Trick or Treat. Halloween in the great American heartland, way too much candy,costumes from Woolworth's, and ghouls from the best families...

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Author's program note. It seems to me that far too little attention has been directed to the creation of music suitable for Halloween. You can think of classic tunes for Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve... but Halloween? You will be hard pressed. That is why in considering a suitable song for today's much watered down version of its medieval predecessors... when the business at hand was dealing with things like the unhallowed dead and their piercing screams as they burnt in the fires of Hell... or something like that.

That is why for something suitably affecting (which means capable of getting your flesh to crawl and have nightmares for weeks), we need to access the far bigger archive of music made for the horror films we pay good money to scare us witless. There are many fine tunes here, but I'm going with the theme music for one of the all-time scariest films... Director George Romero's 1968 masterpiece "Night of the Living Dead." Being of a susceptible nature myself, I can assure you... this grand daddy of horror films will scare you to death which is, I know, just what you want. Find it in any search engine. Listen to the music alone in a big empty house one night when the wind is howling outside and anything could happen... especially if you happen to be dead... and unburied.

An out house and Aunt Doris Jean

Perhaps my first memory of Halloween is a story that I can laugh about a good 75 years after it happened. My father was a "good boy" from a "good family" and so he got away if not with murder, as least man slaughter. Anyway, one Halloween my father and his buddies got the suave idea of picking up the out house when someone was within and.... you get the picture. The entree and egress of relatives and friends was carefully noted and victim selected: my father's younger sister Doris Jean who was of a noticeable plumpness and a shy disposition. In due course she was left alone in the night air.. suitably pranked... while the laughter of the boys skimmed along the wind like pucas. It was midden mayhem and makes us all smile unless you're a teen-age girl in the icky stage or a 14 year-old boy... and then you'll think this the funniest thing you've ever heard. This set the tone for all future Halloweens, more I regret to report in the telling than in the doing.

Pranks

I have long felt an avowed contempt for the neighborhood children who, all unknowing, let down the side on the matter of "trick or treat." Not one child in a thousand stops to think (or even cares) that they are the current repositories of an age-old tradition, a tradition where the house holder got to throw down his answer to the question of the hour: "trick or treat?" Here are the facts:

The children would knock on the door. The house holder, sometimes dressed for the occasion, especially if they were having a Halloween party, would answer and look astonished at the motley crew of pirates and princesses, pretending not to know a single one. This crew would then scream the choices in high pitched voice and glee, defying the answering authority to make his choice... to either be fleeced by the little monsters at his door there and then... or suffer their judicious mischief later. The flood of cheap candy ensured that canny house holders would get off lightly. It was sensible to just pay up in high sugar booty.

As for other tried and true pranks to the deserving, these included soaping windows (always with Ivory soap since it was the most difficult to remove and could do real damage), limburger cheese in the car manifold (guaranteed stench for weeks or even longer), revolting things in sure-find places I once froze a snake and put it in the freezer where my mother was sure to find it. Before she closed the door on her hasty conference with my father, I heard these words indicating this operation was a complete success, "Don, we've got to do something about Jeffrey..."

There were still more certified pranks... just mischief you understand... including the lavish use of toilet paper in unusual (and difficult to remove) places... and my personal piece de resistance: the evening I worked long and hard when my brother Kevin was sleeping to create a massive spider web in which he was positioned in the center as dinner. How I managed to do this without waking him remains a mystery even to me. His screams when he awoke and saw those red eyes starring at him resonate in my mind... and with total satisfaction since this was the accomplished work of a master.

The matter of costumes.

As every cinema star knows, the importance of having just the right clothes is absolutely vital. That's what made a dress genius like Edith Head so valuable to the studios... she could turn a sow's ear into a silk purse... but the problem is we had no such genius at hand in Downers Grove, Illinois circa 1955. Just plenty of sows' ears. Thus, there were just two choices: buy or make do with whatever you had, an odd assortment of old clothes and the even then well worn costumes of past years. What was that red stain on the ghost costume? Blood? Lipstick? Difficult to tell.

If you had a costume in mind (as many kids did) you were advised by mom to check the old stuff first. Smart parents counted pennies. But you ranted, railed and threw carefully calibrated tantrums to get what you wanted: something new that would command the eye and admiration of all. Your pleadings, screamings, and artful displays of pique and pertinacity have won you the right to looking for something new and wonderful... not like the abashing hand-me-downs and that "old clothes" look that's so distressing. And thus came the visits to the only two establishments in town that could assist, Mackey's General Store and Woolworth's.

It's hard to impart for the new generation of online buyers what a big deal it was to go searching for just the right costume. Shopping online gives you far greater choice, efficiency, comfort and speed... but it lacks the essential mystique so necessary in selecting a costume, for well under $5, tax included. But at last you did find the costume you so wanted,but whose very mention in later years will make you red with embarrassment when the inevitable photos are dragged out.

Now it's time for grannie... and the loot.

The first place we went after getting ready was always my mother's mother, Victoria Lauing. She knew just how to play Halloween, as she knew how to play so much else. She made a point of pretending she didn't know you until the masks came off and the "It's you!" comments came. Masterful. And she made sure we were well stocked up on her famous popcorn balls, made only at Halloween and with Karo corn syrup; their secret went to the grave with her. But that was no concern of anyone in costume. We had a treasure trove to find and gather, the better to induce stomach cramps and ruin our appetites for months.

Suffice it to say, we perfected our "trick or treat" strategies until they produced unseemly bumper crops. But before we were allowed to sample a single morsel (and here our rules of operation were exacting), mother spread a clean sheet on the floor and poured our finds on it, my brother and I keeping a sharp watch so that neither got an extra chocolate bar, the certain property of the other. Infractions were frequent.

Then my mother did what made her such a good mother. She scrutinized everything with practised, skeptical eye... and was ruthless in discarding. One year, one of our neighbors was giving out old comic books and copies of "Mad Magazine," and Kevin and I both got several... which she promptly threw in the fire and stirred them into the flame. Such trash, however funny, had no place in her house, or our lives. It is because of her protective love of literacy, words, and language that I am a professional writer today with millions of readers worldwide.

That why I'd like nothing more than the chance to visit this Halloween with my ghosts, grandmother and mother both, popcorn balls for all... a very different night of the living dead...

About the author

Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses.

Your response to this article is requested. What do you think? Let Dr. Lant know by posting your comments below. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

Safelist Advertising: What it is and how to get the best possible results.

Safelist advertising is a powerful, effective advertising resource for affiliate marketers. Here's why and how to maximize your responses.

A Safelist is a mailing list where Members can email each other. These emails cannot be considered as spam because Member must opt-in to receive the mailings and also have confirmed their email address. A Safelist can be used to advertise a product or service, including business opportunities, affiliate programs, home business products, Clickbank products and so forth. Most Safelists work by allowing Members to earn credits but also offer paid advertising. Basic Membership in a Safelist is usually free.

Benefits of Safelist Advertising

1. Affordable: Cost is ZERO to join most safelists. You can either surf to earn credits for your own advertising, or you can pay a very small cost for a paid subscription. Paid subscriptions allow you to post more often and to more people. If you can afford it get a paid subscription, cost can be as little as $10 and up.

2. Targeted: You reach a targeted audience of other home business folks, affiliate marketers, entrepreneurs and information seekers.

3. Legitimate: Once scoffed at as a cheesy time-wasting practice, Safelists are a legitimate marketing practice and have gained credibility and popularity. Spam laws have limited the number of ways to market a product or service. Safelist Advertising allows marketers to reach consumers easily and legitimately with their permission.

4. Variety: There are various forms of advertising available within Safelist programs. Members have many options for advertising affordably and this can include Text Ads, HTML ads, solo ads, banners, login ads, landing pages, ad rotations etc.

5. Reach: Creating your own in-house mailing list is ideal but does take an enormous amount of time and can be self-limiting to who is on your own list. To reach larger, new audiences, affiliate marketers have discovered the power of being able to post to a large legitimate list of people. To get better results from your Safelist advertising, here is what you need to know.

