Website Infrastructure Part One

I hope you enjoyed your holidays. Sorry, I have not been able to write for a while, but now I am back to regular postings.

Infrastructure of your website is a topic that can easily replace sleeping pills, but it is a necessary topic. If you made a diagram or blueprint of what you want your website to do, figuring out what you need will be much easier.

I am sure you have heard ad nausem that "The Money is in the List", so one thing every website needs is an "Opt-In List"form . You can try to design one or have it built for you, or buy it from a service, but it is an absolute necessity. Without any easy way for your visitors to opt in, you can't build a list.

Many websites have chosen a double opt in method. This is where you have the person furnish their e-mail address and other information, and your website sends them a confirming e-mail with a link for them to click on and confirm their information. This is essential for avoiding spam filters and other spam based problems.

In addition, when you send out a mailing to your list, you want those people to look forward to receiving and reading your message. It is a tremendous waste of resources to "e-mail blast" the world! Not to mention a source of potential trouble and problems, that you do not need.

One way to entice people to opt in to your list is to offer them something of value as a "reward" for opting in. Make sure that you are really giving them true value and useful information. This is your big chance to make a great first impression and establish a positive impression in their mind. You will not get a second chance, so carefully consider what you are giving them.

This is just the start of what you must do. Once they join your list, your first mailing must motivate them to action. Then if they take you up on your offer, you need a way to deliver to the item, whether it is a physical product or a "digital" product. If you really want to make money, then once they make that first purchase, you must follow up with another higher priced offer. There are many studies you can read up on, that will tell you that when a person has bought something from you, they are more likely to buy again, if given an opportunity to do so.

What does all that have to do with "Infrastructure"? I am glad you asked, that will bring use to the topic of our next post.........."AUTORESPONDERS".

How to Decide on Building Your Website or Having It Built for You

In making your decision, you also need a "blueprint" for your website. This is the infrastructure of your website. The blueprint is a diagram of all the parts of your website, and how each page is linked to each other and to the site map.

If you have not all ready decided what your website will be used for, now is the time to make your final decision. Will it be for business (either online only or both on and off line?) or personal use?

You should have decided on the domain name for your website and if you can afford to do so, I recommend purchasing yourdomain.com, yourdomain.net, yourdomain.org and yourdomain.biz.

This will enable you to have as much control as possible of yourdomain and prevent other people from using a variant of yourdomain.com that you have not purchased and registered. It is extremely important that you register your domain for as many years as possible, so the search engines take your website seriously, when they find it. (Much more about that another time). But for now, if you can register your domains for 5 years or more do so. Most hosting and domain registration companies will let you register your domain for a maximum of 10 years. Another reason to do this now, is to lock in the price for the registration for as long as you can.

Remember that many hosting companies will allow you to register a domain name as part of the purchase price for your hosting package.

By now you should have checked out some of the major web hosting companies and compared the "packages" and tools they offer to see what best meets your needs. This will enable you to decide if the hosting company has everything you need, or will you need to purchase anything else to build your website.

As I said in an earlier post, I use several different hosting companies for my websites. But I recommend for each "group" of your domains, ( ie yourdomain.com, .net, etc) you use one hosting company. This will prevent things from becoming overally complicated.

I highly recommend the hosting service 1and1.com. They have a comprehensive choice of "packages" to meet all your needs, whether you need a very basic website or you need something very intricate and detailed or anything in between. They also have a large choice of downloadable items to assist you in building your website.

But, now let's discuss those of you who have hardily any money or no money at all. There are several free hosting services, but you will have to tolerate their advertisements on your website, which may be for websites that are in direct competition with you. But even if you have to go that route, you will at least have your website up and running. But, you will still have to purchase your own domain, if you want to control it's destiny. Even if you can only afford to register your own domain for one year, it is the smart thing to do.

In my next post, I will discuss more about the necessary "infrastructure" of your website. There is a lot of things that you need to learn about "infrastruture", but do not be overwhelmed, it will all come together for you.

Do It Yourself or Have It Built For You ?

Ok , now you have all your web pages planned, you have chosen your domain name and host for your website.

The next thing to decide is whether or not you want to build your own website or have it built for you. Of, course I am sure you realize that each has it's own advantages and disadvantages. So what is the right choice for you?

First ask yourself what is my time frame for putting up this website? Does it have to be up and running as soon as possible or do you have time to build it yourself without worrying about a time table?

