vista? Revitalize your Windows XP and wait out the storm
businesstoolchest.com - There seems to be a lot of scuttlebutt these days about something Microsoft is calling Vista. Mixed in with the anticipation we also hear some apprehension "Is my pc able to handle this new robust OS?" "What bugs is it going to have and is my data safe?" "Do I really need to invest in another OS right now?" Questions abound regarding compatibility, operability, stability, cost, etc.

Are Your Affiliate Programs Missing Recurring Commissions?
devshed.com - Recurring commissions can be explained as any commission that you get each single month for sales that were made before with the person who can still be called a continuing client.

This Week's Economic Roundup
inc.com - Small-business owners more upbeat; consumer and producer prices rising.

Choosing an Accounting Package
smallbusinesscomputing.com - When it comes to accounting software for small business, you have three main contenders vying for your dollars. Intuit's QuickBooks, the long-time dominant player, has every intention of maintaining market share. Peachtree is the venerable and reliable entry that does everything well. And the rookie, Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2007, trying to gain a toehold in its sophomore year.

Paying the Piper
businessweek.com - Despite the recent Democratic sweep in Congress, the 7(a) loan program that helps thousands of entrepreneurs such as Green may be headed for a shutdown similar to the one in 2004.

Why Aren't Your Ads Working?
entrepreneur.com - If you're not drawing in as many customers as you'd like, there are only 4 places you need to look to figure out what's going wrong.

Basic Fraud Prevention for Internet Merchants
smallbusinessbrief.com - This article talks about a very important issue for Internet merchants . . . preventing online fraud.

How to Develop A Money Winning Business Plan Outline
about.com - Your business plan will require an appendix following the financials for all supporting documents.

Office Management Basics
allbusiness.com - In order to successfully manage an office, regardless of your company's product or even your customer base, you should adhere to some basic guidelines. Here are six areas that you should keep in mind.

Google adsense best ads placement
businesstoolchest.com - There are lots of stratigies, and ways of thinking, and I guess all of them has been tried at some point, so why not learn from others experience?

Earth To Adsense Newbies: Slow Down!
devshed.com - The Washington Post recently published an article featuring many ordinary people who’ve become financially successful due to displaying Google Adsense ads on their web site.These folks are pulling in $10,000 to $40,000 a month. They are definitely stars in the world of Adsense publishers. Web publishing newbies read stories like this and start salivating over the possibility of pulling in big bucks. If those people can do it, why not me?

Not Only the Lonely Become Entrepreneurs
inc.com - Loners, geeks or jocks? A recent study provides insight into the personality types of small-business owners.

Boost '07 Results With These 5 New Year's Marketing Resolutions
businessknowhow.com - So, how was your 2006? Meet your sales projections? How about profits? Did you hit your target, blow it away, or fall a little short? Regardless of how you did, and I hope you did well, '06 is history. But '07 is just getting started and there's still time to work in a few more resolutions. So, with that thought in mind, today I present you with...5 New Year's Marketing Resolutions.

EBay-StubHub Deal Is a Boon to Start-Ups
startupjournal.com - EBay Inc.'s purchase of ticket-reselling Web site StubHub Inc. is the latest sign of how a wave of scrappy new Web start-ups is thriving even as some onetime Internet highfliers see their growth slowing.

Book Review: Wireless Networking Visual Quick Tips
smallbusinesscomputing.com - The aim of Wiley Publishing's Wireless Networking Visual Quick Tips is to give readers the skinny (and at 199 pages, the book is quite thin) on everything wireless — from access points to the Wireless Zero Configuration feature of Windows — while striking an optimal balance between pictures and prose.

For the Customer's Sake, Keep it Simple
businessweek.com - Simplify your message, cut out jargon, and get to the point. Your clients will hear the difference and reward you for it.

Using an Effective Media Mix
entrepreneur.com - Your customers aren’t sitting still, and neither should you. With an effective media mix, you can reach them morning, noon and night.

Hosting Plan Primer
ecommerce-guide.com - All Web sites require hosting, and if you own a Web shop, it is especially important to find a company that offers plans for e-commerce. These days, more companies cater to e-tailers, providing packages that serve their specific needs, so it's wise to capitalize on the trend.