Always, always, always promote a LANDING PAGE and NOT your website when using Safelist Advertising. Remember you want to make an eye-popping offer and get an instant result. Your website can't and won't do that in most cases.

A Landing Page that will generate results includes:
-Attention Grabbing headline
-Point form, punchy copy thick with the benefits to the reader
-A call to action, DO THIS! GET THIS!
-Lead form to gather contact details of the person.
-Option to subscribe to your newsletter, or receive further special offers
-More copy than graphics so your page loads quickly and command attention with words not distracting unnecessary graphics.

When posting your ads, don't rely on just one Safelist. If your funds are limited select 3 - 5 to get started and post as often as you can. If you have a dud ad that doesn't get response, change it up, run a revised or different ad.

Make sure you have some type of ad tracking software so when you post and ad you can see the click-rate and analyze the effective of your ads. Many Safelists offer this tool for their Members.

The key to effective Safelist Advertising is three fold.

1) Get a paid subscription from a number of reputable Safelists so you can promote to larger audiences and more often.
2) Promote a well-written copy-dense Landing Page with minimal graphics. Emphasis is on eye-grabbing headline, benefit-laden copy, and ultra-fast loading.
3) Pick only reputable Safelists.

Tell us what you think about Safelists? What are your favourites? Submit a comment below.

About the Author

Sandi Hunter is the Director of Website Development at Worldprofit Inc. Worldprofit provides a number of services for the small and home-based business community including hosting, design, webconferencing, traffic, advertising, SEO, safelists, traffic exchanges, training and resources. This year Worldprofit marks their 17th year in business. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

Semper paratus. What every boy scout knows will help you create blog copythat can be used forever while you (and rightly) congratulate yourself, smartie.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Author's program note. My mother used regularly to bring down the house when she'd say "When I was a cub scout (when Abe Lincoln was president)..." and then her usual sharp-as-a-tack observation on any subject under the sun. We'd all laugh and knew POM (Poor Old Mother) was chipper indeed, all being well.

So I can affirm that when she was a cub scout, when Honest Abe was president, every one of those scouts, as a matter of urgent priority, knew at least two words of Latin... "semper paratus," always ready.

And I am glad to tell you that our ship-shape lads and lassies of the United States Coast Guard know these words as well. Which is why this vital part of the nation's defenses uses them, enshrined as they are in a bouncy composition, as peppy and upbeat as America itself. It seems the lyrics were written first by Captain Francis Saltus Van Boskerck in 1922. The music was composed later, in 1927, on a "beat-up old piano" while his ship was stationed in Unalaska, Alaska, which is no doubt this burg's undying (and perhaps only) claim to fame.

But here the puzzles and conundra begin. Why did Homer Smith, that busy body, change the lyrics in 1943, jarring the spirit and eternal serenity of Captain Francis, only to have his words rewritten again in 1969? Perhaps "paratus" wasn't as "semper" as they thought.

And here, I must add yet another "semper", an admonition to all writers, artists and composers who value the calm and peace of their auditors and readers: please, I implore you, having finished your opus, record for inquiring humanity the facts about it, who wrote it, your birth (and sad to say death) date, the circumstances of its creation, etc. anything, in fact, which will impart to all eternity key facts about your inspired work. If you do this, you are sure to get -- and keep -- the undying credit you deserve. And isn't this, after all, what you want?

Before commencing this article, go to any search engine and play that rousing "Semper Paratus" march... sing along, too, with the lyrics that will help turn your blog into a great money machine, the cynosure of every discerning eye:

" 'Semper Paratus' is our guide, Our fame, our glory, too. To fight to save, or fight and die!"

The vital importance not merely of having a blog... but of having a growing archive of material you can use in your blog, re-use, and use yet again.

This article was inspired by an article I wrote August 22, 2011 on Moammar Khadafy, the collapse of his murderous regime, and my commentary on what this important event meant for Libya, its peoples, and the world. It was blogged just as the capital city of Tripoli was freed, for the first time in over 4 decades of barbarism. The article was timely, powerful, valid, prophetic. As such, it generated widespread interest and tens of thousands of reader comments and heartfelt reactions. It also provided a means for the people allowed to blog it to publish their ads along with this insightful article, just as any other publisher bringing this story to their readers... and making money simultaneously; the essential formula for successful blogging.

For these traditional publishers their article on the fall of Tripoli and the regime of repression and death, was run once and once only... but for the blog publishers running this article, these wise folks acquired not merely an article... but a tool they could use for weeks, months and even years to come... with only the need to write a new, timely preface and their own observations matured as events progressed and developed.

Your first task is to stop thinking of yourself as a traditional periodical publisher and think instead of yourself as an innovative blog publisher, supremely knowledgeable and clever about, first, writing and publishing, and, then, updating and re-using every single word you write.

Here then are the crucial steps you must take to take advantage -- remember, for months and years ahead -- of your golden words.

1) Write regularly. Personally, I write at least 18-20 new blog articles each and every month. Each article is approximately 1,500 words in length and fits into one of the over 25 subject categories in which I write blog commentary. These subjects range from American politics, to literature, music, world history and events, appreciations for the lives and achievements of famous people... and people you have never heard of... and many more. The more topics you write on, the more people will be glad to receive your blog... and read and respond to the ads which you simultaneously send. And, remember, sending these ads... and reaping the rewards that accrue as a result... is a prime reason for publishing your blog in the first place.

2) Develop a file of headlines and prefaces to accompany each (re-used) article. Use language like this:

Back by popular demand!

Our readers loved this article the first time round, you'll love it, too.

We received thousands of responses from this article. Here it is again... read it and please respond at once.

New developments on (subject). That's why you'll want to read this and respond at once.

Get the picture?

You need to open a file and regularly add verbiage designed to motivate, excite, and enthuse your readers... and you must always be alert to motivating configurations of language... and, of course, adding them to this file at once... never trusting to frail and fallible human memory.

3) Now pay attention to the world and its events by following the well-known all news channels and, of course, online sources. Your job is to be aware of what's happening... then pull articles on the same or related topics from your archive, update, then blog them.. along with your ad copy... as fast as you can. One of my esteemed and smart colleagues, Alan Schmitt of San Diego, California is a whiz at this.

He was watching CNN when the news broke about the death of dictator Khadafy. He went to my blog at jeffreylantarticles.com as he was authorized and entitled to do... and within 5 minutes had pulled the article, read it, made his comments and blogged it... to gratifying and profitable results. He just informed me that he did the same thing today using an important article on the New Hampshire primary I wrote some months ago, as part of my series on American politics. Again, simply by adding a few words, he squeezed more gold and benefit from this timely article. Bravissimo!

Now get started! Because now you are indeed "semper paratus"... ready to jump on and profit from a constantly growing number of articles which can easily be updated... and so turned, time and again, to money in your pocket. For in the words of that perky march, today's occasional music, "We're always ready for the call."

" High shall our purpose be, 'Semper Paratus' is our guide."... along, you may be sure, with the acute guidelines and recommendations of this article, too!

--> Your response to this article is requested. What do you think? Let me know by posting your comments below.

About the Author

Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Jeffrey Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

Keys to Successful Online Marketing

There are many people today who are using online marketing to their fullest advantage. With a few savvy Internet marketing techniques, they make a good living from the comfort of home. However, Internet marketing is not as easy as it looks. It takes time and effort to learn to do the job right. We've got three tips that will help you see success with your online marketing venture.

#1 - Do Your Research
Before you leap into the world of online marketing, do your research. Talk with others who have gone before you in this field and seen success. These marketing gurus have learned the fine art of online marketing through the best teacher of all; experience. Look for experts who have a proven track record of success. Find a program that will lay the entire process out for you so you can follow the formula quickly, easily and without fail.