Second, what do I know about building a website?

Third, do I have the time not only to build it, but to thoroughly test every aspect of it, to make sure all parts of my website are functional and working properly.

Fourth, besides knowing how to build and test the website, do I know what "infrastructure" I need for my website and do I know how to make it work as a stemless part of my website?

So, if for example, you are going to have a dating website, do you REALLY know what such a site needs to be successful? Take a look at the major dating websites, like e-harmony and match.com. What do they have?

You will notice both have a billing section, both have membership profiles and both have pictures and numerous other features. Can you implement those features on your website? Chances are unless this is not your first website, you probably cannot.

So now what? Well if you have not all ready done so, now would be a good time for determining what your budget is for building the your website. If you can afford to have the work done, then you are probably better off having someone who is a knowledgeable professional build it for you, and show you , once it is up and running how to maintain it yourself or give you an estimate of what it will cost for you to maintain the website yourself.

In my next post, I will tell you what else to consider in making your decision, no matter what your budget is.

Basic Web Pages Part Three------Footers

The bottom of your website's Home Page is where you place the "footer" pages. That is not to say that they are any less important than the Header Pages, but with the exception of the site map or index page, they will be accessed less frequently.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER PAGE

This page is very important to protect both you and your business. You can either retain an attorney to write one for you, or look around and various sites similar to yours and copy a legal disclaimer that you like and think is appropriate. But do not copy it word for word, unless you have the permission of the website's owner in writing to use it.

GENERAL DISCLAIMER PAGE

Here is where you state that the examples quoted are not typical and do not constitute any type of guaranty. The same way to create this page is the way you create this one.

Now there is one more disclaimer page I forgot to mention, but it is very important if you are recommending any product, service or service provider. That page is the Earnings Disclaimer page.


EARNINGS DISCLAIMER PAGE

On this page, you state the earnings of people mentioned are not typical and are not a guarantee of what you will make by using a particular product, service or service provider. You create this page the same way as the other two disclaimer pages.


SITE MAP AND OR INDEX PAGE

This is your visitors guide to what is on your website and how it is organized. Make sure all your pages are listed here, and if you use an index page, list all the pages and topics that are on your website.

CONTACT US PAGE

This is how you enable your visitors and members to contact you.

FAQ PAGE

This page can be in either the Header or Footer section. You want to set it up in a question and answer format to deal with the questions you anticipate that your members and visitors will ask, and of course the questions you get asked most frequently.

In my next post, I will give you some more tips about how to build your website and what should be on it.

Basic Pages For Your Website Part Two

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS continued

As I told you in an earlier posting, the web hosting service you use, especially as a beginner is extremely important to your success. I personally use several different providers for my websites.

But a hosting service and domain registrar that I use most is 1an1.com. You will find a link to their website below. What makes them really special is that not only can you get a good package including domain with web hosting service, but their free down loadable manuals are extremely useful and well written. You can start with a basic package to get your first website up and running quickly and then add additional services as needed. I whole heartedly recommend them. In the interest of full disclosure, I do receive a commission from them, if you click on a link and make a purchase. But like everyone else, I need to earn money to help support my efforts on this blog.


As I said previously, it is important on this page to indicate which products and service providers you are recommending based on personal useage or general reputation or both. I have provided you with both types in this post and in my post immediately prior to this one.

LINKS PAGE

This is the page where you provide links to other websites that you find useful and that you believe your users will benefit from. They can be links to sites that provide information, or where your users may choose to click through for something of benefit to them, either free or to purchase. Always state the relevance of each link to your users. Spell it out for them, do not take anything for granted. But also be careful how you word things, because you never want your users to feel you are condescending. There is a big difference between stating information in a knowledgeable fashion that will help establish you as an expert(if that's applicable to your website) and being condescending.

ARTICLES PAGE

This is the page where you include articles that are relevant to what your website is doing. They can be articles written by you or other people. You want your users to keep coming back to your website and one of the best ways to do so, is to have a rich collection of articles that are relevant to your users and constantly being updated and up to date.

If an article's date is not current, be sure to explain why it is still relevant to your users. Some articles are truly timeless even in the Web 2.0 world.

So for example, if your website is designed to sell "widgets" you could have articles listing all the benefits of "widgets" , perhaps the history of "widgets" and how they evolved over time in to what they are today. You could also have articles from people who are recognized "widgets" experts.