Top Ten Reasons to Write Articles to Publicize your Business
smallbusinessbrief.com - If you have spent time and money down the drain waiting for "word of mouth" to kick in, or multiple hours on networking meetings, you may want to investigate this number one way to publicize your service or products.

Is Your Computer a Sluggish Starter?
smallbusinessbrief.com - There are a few factors that could be making your computer run just barely faster than an overweight slug crawling through an Eastern Kentucky mud hole in winter.

AOL phisher faces up to 101 years in prison
zdnet.com - A California man faces up to 101 years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of sending out e-mail scams as well as related crimes.

Small firms need help to compete for government contracts
bytestart.co.uk - Greater efforts to involve smaller businesses in the procurement of goods and services by government authorities would save public money, create fairer competition, and help the economy, the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has said this week.

Good mentors aren't hard to find, if you look for them
usatoday.com - Let's start by recognizing what a mentor is and what his or her role is to the mentee.

Choosing a Profitable Affiliate Program
devshed.com - Will it cost you anything to join? Most affiliate programs being offered today are absolutely free of charge.So why settle for those that charge you some dollars before joining.

Will My New Business Ever Make Money?
forbes.com - How can you tell if your business idea will be profitable? The honest answer is, you can't.

Direct Mail is Alive and Kicking
businessknowhow.com - The Internet has become hardwired into our psyches. After all, for $8.00 per month, you can have your own storefront. But a great many people still use direct mail as a path to marketing success.

Making Big Promotions Available, Affordable
startupjournal.com - This week, a new low-cost Internet service launches that lets small businesses run sweepstakes for items such as plasma TVs, trips and diamond rings on their Web sites as a way to attract visitors and cull valuable marketing information from them.

Redefining 'Simple BackUp'
smallbusinesscomputing.com - There are plenty of backup solutions that claim to be easy to use, but we would argue that BackupKey, from Turnkey Technology Solutions takes the crown as the easiest.

Million-Dollar Second Acts
businessweek.com - A few lucky entrepreneurs are leaving secure jobs behind to start businesses that break the $1 million threshold in annual revenue.

Starting a Second Life Business
entrepreneur.com - Find out what entrepreneurial opportunities the virtual world of Second Life has to offer.

Capitalize on Customer Reviews
ecommerce-guide.com - One of the biggest e-tail trends generating buzz among industry watchers is "social commerce," and two studies out today show that the phenomenon is still gaining traction in the e-commerce marketplace.

WAHM - How to Find Time for Your Business
smallbusinessbrief.com - Any work-at-home-mom will confess that owing her own business is as challenging as it gets. While the rewards are bountiful, the word easy is not one used to describe small business ownership.

Hosting Plan Primer
ecommerce-guide.com - All Web sites require hosting, and if you own a Web shop, it is especially important to find a company that offers plans for e-commerce.

Lure of Entrepreneurship Beckons Boomers
businessweek.com - Instead of retiring, boomers are starting second-act businesses; some are motivated by an independent lifestyle, others by economic necessity.

Top 10 Sins of Blog Usability
sitepronews.com - "Sinning" is an archery term, which literally means "to miss the mark." If you're blogging to establish a two-way dialogue with the world, the "mark" is the optimal reader experience. The following is a list of ten things that can hurt your blog's usability.

Number of Pages in a Business Plan?
about.com - One of the many questions about business planning I receive is how long is a typical plan?

Selling Computers and Accessories on eBay
msnbc.msn.com - If you're a tech junkie, computers and accessories could be the perfect eBay category for you.

Video: Makes Everything Better?
clickz.com - You've heard the buzz about Web 2.0 and the use of video. It will improve the way companies interact with their customers and the Web overall. Everyone's watching video online these days.

eBay Members Fear New Policy Will Inhibit Buyer Bids
auctionbytes.com - eBay's new "Safeguarding Member IDs" (SMI) policy is coming under scrutiny from users who are concerned it will decrease bidding activity on the site.