#2 - Create a High Quality Buyers List
This is more than a list of email addresses that will receive your latest offerings. A high quality buyers list will be filled with people in your particular niche who are willing to open their checkbooks on your recommendation. This list will reap serious results every time you send out a promotional email. Find out how to create such a list from people who have already done so successfully, like this one here:

Click Here To Download Your Free List Building Report

#3 - Succeed in Affiliate Promotion Contests
When a new product is launched, the company will often hold a promotional contest for the affiliates involved in the marketing efforts. When you do well in these contests, you establish yourself as a savvy online marketing expert who can get the job done. Of course, if you have followed the first two steps well, this third step should come fairly easily. Check out this program for more information about successful online marketing:

Click Here To Download Your Free List Building Report

Copy. Paste. Promote. Repeat. You've got to be kidding right?

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

How do you build an online business? Copy. Paste. Promote. Repeat.

I really hate using the first expression because I LOVE elephants but to make a point sometimes you have to be blunt.

This blog is meant to be direct and maybe make you a little irritated so you will REACT. A reaction is better than nothing. Hopefully that irritation leads to a reaction which leads to an action.

Forgive me if the tone of this blog sounds a bit tongue in cheek. My purpose is to try and get you to simplify tasks so you can get the results you want. I'd like you to think about things from a different perspective.

Every day I talk to people all over the world who are trying to build their online business. Some are having no success, some are having mixed success, some are just getting started, some have been working an online business for years. The ones who are hugely successful, I never hear from - hmmm strange.

What's the difference between the successful and the non-successful? Well it depends on who you ask and your definition of success. Here's my take on it.

People who are successful are DOERS!
They don't over think, they plod in and get busy.
They make mistakes, they learn, they try again.
They fall down, they get up again as often as it takes to get the job done. They simplify; they don't overcomplicate.
They have a unique way of looking at things, and attacking a task.
They FOCUS on what needs to be done, eliminate distraction.
They understand that small tasks can lead to big results.
They find what works and stick to it.
They have a patience many of us just can't fathom.
Failure is not an option.

I had the honour of playing a round of golf with a Professional Golfer last week. This guy was good and had won numerous tournaments. I asked him how he got to be such a good golfer and this is what he told me. He said, "I've played golf since I was 4. I'm 24 now. I've played golf pretty much every day my entire life." I then said to him, "so you did the same thing everyday and got really good at it?" He looked at me for a moment to make sure that I was being serious about something so obvious then he said. "Yes, I got some lessons and instructions then practised every day and here I am."

So if I can draw from that, if you want to be good at something - successful at something - do it everyday - over and over and over again!

Could it be that simple?

Building your online business is as simple as Copy. Paste. Promote. Repeat. Everyday?

What do you think? Post your comments below. I'd like to see your thoughts.

About the Author

Sandi Hunter is the Director of Website Development at Worldprofit Inc. Worldprofit provides a number of services for the small and home-based business community including hosting, design, webconferencing, traffic, advertising, SEO, training and resources. This year Worldprofit marks their 17th year in business. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

21 Recommended Books for Entrepreneurs

Often when I am consulting with clients, I am asked to recommend books for entrepreneurs. I have compiled a list of titles on my shelf that I think are worth reading. Success in business means constantly learning and evolving, what better way to do so than sitting down with a good book. These are in no particular order. I hope you enjoy them as I have.

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley & William Danko

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries & Jack Trout

The Intelligent Entrepreneur by Bill Murphy

Cash Copy by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

The Wealthy Barber and The Wealthy Barber Returns By David Chilton (these will appeal especially to Canadians reading this article)

Midas Touch: Why Some Entrepreneurs Get Rich-And Why Most Don't by Donald J. Trump and Robert Kiyosaki

The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur by Mike Micalowicz

7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness by Jim Rohn

Alpha Dogs: How Your Small Business Can Become a Leader of the Pack by Donna Fenn

Illusions of Entrepreneurship by Scott A. Shane

Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim

Magic of Thinking BIG by David J Schwartz

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas by Dan Kennedy

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell (His book, The Outliers is really a good book too but less related to Entrepreneurs)

Why We Buy by Paco Underhill

The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox

Screw It, Let's Do It by Richard Branson

Maximum Achievement: Strategies and Skills That Will Unlock Your Hidden Powers to Succeed by Brian Tracy

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

You Need to Be a Little Crazy: The Truth About Starting and Growing Your Own Business by Barry Moltz

Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar

Of course these are print books. There are lots of superb blogs and websites targeted at entrepreneurs. I will save that list for another post as it will be a very long list. For now I think you have some reading to do? Enjoy.

NOTE: Let us know what you think. We've love to hear which are your favourite titles. Open minds invite new ideas, sharing ideas makes us all a little smarter.

About the Author

Sandi Hunter is the Director of Website Development at Worldprofit Inc. Worldprofit provides a number of services for the small and home-based business community including hosting, design, webconferencing, traffic, advertising, SEO, training and resources. This year Worldprofit marks their 17th year in business. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

5 Critical Tips for Hosting Your Webinar like a PRO for maximum results!

When hosting webinars there are some very important points to consider so your audience has a positive experience and you professionally deliver the event. At my company, we use webinars daily to build our business, and there are good reasons that you should too.

There are various webinar, or webcast software and services available from a number of sources at various prices. You can host the webinar any time, from anywhere in the world. The cost to you is reasonable, and the cost to your participants can be free or at an admission price you set. Webinars can be discussion based, education or information based, sales-related, or tutorial in nature. Having a clear purpose for your webinar will help you in your preparation and marketing.

No matter what platform you use to broadcast your webinar, here are some tips to ensure a professional webinar.

1. Prepare. Before you schedule your first webinar, make sure you understand how to use the software to deliver your webinar presentation. Read through the online manuals, watch the tutorials and know how to get Technical Support should you encounter any problems. It's recommended that you do a test run to make sure you understand how to deliver the webinar, how participants access your event, how to use any additional tools and training aids. If you are charging for your event make sure your order forms work and are secure. If you plan to deliver specific points than make sure you have either prepared presentation slides for the audience to also keep you on track or, that you have notes handy for reference as needed. In your testing phase test your camera, the sound levels and the online presentation materials for clarity, readability and errors.

2. Consider a Co-Host. Some of the best webinars I have attended and hosted, have been those with a co-presenter or host. It's quite hard to just be on screen all by yourself talking away. It can feel like you are in a vacuum. Having a co-presenter allows you time to have a break to organize your thoughts. A co-host permits you to volley topics back and forth and make an online discussion more interesting for your audience. Don't try to deliver all your points or information in one session. Consider a series of webinars with various topics on one theme, or consider segmented parts for a continuing series. Invite guest experts as a co-host to keep your content varied and in-demand.

3. Rules of Teaching. If you are a novice to being an educator remember some common rules of teaching. Go slow. Don't worry about repeating critical points, it helps people learn. Summarize important points onto slides, whiteboard or visual aids. Sharing your desktop or screen allows the audience to follow along with your points. Adobe has a product called AdobeConnect that is an excellent desktop sharing program. It's helpful to include important links for later reference by participants. Consider your audience, and their familiarity with the topic, experience, gender, background, prospect vs customer, time zone, etc.

4. Encourage Interactivity with Questions and Answers. Depending on how you format your webinar, you may either allow participants to post questions during your session for response as required. Or you may prefer to wait until the end of your presentation. For discussion based webinars, it makes sense to take questions or comments throughout your session. Interactive sessions are ones that are often the most memorable, the audience learn the most, and helps the host connect more meaningfully with the participants. The feedback you get from your participants will help you stay on track and hone your skills and topics as a presenter for your next event.

5. Record your Webinar. If your Webinar or Web Conferencing platform allows you to record the event, definitely do so. You can then archive these sessions for future use, promotion, or reference. It allows you to create a library of your webinars, and the recorded sessions add lasting power to your event long after the live session has concluded. Participants unable to attend your LIVE webinar will appreciate the convenience of watching the recorded version.

About the Author

Sandi Hunter is the Director of Website Development at Worldprofit Inc. Worldprofit provides a number of services for the small and home-based business community including hosting, design, webconferencing, traffic, advertising, SEO, training and resources. This year Worldprofit marks their 17th year in business.

Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

Would you rather stick needles in your eyes then blog? 10 Ways to Make Life Easier for Bloggers with limited time and writing ability.

Ok, you know you are supposed to blog. The marketing experts agree that blogging consistently is a sure-fire way to get your site well indexed by the search engines and get those oh-so-important backlinks for your site. But let's face the reality. Coming up with fresh interesting blog content 365 days a year is darn difficult. You know it's important but getting started is so hard. You understand you need the value that blogging provides from search engines gobbling up your content. But how? ! How do you come up with fresh blog content and find the time. Here's some ideas to make your life easier but also to get better results for your efforts.

1. Blog about what you know or are passion about so the words stream from your keyboard rather then having to struggle to spit out the words and put sentences together. It's always easier to talk about something you know or care about or that is controversial then technical or dry topics.

2. You don't have to be an expert (unless you really are an expert and offering expert content on a specific topic). Write about specifics if you can, generalities if you have to, but write about something!

3. You don't have to be a blogger who writes with grammatical perfection. Your English teacher is not reading your blog. Stop thinking that the world is going to judge you critically if you misspell a word or don't know all the rules of grammar. Of course you want your blog to be as good as it can be, but don't let the quest for perfection make a 20 minute blog post take you hours to complete.

4. Ideally, to get the most benefit from search engines indexing your blog, you want to blog about topics related to your products, service or business. But that can be really tough to write about just one subject every day. Try spacing out your blogs so that some are on topic for your purpose, while others are off topic, or about current events. Add in your Resource Box at the end of every post (see point 7 below).

5. Keep your blog posts short. Keep your blog to the point, itemize, organize, number points if you have to. Do what you have to do make it easy and quick for you to write and easy and quick for your readers to digest. Sometimes less is more.

6. Let the world around you be your inspiration for blogs topics. This can include songs, newspaper headlines, nature, current events, other bloggers, daily happenings in the course of your life, things your kids say or do. Get the idea. There are NO limits.

7. Always, conclude your post with a Resource Box or Author info section with every blog. Why? So that your contact info and identifying information is tagged with EVERY blog post and not tucked away on an About page. Ensure that your Resource Box includes your name, contact details, areas of expertise, and link to your site or landing page. It is also a good idea to weave your optimal key words into your Resource Box. This way the key words you want people to find you with are associated with your blog, your name, and your company. This proves beneficial if you write about something not directly related to your business, products or services, you still get the benefit of the key word content about yourself, and a backlink to your site, or landing page.

8. Sometimes it helps to start with a really catchy Blog title. Take a lesson from the newspapers. They construct clever eye-grabbing attention getting headlines to draw you in. Start with a really bold, in your face, descriptive or reaction provoking headline to get immediate attention. The let your content come forth from the headline.

9. Set a goal to blog on a regular basis. If you can't blog every day, then do it every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Set exact dates and times that work for you. If you don't you will always find some other distraction to convince yourself is more important. Set a goal, stick to it, do it!

10. Make the most of the time you have spent on your blog by then tweeting it, posting it to Linked In, adding to your Facebook profile and other social media sites. Maximize the power of the time you spent blogging by utilizing social media to spread the message to other sites. You can use automated tools to do this to save time. Include links to your social media sites on your blog itself for even more exposure.

About the Author:

Sandi Hunter, is the Director of Website Development at Worldprofit Inc. Worldprofit provides hosting, design, training, traffic, support and specialized software for small and home based business owners. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

Beach Vacations For Winter

During the winter months, finding a beach vacation
spot can be a little difficult. It doesn't have
to be, which is where this article will really come
in handy. Below, you'll find some resorts that
offer a unique twist to your winter beach vacation.

1. Molokai Ranch and Lodge
On a white sand shore on the tiny Hawaiian island of
Molokai, guests will stay in comfortable yet unique
tents. Each double unit canvas bungalow sits on
wooden platforms, offers queen size beds in one
unit, twin beds in the other, solar powered lights,
and a private bathroom with hot water showers.

The Molokai Ranch and Lodge offers over 54,000
acres, including seaside cliffs with very lush
valleys. The outdoor activities here include sea
kayaking, cultural hikes, mountain biking, and
horseback rides. For the kids, the lodge offers
nature walks, horse stables, tidal pools and
Hawaiian arts and crafts.

2. Grand Wailea Resort and Spa of Hawaii
Long ago, a big swimming pool was enough to make
guests happy. Now days, resorts compete in water
activities such as lagoons, waterfalls, water
slides, and even lazy rivers.

The Grand Wailea Resort offers several attractions,
such as the 4,580 square foot Hibiscus pool,
and the 25,700 square foot Canyon Activity pool
which is great for families.

3. Atlantis Resort of the Bahamas
In the amazing water fun department is the unique
Atlantis Resort and Spa on Paradise Island in
the Bahamas. Along with the beach, the Atlantis
has eleven swimming pools, Mayan Temple water
slides, and lazy river rides. The Atlantis
also boasts an amazing marine habitat, with
exhibit lagoons that house more than 50,000
sea animals.

4. Club Med Punta Cana
Over the last several years, the Dominion
Republic has been working very hard to establish
itself as a destination for families, with many
all inclusives being built. This location has
all the perks of a tropical resort plus stand
out features that include kids programs, and
other attractions that make Club Med Punta Cana
one of the most unique beach vacation spots in
the entire world.

5. Virgin Islands
The US Virgin Islands National Park is a very
unique vacation spot with white sandy beaches, and
lodging in comfortable tent cottages.

As with the Molokai Ranch, guest cottages are built
on platforms and designed to be both attractive
and comfortable. Each one has a sleeping area,
bed linen, towels, kitchen utensils, stove, ice
cooler, and even a private deck.

Water sports for the area include kayaking, wind
surfing, snorkeling, and scuba diving. There is
also an outdoor restaurant and a food store for
those who want to cook from the privacy of their
own room.


http://www.dailynicheidea.com/?rid=42242

Got an idea to change the world? Then you could get $1000 free. That'sAwesome.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Author's program note. If you live in a college town like I do (Cambridge, Massachusetts) you're going to hear the undergrads talk about the "awesome" this, the even more "awesome" that. Usually I don't pay much attention to this because the word is habitually misapplied and misused. I mean just how "awesome" can the umpteenth pizzeria be, right?

But today I have got an idea for you, an idea that's, well, "awesome", particularly if you're of an inventive turn of mind and need 1000 smackers to help you with your improve-the-world idea. Just a free thousand bucks, with no strings attached.

Too good to be true? That's the awesome part! It's that "once in a blue moon", "it is what they say it is," "I'll be darned" idea.

For such an idea, soon to be revealed to you, I've selected the song that'll start any day off right, even if your voice needs re-inventing. It's "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin;' " from the 1947 Broadway musical "Oklahoma!" by Rogers and Hammerstein. You can easily find it in any search engine. Let 'er rip... especially when you're completing the simple form that could net you a free grand.

2008 Harvard grad Tim Hwang's awesome idea.

Tim Hwang, like most of us, hates paperwork, bureaucracy, and wasting time with stupid and "what's the point?" tasks. But unlike the rest of us, Hwang actually did something about his annoying pet peeve and irritation. The beneficiaries are those special people who have had that proverbial "aha!" moment, that exciting instant in time that signifies the fact you've just given birth to what the world always needs... another bright idea. We just can't get enough of them.

In the real world, your brand-new, bright-shiney idea would quickly become the easiest part of an endless list of things to do, especially if you want -- money! (As every single inventor in human history has.)

It becomes a backbreaking task, doing this, doing that, hurry up and wait for funding sources that seem to be friendly and accessible in their brochures, then morph into inhabitants of an "undisclosed location" when you want to hit them up for something. That common situation is awful...

Hwang's "aha!" moment.

Cambridge is a city where everyone and his brother is Always Imagining Something, Doing Something and, in due course, Achieving Something and (nice this) Giving Back Something. It's a very exciting, motivating environment where establishments of every kind could well have "Creative People Need Apply" signs on the door. It's most addictive. Tim Hwang is one of these people and even at his young age is already in the Give Back category. Here's what he dreamed up... and how that object of your affection -- you! -- can benefit.