INTERVIEWS PAGE

If this is relevant to your website, you can post interviews of experts in the field that your website is all about. These can be interviews done by you, or interviews of someone done by someone else for you, and you can also use video interviews. Search engines love content rich websites and video is a great way to boost the ranking of your website in the search engines. But search engines and search engine rankings are for another time and will require numerous posts.


PRODUCTS PAGE(S)


If you are using your website to sell products (or services) you may want to devote a page to each product or service you offer, and why your users should become your customers and buy the product or service from you. Your products page(s) should include clear and concise descriptions of each product or service, make sure to also use good pictures of each product. Depending on what the product is, you may want to take your own pictures or obtain them from the maker of the product. Any pictures you use, should be fairly and accurately depict the product or indicate that the picture is for illustrative purposes only.

In my next post, I will deal with "footers" which as you probably guessed are the links to pages that you place on the bottom of your home page.

Basic Pages for Your Website & Suggestions For Content on Those Pages

In deciding how to formulate and determine the content for your website you should think about what your website must include to be credible and have the necessary information to prevent the possibilty of lawsuits and other potential problems. But also what you need to keep people on your website and to keep them coming back for more and more visits. In addition, when you write the content for many of these pages, remember, you are also writing for the search engines.

So with all that in mind, let's get started. Lets take the header pages in order. Header pages are those pages that are either at the top of your home page or on either the left or hand side of the page.

HOME PAGE

This is the most important page on your website, because this is where people decide whether or not your website appears to be what they want or are looking for and if they are going to stay on your website or move on.

The home page should tell people what your website is all about and you need to differentiate yourself from every other website that is doing the same thing you are.

ABOUT US PAGE

This page is where you state who you are, what your credentials are and why we should care and belive what you say. Do not be boastful or condecesending. state facts, some of your successes and what you do and what your website. Give the reader some of your bio. But do not over do it.

In the process of deciding what to put on this page, as well as all of your others, look around and see what your competitors have on each of their pages. But do not confine yourself to just your competitors, look at the websites you like to visit and think about what appeals to you about those sites.

NEWSLETTER PAGE

This is the page where you can grab your visitor's attention and keep them coming back for more as well as build up your credibilty in their eyes by demonstrating your expertise and arousing their curiosity. You can also use this page get people to sign up to recieve your newsletter by e-mail. In addition, you should keep an archive of prior newsletters, perhaps just for your members to access.


MEMBER'S SECTION AND JOIN OUR MEMBERS SECTION

This is where you start to seperate the "tire kickers" from the people that are seriously interested in your website(and/or your services, if applicable). It is important that you make these people feel that they are getting something special by being a member and then make sure you deliver. Do not make empty promises.

By giving your members real value, and letting them try your suggestions and recommendations, it gives them the chance to see if you are the real deal or not.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS

Here it is very, very important that you know exactly what you are talking about. The products you recommend should be products that you found useful and had a positive experience with. If you have not used the product yourself, do not recommend it unless someone you know and trust very well has told you all about it.

I want to stress that it is very important to use the products you recommend personally. This way you can honestly tell your members what works, why it works and how to best use it for their benefit and if possible, provide screen shots of the product.

Personal useage of the recommended product also enables you to determine what the learning curve will be for new users. For example, you would not want to recommend Adobe Creative Suite Master Edition 4.0 to someone who has never built a website and/or taken pictures and edited them. All of these programs have a very steep learning curve. It is also a good idea to give your members some idea of what the price will be, so they can determine if it is within their budget and if the learning curve is justified for them based on what the program does and what they need it for.

It would be very unfair for you to recommend Adobe CS 4.o without telling them that the price range can be anywhere from $1800.00 to $2500.00 depending where you look. Yes this is extremely powerful software, and it could be almost everything you need to design and build a website and make it powerful and fancy, but you could spend a year easily learning how to use it, and just know the bare essentials.

When you recommend a product, you are in effect endorsing it and your credibilty with your members is at stake. But there is a way to tell your members about programs without putting your credibilty on the line, and you need to show them that you are aware of of programs that are generally considered to be the industry leaders.

So what would be an acceptable way to tell your members about Adobe CS 4.0? Here is how I would do it.