Sprout plans: Little Sprouts Child Enrichment Centers Inc.
bizjournals.com - As a 5-year-old, Susan Leger-Ferraro knew she wanted to be a teacher. During the subsequent years she could often be found baby-sitting for free in her Methuen neighborhood, and upon graduating from high school, the independent 17-year-old opened Susan's Playpen -- her first day-care center -- and ran it out of a rented duplex. Since then, Leger-Ferraro, 42, founder and CEO of Little Sprouts Child Enrichment Centers Inc.

Microsoft Readies Major Update to Dynamics CRM
ecommercetimes.com - For this summer, Microsoft Dynamics is readying its next major CRM application -- a Software as a Service (SaaS) application that will be delivered on a multi-tenant platform.

Secret to Successful Networking: Focus on the Other Person
nfib.com - The terms "networking" or "schmoozing" more often than not conjure up images of blatant self-promotion at public events or functions. Trying to adhere to this concept can leave you stressed and ready to give up on the idea. However, if you go to an event with the intent of genuinely making the people you meet feel special, you'll go a long way to easing your own discomfort and furthering your goals. Experts recommend the following tactics for putting both you and those you meet at ease:

(Almost) Being There
smartbiz.com - It is a basic and essential axiom of marketing that is easier and less expensive to sell products and services to an existing client or customer, than to market and acquire a new customer.

How To Decide Any Directory As a Quality Directory
businesscurrents.net - Directories are best way to get one way links. Especially for new sites.

Living Your Purpose
smallbusinessbrief.com - Do you know why you are here on this planet? If not, then it's time to ask the questions.

The Cost Of Disorganization...Can You Afford It?
smallbusinessbrief.com - For many, being organized means a place for everything and everything in its place. For others, it means nothing. The true definition of being organized is being able to find things when you need them, not 3 weeks later.

Filling in your tax return - Do's and Don'ts
bytestart.co.uk - With approximately 876,000 people missing the self-assessment tax return deadline on 31 January last year and receiving a £100 penalty, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is reminding people to file their return on time and get off to a good start this new year.

Connect with a mentor for ideas on branching out
usatoday.com - One great thing about mentorship is that it offers rewards for mentor and mentee alike. For you, a mentor can not only help you learn what it is you want to know, but can also introduce you to the people you ought to know. For the mentor, the relationship offers the chance to give back while honing leadership skills. It's the classic win-win.

Seeking Suspense? Use Short Sentences
allbusiness.com - Regardless of what you're writing you can add a dash of suspense by controlling the length of your sentences. Specifically, ditch the long sentences in favor of building rhythm with short, tight sentences in sequence (think about the music from the shower scene in "Psycho" or the shark music in "Jaws").

You Have the Keywords, You Have the Website, but Do You Have the Strategy?
devshed.com - When you’re a webmaster who cares a lot about the quality of your websites, you put a great deal of time and effort into them to make sure that they’re absolutely perfect.The odds are that this includes a complete search engine optimization strategy, which has to do with placing the right keywords into your content the right number of times.

If First They Say No?
forbes.com - Eric Smith knows what it's like to get rejected

Put Your Marketing Kit Online
inc.com - A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.

Internet Marketing 101
morebusiness.com - For ensuring the success of your online initiatives, you need to provide adequate support through short term and long term marketing plans.

8 Tips to Significantly Improve Your E-mail Response
businessknowhow.com - Are your e-mail response rates dismal? Unfortunately that's the nature of the online environment today. Recent statistics show that over 50% of the tens of billions of e-mails sent daily are spam, and the top Internet Service Providers are blocking almost 25% of permission-based e-mails. These are staggering numbers for business owners relying on e-mail as a marketing tool.

Keep the Day Job —Launch a Sideline
startupjournal.com - Ask small-business owners how much time they spend on the job and the answer is usually the same: all of it. Yet, some entrepreneurs manage to launch a start-up on the side without quitting their day job.

Buying a Tech Franchise
entrepreneur.com - You don’t need to be a techie to succeed as a tech franchisee.

eBay Watch: Security Measures
ecommerce-guide.com - eBay and PayPal (an eBay company) announced a joint effort to increase buyer protection on the eBay North American auction sites.