First Hwang came to be aware of one of the truest facts on earth, viz. that to get money from people they require you to fill out a whole filing cabinet's worth of forms. It's time-consuming, often daunting, and always as dull as dishwater. But Hwang built a better mousetrap, so to speak, giving away money -- real Yankee greenbacks -- with a form so simple you won't have apoplexy or worse completing it and -- drum roll -- no (universally hated) reporting requirements at all. Nirvana!

Hwang credits the MacArthur Foundation for inspiring him. MacArthur awards the so-called "genius grants" which give folks a truly awesome $500,000 to use however they want without being forced to complete a single page of application or meet a single reporting requirement. I could use one of those myself! Hwang took this established mode of helping idea people... and gave it an awesome turn.

The Awesome Foundation.

Hwang's idea was new, innovative, and (biggest deal of all) so flexible it could help any idea reckoned as "awesome" by either the trustees of the newly established "Awesome Foundation" or the people who came up with the ideas and applied for the money. Hwang's "foundation" is not a classic grants-making foundation at all. Instead it is a singular way for idea people to apply -- and easily get -- a thousand dollars to use towards any idea they dream up and submit to the trustees.

These trustees are a key to the foundation's success, first because they each kick in $100 a month, from which the awards are made; second because they are responsible for determining which "awesome" idea gets the money. This involves judgement as fine as King Solomon's. Here's an example of a recent conundrum presented to the trustees of the original chapter, now known as the Boston chapter. 130 folks applied in August, 2011... 128 of these, while awesome , were not awesome enough. And so it came down to just 2 people.

The first wanted to buy a couple of goats to rent out as urban lawn mowers. The second was a sculptor who wanted to change careers and asked the Foundation to fund a portable welder so he could go round and fix his deteriorating city. And so, after further careful consideration, the trustees selected the disenchanted sculptor and his awesome idea for reinventing himself and his city.

It grows as it goes.

The motto for the state of New Mexico is also appropriate for the Awesome Foundation and its labor of love. This simple idea of people helping people and providing some financial encouragement, too, is truly an idea whose time has come. As a result Tim Hwang has got himself a tiger by the tail. There are already 23 chapters around the world; Australia is the farthest away from Cambridge... Detroit is the newest. They both need a hand from whoever is willing to help.

Largesse from the Knight Foundation.

At the Awesome Foundation's website (awesomefoundation.org) enthusiastic members post evidence of their work's success. It reads like what it is, a bulletin board of all the available evidence that the Foundation is moving ahead smartly. It is an amateur production in need of sharper design and copy, but the overall effect is positive; of real people who could have ignored the problems they deal with choosing instead to do something useful, even if that was limited.

This positive, hands-on, people-helping idea came to the attention of the bigger fish at the Knight Foundation whose decision makers liked what they saw, and gave $244,000, so joining the Awesome cause. This grant, the biggest yet to Awesome, will fund an initiative to provide microgrants to citizen journalism projects in Detroit. It's Knight's way of endorsing Awecome and helping Detroit, a basket case among America's wide array of urban plights.

And I'll tell you something. I think that's just plain Awesome, don't you think?

To apply for one of Awesome's $1000 no-strings grants, go to awesomefoundation.org

About the Author

Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Jeffrey Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

When your experts disagree and why every connoisseur needs a conservator of integrity and verve... like I have.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Author's program notes. When I go to an art museum, gallery or auction house I am eagle-eyed and fastidious to a degree. A nick in the frame, the dust and grime of centuries, the general effect sad and forlorn, all these I see. I see, too, the myriad of other defects in these often bedraggled artifacts which are a severely neglected part of our artistic inheritance. I see them... I decry them... but if the picture in question be on offer... such defects constitute a cri de coeur I cannot resist.

For I am a good Samaritan, thrilled by finding something that was once splendid but has fallen upon hard times; an object once of brilliance and splendor, calling to me to restore it to its pristine allure.

I hear the cry, I see the need, but alone I cannot do the task. To achieve the desired result I need a collaborator... a person as fastidious as I am, as exacting, as motivated to return a once beautiful thing to its full, proud state. I need -- Simon Gillespie, sleuth, chemist, aesthete, magician. And, as this article will prove, I am lucky to have him, just as he is lucky to have me... both essential for the achievement of the goal.

For the incidental music to this article, I have selected, so perfect, Modest Mussorgsky's 1874 suite "Pictures at an Exhibition" (which you'll find in any search engine) because I know what going to exhibitions with Simon is like. We are both opinionated men, men of wit and wisdom, men unafraid to weigh in on the relative merits of any picture by any artist on earth... we are men, too, who enjoy, as what true connoisseur does not, life's good things... and we like to share them, too.

Dorotheum.

I am always on the hunt for another picture for my collection. One admirable place to find the Old Masters I desire is in Vienna at Dorotheum, where since 1707 connoisseurs have found pictures to their taste. I loved it at once and I somewhat regret sharing this information with you, as I know you will love it, too, and someday we may vie for the same object, to your dismay since I am unrelenting where the pursuit of beauty and ownership are concerned. Still, as I am a good Samaritan...

At Dorotheum I find the treasures particularly of Middle Europe, lands of nobility, culture, and of once proud dynasties now with impecunious relations who sell history with regret. I feel completely at home in these corridors...

The "Gnaw" test.

... The picture of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II captured my eye at once. It was, even in its terrible condition, worth a second glance.... then a third. It portrays the future Emperor as Grand Duke of Tuscany, in 1765 , a lucky boy who had been gifted with the city of Florence and environs to reign over. It was a fate any civilized person could enjoy without cavil. His brother Joseph II was emperor of all, with all the world's problems. Fortunate Leopold had la dolce vita and the portrait, for all its imperfections, showed that.

Thus fortified, I slept on the matter, and it passed the "gnaw" test; viz., if the item in question is of sufficient interest that it gnaws at you ... then you must pursue the matter. That is the connoisseur's credo, and I adhere to it fiercely.

I emailed the efficient staff at Dorotheum, requested the condition report (it made for almost macabre reading what with all its damages and how they happened)... and then asked to speak with the staff expert on this picture. She was charming, knowledgeable -- and adamant.

"Do not buy this picture."

If you have never done business with any of the major auction houses, you may well be incredulous at an employee therein telling a customer looking for reasons to buy that such reasons were few, indeed non-existent, and that you'd be most sorry if you disregarded the advice not to purchase. But there is a method to this madness and that is the value of long-time satisfied customers. Such customers in the Old Masters category can easily buy objects totaling hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars in a lifetime. Thus these auction houses, many founded like Dorotheum in the 18th century, take the long view -- and so their candor stems from more than basic honesty... it is good business.

Dorotheum's in-house expert on the painting had good reasons for what she said: the picture, not to put too fine a point on the matter, was an unholy mess, as you can see from the " before" photo above. What's more, the picture was so far gone that restoration, in her professional opinion, was impossible. The object was well and truly one step from the ignoble street vendor or flea market. And that, so she said, was that.

But there she was wrong... I had Simon Gillespie in my corner. And I was on the telephone to him a few minutes after I had heard what Dorotheum's expert had to say.

"How long have I done your pictures?"

Many years ago, I purchased from Sotheby's in London a magnificent portrait of Queen Victoria's handsome, irresponsible father-in-law, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. It should have been in Buckingham Palace but probably wasn't because Her Majesty didn't approve of his hurtful behavior towards his son, her adored Prince Albert. And so wafted by this royal displeasure, the picture commenced its history of peregrinations. Until I saw it, wanted it, but didn't at all like the idea of living with its imperfections. I had enough of my own.