The leading program collection for website developement and picture editing is Adobe Creative Suite Master Edition 4.0. These programs are not for the faint of heart of faint of wallet. You should also know that CS 4.o has a steep learning curve for each of it's components, and you should be prepared to spend a substantial amount of time learning these programs and you might need to invest in training programs to learn how to use it. The price range is from about $1800.00 to $2500.00.

I have not personally used this new version of Creative Suite Master Edition, but I have used CS 3.o , which is one of the earlier versions. It does not have an intuitive user interface. I cannot recommend this to beginers. If you need to build a website quickly or edit photos, this is not the program suite to start with, but rather something to work up to.

For a detailed description of CS 4.0 , please refer their website to adobe.com.

To be continued...

Some New Features

To help you MAKEYOURINTERNETMONEY I have decided to add links to reputable e-books, articles and other items I think will be useful to you. I have also found this information to be valuable.

As I mentioned in my last post, we need to discuss content for your website. One of the most important things to remember is your content must be meaningful not only to your visitors but to search engines as well. You must include key words and phrases that someone looking to find your site would use. You should also do a search, using these key words to find out the search engines are treating them and see what you find.

For our purposes, I am going to use the terms key words and phrases interchangeably, as if they were the same thing, even though they are not, just so we can save time.

Think of a key word as a single word you type into a search engine to find something or perhaps someone. If you use a "group" of words, that is a phrase.

Search engines love good content, but they do not like web pages that are little more than a bunch of key words with little else. So in putting content on your web pages, you must first have a plan.

Let's say your website is devoted to helping people repair their credit. You would want to make a list of all the keywords and phrases someone would associate with repairing their credit. Try to come up with at least 25 keywords. Write your list on a separate piece of paper. It does not matter what order you use, but write down everything that comes to mind and do not feel you have to stop at 25 words, write down everything you can possibly think of. We will explain later how to narrow it down.

Before we continue on the topic of content for your website, let me digress a minute to make some suggestions about what web pages you should have(we will talk more about this in a later posting) I recommend that you start with the following pages:

Home Page
About US
Newsletter
Member's Section
Join Our Members Section
Recommended products and service providers
Links Page
Articles
Interviews
(A page for each product or service you are selling, if applicable)
Federal Law
State Law

Then for the bottom of your home page you should have the following pages:

Legal Disclaimer
General Disclaimer
Site Map
Contact Us

Those are the basic pages I recommend you should include if you were building a web site on improving your credit. Think about what you would put on each of these pages to help determine your content. In my next post, we will continue our discussion of content.

My Surgey Was Succesful

Hi,

I am glad to say that the surgery went well and I am home from the hospital. But for a while I will continue to get tired easily, so it is my goal to have the website go live in November.

But in the meantime, keep checking this blog for the latest updates and new information.

In my last posting before I received the medical news, I mentioned some of the questions to ask your service provider. But there is still more you need to consider in choosing a web hosting service.

First, you need to sit down and right out exactly what you are trying to accomplish with your web site. What is your business and what are you going to try to accomplish? Are you looking to develope qualified leads for your business or profession, or are you going to sell physical merchandise or e-books or some combination. Figuring this out is very important so that you know what type of hosting package you need.

Second, you want a hosting service that will offer you a choice of packages, preferably including the option to register multiple domains(more about this later), as well as website design tools that are simple and easy to use. The new Adobe Creative Suite 4 has almost everything you could possibly need to develope your web site and make it look really professional, but it has a very steep learning curve and is very expensive.

Third, how much do you need in your web hosting package? Do you need a dedicated server, or can you work with shared hosting? Do you need a searchable data base? What about forms to obtain e-mail addresses of the people visting your site, so that you can send them a newsletter and e-mail them special bonuses and offers? Do you want to host user forums on your web site?

Ok, now that you have some idea of what you need, check out the major Internet hosting services and see what they have to offer, find the one that most closely meets your needs. Do not settle for the first hosting service you see, no matter what good things you may have heard, the package deals must be right for you, or it is of no value.

In our next post, we will discuss content for your web site and key words, which are the most important part of establishing your web site presence.

Surgical Procedure

Hi,

I will be undergoing a surgical procedure on September 25, to put a second stent in my arteries.

I was told I will need a few days for recover. So I will resume work on the website once I am ok.

Thanks for your patience and understanding. The best is yet to be.

Website Will Be Delayed Due to Medical Reasons

I am sorry to say that since I will need a surgical procedure to place a second stent in my heart, I can not have the web site up and running as originally planned at this time.

I am waiting for a call from the doctor's office to schedule the procedure and will update everyone once I know what is going to happen and when. I will get the website up and running as fast as possible after this procedure is over.

Thanks for your patience.

What Questions To Ask Providers Before You Register Your Domain

Before you begin to research a domain registar you need to not only have a domain name in mind, but also what type of business you want to run. You might want to first look at other web sites of similar businesses to see what they have on their sites, and get some ideas as to what you need for yours.

Ok, now you are ready to begin researching domain registars. First question you need to ask is how long can I register my domain with your company? This is very important because one of the things a search engine looks at is how long your domain is registered for. This can be intrepted as a sign of how serious you are.

Second, ask what website design tools they offer. Also related to that question is do they offer custom web design services and/or can you "upload your site" using your own programs, like Adobe Master Collection CS 3 or a "turnkey" website that was premade.

Third if you choose a web hosting package, can you change it easily, if you need to and if so, how will that effect your web site?

Fourth, Do they provide you with a way to accept credit card payments, or Paypal and what ordering methods are provided? What fees are charged for these services?

Fifth, Ask how much "space" they provide you with in their packages monthly?

Sixth, If you are not happy, how easily can you take your website to another provider?

Seventh, What kinds of reporting tools do you provide? Afterall, you need to know what is going on your web site and what is working and what is not.

Eighth, What is your "uptime percentage"? Anything under 96% is not good. Your web site has to be up and stay up for you to make money.

Nineth, How can I change my type of web site if I need to? How easy is it to redesign? Can I have testing done on it before publishing it?

Tenth, How long have you been in business, and how many web sites do you host?

This is by no means every question you should ask, but rather a list to get you thinking. Let us know what other questions you come up with. Also let us know what you found out when you searched for a domain registar.

Help your fellow users to MAKEYOURINTERNETMONEY.

Next time: What else do you need to know once you have your domain registered and service package.

Registering Your Domain

Registering your domain gives you ownership of your domain. This preserves your rights to the domain. When you register your domain, you first have to decide whether you want it to be a public or private domain. If you make it public, anyone can look up your ownership information, which includes your name and address, and other information you may not want to be public.

The second thing to choose is a domain registeration service. However, price should not be the determining factor in choosing the service. You must consider what services they provide besides domain registration. Find out the maximum amount of time that you can register a domain for. This is important for several reasons, which we will get into in another post. For now, suffice it to say, that the longer you are able to register your domain for, the better.

Third, you need to know is whether or not the domain registration service provides combination packages. An example of a combination package is a domain registration, web hosting, and on line web design software. Also find out whether they offer e-commerce or web store services, and what is included in those services. Afterall you want to get the most bang for you buck.

You should carefully and throughly examine the domain service's web site. Check what they offer and make a list of what they offer you, so you can compare it with other providers. Next do searches on both Yahoo & Google to see what comes up about the provider.

You cannot count on the information you find being totally accurate or true, but if you see a lot of negative comments or find out there are lawsuits against that provider, stay away. As you know, anyone can put almost anything on the Internet. Read each comment you find with a critical eye and ask yourself does the person making this statement have some type of agenda, or are they a competitor. Are their comments or statements fact based or opinionated.

Through your research, you will probably learn of several of the major providers, but do not limit yourself to them. Check out at least 7 to 10 providers. The more you check, the more you will learn, and the easier it will be to choose the provider who is right for you.

Now remember the old saying: "One size does not fit all." Your choice of business and what you are going to sell is an important factor in determining which provider and service package is right for you.

We will help you by showing you what questions to ask, what to look for and how to find it. So keep watching and you will find out about this and much more on our website MAKEYOURINTENETMONEY.COM.

How To Get Your Business on the Internet

I will make some presumptions about what you all ready know. You have decided what e-commerce business you want to start and that you know what a domain name is and that it has to be registered.

The first step is to think up a "catchy" domain name that people will remember and associate it with your e-commerced business.

For illustrative purposes, lets call your domain myecommercebusiness.com.

Your second step is to check and see if this domain name is available. The quickest way to do so is type it into the address bar in a new browser window and see what comes up. I just typed that in to the address bar and found that the domain myecommercebusiness.com all ready exists and someone owns it. It is not an active site and it might be for sale.