I asked the expert assigned to this picture to recommend a restorer and conservator... and thus Simon Gillespie and I came to know each other and work together towards assembling pictures of note... and bringing them back to life. When I told Simon what Dorotheum's expert had said, he answered briefly and to the point: "How long have I done your pictures?" In short, his opinion, stated frankly and without equivocation was to acquire this off-putting picture and let him get on with the job at hand. Expert advice and all importantly expert results make me who advise so many take heed at his advice. And so, over the course not just of years,but of decades, Simon has brought recommendations to me; I have brought my potential finds to him for always candid advice. And one picture after another (now a thing of beauty yet again) has embarked for the New World to my domain...

... and each time they arrive, I am the proverbial kid in the candy shop, for, remember, until that moment I have not actually seen the object but in photographs... each acquisition instead acquired on the recommendation of one sage fellow who has never misadvised or misdirected me.

Stunning, smart, chic, how does he do it?

And so the latest item in my happy avocation is now in Cambridge... the picture I was explicitly told to avoid... but took bolder counsel from Simon. And, of course, to see the "before" and the "after" is to know at once why a good conservator would never do... it had to be the best. And so it is. In every work he and his attentive staff take on... you are sure to find a result of integrity, for Simon like me,is supremely dedicated to doing the right thing, the accurate thing, the thing that "restores", not invents.

Each picture he saves, and many have been celebrated masterpieces down on their luck, is the work of a lifetime. For Simon is a conservator to his fingertips. That means he has helped back to health one work after another, learning in their subjects, their compositions, their brush strokes and flourishes their secrets... and so he keeps good faith with them and their creators... and the same good faith to customers like me who demand authenticity and in Simon Gillespie they always get it.

To contact Simon Gillespie Studio in London email info@simongillespie.com or go to simongillespie.com

About the Author

Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Lant is an avid art collector. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

Review of Worldprofit's Home Business Bootcamp with George Kosch

Today in Worldprofit's Home Business Bootcamp, Instructor and marketing expert, George Kosch went back to basics. With so many new Members joining the program it was essential to cover the fundamentals of profiting from the Worldprofit Home Business System. Throughout the LIVE interactive training, George answered questions from a number of new Members.

Topics during today's training included:

ClickBank Promotion
ClickBank Engine
ClickBank Press
WordPress
Pre-built Widgets
Blogs
Blog Comments
Windows Live Writer
Contacting Associates
Handling Sales
FastTrack Advertising Co-op
Traffic Generation
Safelists
Landing Pages
Backlinking
Traffic Exchanges
Guaranteed Visitors
Newsletter Subscribers Delivery Rates - A Reality Check
Google - AdSense
Comparison of Advertising Strategies
Recommended Safelists List Building

George offered a preview of two new Worldprofit Services scheduled for release shortly. The Safelist Exchange Plugin will be offered at NO charge to all current and new Worldprofit Platinum VIP Members. George also revealed an example of the new stand alone Safelist Exchange sites that will include a unique domain address, design and management. These will be Member-owned Safelist Exchange sites and the cost is yet to be finalized. Watch for futher details to be announced.

For Members, who missed the LIVE session today of the Home Business Bootcamp Training, it has been recorded and will be posted later today to the Worldprofit Member area. Previous recordings can be located under the TOP menu under TRAINING. Remember! These are only the video recordings of the LIVE sessions. Members are urged to also follow the online bootcamp training levels 1 - 8 for graduation as a Worldprofit Certified E-Business Consultant. Completing the online training levels ensures Members understand how to use all the tools, resources and software included in the Membership. Worldprofit Top Sellers are ALL GRADUATES of the Worldprofit online bootcamp training course.

George Kosch is the Home Business Bootcamp Instructor at Worldprofit Inc., as well as one of the original co-founders. For 17+ years, Worldprofit has been providing training, support software, traffic tools and website hosting and design for small and home based business owners. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

Hate, abuse, intentional pain... the dark side of the Internet gets worse whilewe wonder what we can do.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Author's program note. I remember Mickey Mouse, in 1939, as the sorcerer's apprentice, deciding to see for himself just what the sorcerer could do ... certain he could control the great power and even greater potentialities which the sorcerer respected and managed so well.

But we all remember that Mickey lost all control and created one escalating problem after another. And it was all set to the onrushing whirlwind of Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain," (written 1867), pulsating music that contains -- like the Internet itself -- Force! Power! And the capacity, as Mickey came to learn to his chagrin, to overwhelm mere humans and our toehold on this planet. So, for this article about an invention of great power, even greater power to come but with a proven ability to be greatly misused, nothing less than "Night on Bald Mountain" will do.

Find it in any search engine... and play it only when you are sure to be uninterrupted. It is the perfect incidental music to this article about how -- yet again -- thoughtless people, selfish people, misguided people, angry people and, yes, dangerous people are perverting one of the most important developments in human history. It is an unfolding tragedy with unanswerable evidence mounting and a backlash sure to come.

Rise in anti-Semitism tied to online groups.

In the olden days of ,say, 25 years ago, it was relatively difficult for people of malice and murderous intent to find each other, meet, collude, and destroy. Now it is almost child's play. A self-appointed leader, an individual of warped vision and an electronic touch, can create what old-time Bolsheviki would have called a "cell". From this protected place of irresponsible behavior, the leader, in process of morphing into a mini-messiah, would recruit, proselytize and dream of when he would be God. Now this insidious process takes just a few weeks... or even days, taking on speed and momentum as it grows worldwide and threatening.

Right this minute there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of these mini-messiahs online... and they do not have to guess at the power of the 'net or how to wield it. They have seen it in the streets of Cairo and around the world.

Hate fuels these groups and restless young people are easy targets. The disenfranchised and powerless always gravitate to the "men of destiny," and these proliferate on the Internet... spreading venom... thereby proving to all who will listen -- and there will always be such people -- how superior and desirable they are.

And so Jews are hated and attacked... gay people are hated and attacked... immigrants are hated and attacked. And it can all be done under the cloak of anonymity. An informal, but revealing new report by the Massachusetts Anti-Defamation League shows just how serious this situation is and predicts more of the same... for every hate group needs a scapegoat and these targets are already well known.

The report by the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights organization, is a compilation of records from local law enforcement agencies, along with reports from victims and witnesses of harassment or hate crimes. 18 percent of the anti-Jewish incidents involved a form of electronic communication -- easy, irresponsible, cowardly, anonymous.

Among many worrying aspects of this matter, this fact is perhaps the most unsettling: most hate crime offenders are between the ages of 14 and 22. They are Internet savvy and remorseless. "The Internet has become this feeding ground for individuals who hold these kinds of bigoted views," said Jack McDevitt, a criminologist at Northwestern University.

Young find online abuse pervasive, poll says.

What do you think would happen if every youth between, say, 14 and 22 years old was suddenly granted the gift of being invisible... of being able to act out their fantasies, even the most disgusting, demeaning, deleterious and dangerous? Well, you need not wonder... for that is the state of the Internet today. Yes, at this very moment large sections of this often thoughtless, careless population are engaged in perpetrating human abuses and outrages which in the full glare of sunlight all but a few would eschew as too dangerous to do.

But now these young people, freed from the trammels of civil and acceptable behavior, give rein to the darker side of the human nature. Lying, misrepresentation, false identities are all part of their daily life online... devilry is considered cool... with the "goodie goodies" who aim for "truth, justice and the American way" disparaged and denigrated as "uncool," the ultimate put down.

Of course in this heated environment, where up is down, some people, recognizing no limits, go too far; indeed the situation is tailor-made for the worst possible behavior from the largest number of perpetrators.

A new Associated Press-MTV poll of this youthful population finds that most of them -- 56 percent -- have been the target of some type of online taunting, harassment, or bullying, a slight increase over just two years ago.

Sexting.

Fully a third of those interviewed affirm they have engaged in "sexting", the sharing of naked photos or videos of sexual activity. And of course here the temptation is overwhelming to share these with people, lots of people, globally who of course continue the "sharing" process which in due course brings maximum embarrassment, cat-calls, insults, aggressive behaviors of every kind -- and so much shame and confusion that suicide sometimes seems a better alternative than life amidst so much derision and disdain.