Let's say that this domain name is what you really want, no matter what. You could make a bid to buy the domain (who knows how much that will cost you) or you can try the same name but instead of using .com, you can try .net, .info, .us or .org.

Dot.com is a high level domain and most people normally will presume that your domain ends in Dot.com, and out of habit will probably type that. So what to do now.

If you are flexible, you will try to think of another name for your domain. Let's say your second choice mysecondchoice.com is available. So, you need to get that domain as quickly as possible before someone else does. So how do you register your domain? I will cover that next time, but in the interm, think about whether or not you want to register that domain.com or also use other extensions, like the ones I have mentioned above.

How To Get Your E-Commerce Business Started

It has been a few days since I last posted an entry on the blog, but I have been working hard on getting the website up and on developement.

Now I recommend you start thinking about how to get your E-Commerce Business started. Afterall in order to MAKEYOURINTERNETMONEY, you need a business of some type.

So how do you choose a business for your website? First consider what you are knowledgable and passionate about, or perhaps you have a hobby that can be the foundation for a business.

The next step after you decide what business you want to have on your website is to draw up a business plan. It does not have to be a formal plan, the purpose at this stage is to just provide yourself with a guide and organize your thoughts.

You can do an online search for what your business plan should include or just use your knowledge of the subject of the business you want to be in to guide you.

So if you want to sell hunting knives for example, you plan would include what to call your web site, what types of hunting knives you will offer for sale, and who your suppliers would be and what brands you would offer, etc.

It can be as simple or as complex as you would like it, just as long as it provides you with a way to organize your thoughts and take the "action steps" you need to get started. Your business plan, as you start taking the "action steps" may lead you to think of other things that will be necessary to do, before you can continue and you may then have to "flesh out" your plan some more.

I have found it is best to start with a general outline for your business, and get everything down on paper first. Then expand on each major topic until you have everything down on paper that you need to do, and then, if necessary organzie it further.

Next time, we will discuss how to get your business on the Internet so you can MAKEYOURINTERNETMONEY!

Online Ratings of Internet Gurus & Turnkey Packages

When you read about so-called "rating" web sites, where "Internet Gurus" and "Turnkey Packages" are rated, you will frequently see the person or persons doing the rating almost always finds significant fault with what is being rated. This is usually a thinly valued attempt to trash the "Guru & our their system or turnkey package", in order to get you to buy their own system or turnkey package.

MAKEYOURINTERNETMONEY.COM unlike these other web sites, will not mindlessly critic so-called "Internet Gurus and their systems or "turnkey packages". We will utilize the rarely used device called ACTUAL FACTS!

Our goal is to help you to MAKEYOURINTERNETMONEY.

We have no interest in trashing anyone or anything, our sole purpose is to encourage your critical thinking and educate you, so you can make your own decisions.

If you have the facts presented to you in a logical fashion, no one will have to try to tell you what is right and what is fantasy. As you know there is an old "turism" " That if something is too good to be true, it probably is, but not always.


Try to start with keeping and open mind and learn the facts. I just read about one web site which purports to review numerous Internet & other "Gurus" and their programs, and it trashes most of them, only to plug it's own product.


Their "program" requires you to buy one of 3 different levels of a "package" and it grossly exaggerates the value of the "package" only to offer it at a substantial discount from what they say it is worth. But you have to purchase one of these "packages for yourself and then sell two more of them, with the person, who is in effect your "director" getting the profits from those sales, and then you become a "director" and make the profits from your future sales.

It looks and sounds good, but once you examine it, you will notice that it is really an Internet form of Multilevel Marketing, and if you are not wearing "rose colored glasses" you will see it for what it is.

Remember the phrase that "Common Sense is not very common".


We are hard at work developing our web site MAKEYOURINTERNETMONEY.COM, so while it is under construction keep reading our blog to avoid making costly mistakes.

More Thoughts on Internet "Gurus" & Impossible

Before you buy the "product" or service of one of these so called "Gurus", do a search and see if this person's "millions" are coming from his methods or sales of his products and seminars.

Also, before you choose an e-commerce package or turnkey system ask yourself "Why am I really buying this?" Can I do some research on the Internet and find this information elsewhere?

Once again, I am not saying every "Guru" or turnkey system or package is not without value, there are several that are, as you will learn when our website goes live. But remember what I said before, start with the premise that (whatever it is your thinking of buying or who you are considering buying something from), is not true unless and until proven otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt.

Another thing you should bear in mind is do not let "well meaning" friends or relatives talk you out of doing what you have decided to do. To break out of the 9 to 5 rat race, you must break out of the "regular job" mentality.

Do not for a minute believe that someone else has already done everything on the Internet there is that can be done to make money.

If you want to MAKEYOURINTERNETMONEY the first thing you must do is believe in yourself and then do not be afraid to think outside the box.

If and when appropriate, I will also review books that I believe to be relevant, and separate the good from the bad and the real for the unreal.

Remember a famous person once said "The more I work smart, the better my luck is".

Hold on to your dreams and let them inspire you to do the things that you have only dreamed of so far. Improbable and impossible are to very different things, and often what is impossible, is only because it has not been done yet.

Ben Franklin for all his knowledge and all his inventions, never dreamed of the Internet or personal computers. In his time they were "impossible".

Now we have dual core and quad core computers with gigabytes of memory and now a good terabyte hard drive can be had for under $200.00. Yet it was only yesterday that no one thought these things were possible.

Before you know it, you will look back and wonder how people got by with only a quad or opticore processor, and wonder how a program could be less than a terabyte in size, or what is was like to have less than one terabyte of system memory. You might even wonder how people made any progress with their computers when they had to type in everything instead of saying everything.

By now, you either get my point and your excited or you did not and you are snoring at your computer.

Next a look at changing your mind set and begining to make your "impossible" possible.

"Internet Gurus"

No doubt you have seen infomercials or read e-mails where you can "fire you boss" and escape the 9 to 5 rat race. But how do you decide what is real and who you can trust from the "BS"?

I did order a program I saw on an infomercial (more on that another time) but that was an exception to my usual rule.

My first rule about infomercials is I DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT THEY SAYS IS TRUE, UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE!

That does not mean to say the program or product they are selling is not a good product, just that they really have to prove it to me beyond a reasonable doubt before I will consider believing what they are saying.

Another way to check out an "Internet Guru" is do a search about the "guru" or program on the major search engines, like Google & Yahoo and any other search engines that might specialize in the topic.

If no one is saying anything good, your suspicions about the product should be very high and you should be very cautious.

I recently received an e-mail from someone offering the opportunity to make money with Affiliate Marketing , getting credit card issuers to post their link on your web site and e-books and their was also a mention about credit repair and the usual testimonials from successful "students" of this program. Well I did Google searches using the man's name, the things in his program and the name of his program.

While I certainly found a lot of mentions of his name under the topics of the program, the e-books and one of the services the man was advocating, no one was mentioned more frequently than him. So if his own "students" were to set up their web sites according to what his program advertises, how could they hope to effectively compete when he & his program turn up everywhere?

One quick comment on credit repair, the claims are usually bogus and the credit repair companies cannot do what they say they can, and they only tell you part of the story not the whole truth.

Now if it is a law firm offering "credit repair" they are far more likely to be truthful and honest with you about what can and cannot really be done, because they ultimately have their State Bar
Association to answer to if they do not act in your best interests(so long as what needs to be done does not violate the law).

Actually a second quick comment, most of what credit repair companies claim they can do, you can also do yourself. When dealing with credit bureaus you need REAL DOCUMENTARY PROOF to backup what you claim. Just saying it is not true will not cut it. Also everything should be sent by both certified and regular mail. Oopps I got stuck on my soap box and made several comments, not just one or two.

Soon, I'll have some further thoughts on "Internet Gurus". So till next time.........

Welcome & Introduction

This blog is the companion to our new site MAKEYOURINTERNETMONEY.COM. Our website is still under construction and we will be going live in approximately one month.

MAKEYOURINTERNETMONEY.COM. is designed with the e-business newbie in mind. A place where you can learn the basics of creating and running a business on the Internet, whether through an e-commerce website of your own, or using a store on E-Bay or Amazon.

So get ready to fire your boss and move beyond the grind of the 9 to 5, paycheck to paycheck world and see what owning your own time and working for yourself is all about.

Although computers & computing are not my primary areas of business(but becoming more so gradually) I will also make comments and express my opinion not only on all aspects of e-commerce, and all types of web based business, but also my point of view on new technologies, and products as they become available.

You are invited to sign up for our newsletter, once MAKINGYOURINTERNETMONEY.COM goes live in about one month.