All this is called "digital abuse", and it is a growing fact of our vicious, viral age. It is something every wired young person (and that is most of them) must know and deal with on a daily basis. And in due course, far too many of them will engage in activities where hurting people intentionally will be the order of their day.

What can be done?

During the writing of this article, I asked a valued colleague what he would recommend to solve, or at the very least, curtail all these unacceptable behaviors. He paused a minute and said (as I thought he might) "we must draw a line to determine what is allowed... and what is not."

His words sounded reasonable, entirely justified, and timely. But there is no solution where words like "controls" and "censorship" are concerned. Who would appoint the people who would decide what needed to be controlled and what didn't... and how would they decide? And that's the problem... we are equipped for license and outrage... we are not equipped to curtail and control.

That is why, for now, we must tolerate even the most intrusive, abashing, humiliating occurrences while the problem, like an adolescent pimple, grows and festers, until we are ready to pop it and regain some of our embattled civilities and human responsibilities. For we cannot throw the baby of the Internet out with its bath water, no matter how toxic and revolting that water is and will surely become.

About the Author

Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Jeffrey Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

Sold! What you need to know about international fine art and objet d'art auctions

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Right now thanks to the growing presence of worldwide auction houses online, the world is for sale. If you're a committed (even obsessed) treasure hunter like me, you want to know as much as possible about how to acquire as much as possible of the highest quality you can afford. This report will help.

1) Don't be intimidated by the art auction market. The people employed therein will greet you with open arms as soon as you indicate you are a serious collector... or hope to become one.

Personally, I started where you are probably positioned today. I wanted to connect with major international and regional auction houses but was afraid they might be exclusive and condescending. You certainly have nothing to worry about in that department. From the very first minute I trod on the red carpet at Sotheby's London (one of the grandest places on earth) I have been the recipient of graciousness, constant help, masterful insights, and (on days I failed to achieve my goal) friendly commiseration. Show that you are a budding collector, and you enter the rarified world of olde money, hot-shot billionaires, defunct aristocrats, and a host of bright people who have been waiting for you to make the party complete. Dress accordingly.

2) Gradually establish contacts with all the auction houses worldwide that sell what you're interested in collecting.

Remember, the world is now your (on sale) oyster. Like all serious collectors, you want to know not just what's for sale at the auction houses nearest you. You want to know (and be connected with) every auction house everywhere on earth that makes the items available in which you're interested. This seems a tall order (I confess), but Rome wasn't built in a day -- and your collection and worldwide contacts won't be either.

3) Start at the grandest of dames, Sothebys and Christies.

These two names stand above all others. Thus, start your special journey there. You can easily find their ever-changing websites and should do so at once. (A word of advice: I have never found their websites particularly easy to navigate. Don't let that stand in your way. Responsible techs take note.)

These websites are (aside from some navigational unfriendliness) pure delight. Control yourself to avoid hyperventilation... and an unsettling feeling that you are already overwhelmed.

At first, you may be tempted to gorge by following all auctions. Avoid this temptation. Collectors specialize, at least in part to avoid feeling swamped. Over time (and taking that time is essential) you will pick a period or style... and thereafter make your principal focus mastering these auctions. In other words, you will select a style like Empire or a collectible item like 18th century English silver. Make this choice as soon as you feel comfortable in your new role as budding connoisseur.

4) Introduce yourself to the experts in your field(s) by phone or email.

Of course, you would like to meet and know all the experts in your fields at the major (or regionally significant) auction houses. But a personal meeting with each is unlikely to occur, given the fact they are posted worldwide. Thus, email or telephone experts. Introduce yourself. Be brief, be friendly, be focused. These people are very important in your quest for the very best....and you will over time make friends, not just professional contacts. Believe me, they will be glad to meet you, too, and to help you mature from an episodic grazer into a meaningful, knowledgeable collector.

5) Develop a list of conservators.

Face it. The overwhelming majority of antique art and artifacts on the market at any given time needs (often major) renovations. Prepare yourself. Smart collectors work hard to develop the necessary contacts, understanding that good conservators make good collections. How do you find such people? Almost always by referral.

All auction houses maintain lists of suitable, recommended conservators for all collection categories. For instance, if you are collecting Old Master paintings, any good auction house will be able to recommend suitable conservators. They have vetted these people and always want to know your experiences with them. No one wants to recommend someone mediocre.

Now hear this: once you have found conservators who turn your wounded acquisitions into the cynosure of every eye, cherish them. Such conservators are absolutely essential to the development of what I call the "Wow factor!", the unmistakable look that causes your visitors' jaws to drop.This all- important look comes about by saving the maximum amount of the original object and using the conservators' sophisticated talents and skills to solve problems so that no one ever knows they ever existed.

6) Have credit lines available for immediate use

A few months ago, my long-time painting conservator, London-based Simon Gillespie called me with important intelligence: there was for sale in London not one but a pair of 18th century floral still lives by German master August Wilhelm Sievert. Because they featured the tulips (and more particularly the parrot tulips) that I desired, he drew them to my particular attention.

"When is the sale?", I asked. "In 60 minutes," he responded, having just come from the show room. "They are just what you've been seeking for so long." The next hour was pure chaos, as I reviewed condition reports, talked to the auction house, booked my phone bid, etc. Exhausted, I was ready just in time... and now this marvelous pair graces the wall before me as I write, resplendent, life like for all their ancient provenance. They are here,however, only because I had financing readily available for just such eventualities and was ready to move fast to acquire what I wanted! Take note... and plan accordingly.

7) Collecting is a marathon, not a sprint.

Inexperienced collectors make one mistake above all others: they don't know the vital importance of bidding limits... and of all the expenses which accompany acquisition.

Over and over again in auctions, I have seen otherwise intelligent people break the cardinal rule of auction bidding: to bid without previously established limit. As a result they acquire items at exorbitant cost, items from which they will never get their money back should they decide to sell, which may well happen as their "eye" matures and spendable resources wax fat and ample. This is a very serious mistake.

Remember, when you acquire an item you acquire the buyer's premium (usually between 15-20% of hammer price), the cost of shipping to your conservator, your conservator's fee, relevant taxes both in the place of acquisition and your locale, shipping insurance, shipping costs to you (including custom agent), movers to bring the goods to you and position them, insurance in situ chez vous, etc. It all adds up... and it adds up fast. Forewarned, however, is forearmed.

Now get started

You are about to embark, with the help of these suggestions, on the voyage of a lifetime, an activity replete with joy, victory, mayhem, frustration, and, as you contemplate the beautiful items you have acquired, pure, unadulterated satisfaction and bliss. I congratulate you. I know the thrills (as well as the pitfalls and irritation) of this journey. However you know as well as I do, a thing of beauty is a joy forever... especially after you have acquired it and so positioned it that you see it before you each and every satisfying day.

Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online. Dr. Lant is an avid art collector and founder of the Jeffrey Lant Trust. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

Of pumpkins planted, grown, carved, smashed and remembered.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Author's program note. It is October time around America and that means the ubiquitous appearance of pumpkins. They are everywhere these days... small ones up Massachusetts Avenue at the Montrose Spa where Tommy, el jefe, has at last shaved what was striving to become a beard; we are all relieved, since it didn't suit him.

You can get bigger ones up at Shaw Market in Porter Square. But for the big ones, the really good ones, the ones with heft (the best ones for carving), you need to go out to Lexington and Concord, the towns of the Revolution; they always look particularly spruce and tidy this time of year... and the pumpkins do their bit to create the right effect. I shall no doubt ask my driver Aime Joseph to drive me out for the afternoon. We shall stop at any number of road side stands along the way and I shall, such is my habit, over buy and make a valiant effort (some times successful) to eat all before anything spoils. I have learned to give away the extra before that happens.

Much to write, but pumpkins first.

This season of the year is rich in subjects for articles... but before I can write these, I must tackle the pumpkins. They have, after all, always been a part of my life, and it would be rude to ignore these old friends...

... but first, let's designate the incidental music for this article. It's the tune "Today" by a group which called themselves "The Smashing Pumpkins" (formed 1988). I selected them for several reasons. Because they are Illinois folks, as I am, and sometimes you must boost the locals just because they are proximate. I have also selected them because, like all the pumpkins of years past, they no longer exist. It isn't just that they fought and argued amongst themselves; that's the way of these nomadic groups. I think it's because they weren't good enough... and therefore estrangement made more sense than counseling and hard work.

There is one more reason, too, and that, of course, is their name. It is a name more appropriate than most selected by such groups which think that the anti-social heights to which they all aspire can be scaled by purple hair, black lipstick, a paucity of bathing and a maximum of little pills of various sizes, shapes, colors and intensities...

... but in truth these boys and girls are often charming and well spoken when you meet them. And why not? Contrary to the impression they wish to leave, they are, after all, often the product of middle class homes and middle class parents who wonder what they did that lead to what their off spring are doing, these young folks, I say, know nothing about radical behavior, much less the whys and wherefores of revolution.

And as for "smashing pumpkins", that was always a factor in the life of pumpkins, long before this evanescent group selected the nom de guerre they found so cool.

I have selected their tune "Today" ( released 1993) for this article. Go now to any search engine, find it and listen. It's a pity there's absolutely no poetry in the lyrics, but the pain of its author is evident and makes the listener want to say that "this too shall pass" and provide some comfort and hot chocolate, not, perhaps, the response any revolutionary would like... but they'll take it and say polite thanks, for they have manners, though they are loath to admit it.

Pumpkins planted, grown, and considered.

While researching this article, I discovered that Illinois is one of the top pumpkin producing states in the union. I'm not surprised. When I planted my first garden in the 50's in the good earth of the prairies, the first seeds I planted were pumpkin seeds. They would have come in a small packet from the local gardening center and, being me, I would have followed the directions on the back religiously, brooking no opposition from more experienced folks who aimed to help; it said do "X", and "X" I would do.

That would have meant working with a ruler... each seed so many inches in the earth. This was the earth never turned by man before in its millions of years. I was the first, the very first, to put my shovel into its richness, thereby putting it at the service of mankind. The garden was small but the idea was not.

Thus, I considered each seed and its placement, so many inches from the next; each direction followed with care and exactitude, for I respected the seed and wished to do it homage, so that my crop of pumpkins would grow and be a credit to itself.... and to me.

It was all very reminiscent of Robert Frost, who respected nature and knew the hard -- and rewarding -- work of gardens. He wrote a poem in 1916 about a person I could identify with. It is called "A Girl's Garden."

"A neighbor of mine in the village Likes to tell how one spring When she was a girl on the farm, she did A childlike thing.

One day she asked her father To give her a garden plot To plant and tend and reap herself, And he said, 'Why not?'"

Every word in this poem spoke to me...

She planted many things, as in due course I was to do. And we both planted -- how could we not? -- pumpkins.

"It was not enough of a garden Her father said, to plow; So she had to work it all by hand, But she didn't mind now...

Her crop was a miscellany When all was said and done, A little bit of everything, A great deal of none."

But there were pumpkins... a glory to me because they grew at all; a glory to see because they looked like they were supposed to. I had kept the seed packet... and made sure. However, the important thing was this: I had taken the unturned sod of the immemorial prairies, turned it in the first days of springtime when all was mud and when the winds of Winter still chilled... I had done this thing and brought forth life! And pumpkins, of the genus Cucurbia pepo. The day I cut them from the withered vine was a day of proud significance... and gifts of what I'd grown to the lucky ones.

"The Smashing Pumpkins" must have known such a day. In "Today" they sang it out, thus

"Today is the greatest Day I've ever known Can't wait for tomorrow...."

I told you they had no poetry about them. Perhaps growing, rather than smashing, pumpkins would have helped. It worked for me... and no one ever smashed one of mine.

A Dedication. This article is dedicated to Elizabeth English of Hastings, New York, whom I call "Miss Eliza." She will read it with pleasure and give, I know, a compliment to its appreciative author.

About the Author

Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses.

Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

Blunt assessment: why you're fooling yourself if you expect Internet success...and the one word that can turn it around for you at once.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Author's program note. Since 1993, I have been building an online business with my two admirable partners, Sandi Hunter and George Kosch... and we've each made a tidy fortune. There are reasons why this has happened... and you're going to learn them here, now... because you have been deluding yourself as to your chances for success, and it pains the three of us just how unrealistic you have been, are today and, unless you heed this wake-up call, you will continue to be... and wouldn't that gall you? Well, then let's dig in to what you must do...and the crucial word you must tattoo on your heart, mind, and spirit.

... And to set just the right mood, listen as the force known as Jennifer Hudson show you how to pour yourself -- everything that's in you -- into the demanding journey each of us must make to achieve success.

Chances are, you've been stinting on the essential ingredient that makes it all possible... and that ingredient is YOU... and if you are not willing to make that commitment... that investment... that contract with yourself, then you cannot achieve success... and you are not worthy of the name entrepreneur.

Now... go to any search engine. Find "And I am telling you..." (released 2008). Turn up the sound to maximum decibels and strip yourself. You are going to encounter a force of nature... and let every note uplift you as you focus at last on what you must do... at once... and

EVERY day!

Okay, the crucial word is out of the bag... and that essential word is EVERY! Your business, whatever it is, is as demanding, as necessitous, as all-absorbing, as exciting as a new born baby... and you must approach it in the same way as a new child... with never-ceasing focus, with constant application, with a prayer in your pocket, a song in your heart and a "nothing's going to stop me" attitude, fueled by planning, tempered by all the realities of any business, and an unstoppable desire to soar.

Is this a lot to ask? If you answer yes, then you better keep your day job, because you'll need all this -- and more. Now ask yourself whether you approach the job of building your empire with this unblinking determination and joyful perseverance? If not, bail now... for you are the problem that cannot, with such an outlook, be solved.

Excuses, self-delusions, fatuities, absurdities.

Each day I sit in our interactive Live Business Center and listen to a never-ending stream of "reasons" posted by people -- people who say they want an online business and online success. Here are just a few of what these implausible, unlikely, indeed cannot be seen in any way, shape, or form as business builders and profit makers say... as to why they cannot start today, followed by a jaw-dropping saga of previous missteps, errors, miscalculations and horrors great and small.

They tell me these things, as they would tell you if you gave them half a chance, so that their auditor will feel sorry for them and allow them to stand before the world as a poor thing whose failures somehow sanctify them and are worthy of empathy, understanding, and, if the world was just, a pension that would absolve them from any further effort at all, ever. Oh, yes, and a hammock, two margaritas, and a Jimmy Buffet parrot hat.

This is, of course, ridiculous.

People succeed in business because they master the well-known and proven essentials for success... the first of which is constant focus, then assiduous application, and just plain hard work.

Then you must master what seems a never-ending list of precise tasks which are of the essence and absolutely required for success, especially on line. These include (and not a single one is negotiable or can be thrust aside as insignificant)...

... a clear understanding that the business world doesn't care whether you live or die; it has no interest in your turbulent, unsatisfying memoirs, so important to you, so trivial to everyone else.

Business -- and every successful business person knows this -- cares about one thing and one thing only: what have you got for the customer that is superior to what is available elsewhere... and at a price they can afford, and cheerfully do?

It doesn't matter whether you are a "nice" person; it doesn't matter how hard you have thought you worked. It doesn't matter that you feel you deserve success. All this... and all the other astonishing misperceptions you utter you may actually believe. Business is about value for customers and the way you identify these customers and make the best possible case; the case that makes you rich IF and ONLY IF you master the essential list creation and marketing tasks which must be done EVERY day, EVERY day, EVERY day... and no amount of self-justification and special pleading will change this fundamental reality.

You must know what your business demands of you... get on with the crucial business of doing each and every necessary task, promptly, thoroughly, correctly. And none of this is negotiable, not a single thing. Business waits for no one... and it will never, ever wait for you... whatever jejune responses you may feel justified in offering. In short, as Don Corleone and his "God Father" henchmen said, "Nothing personal"... it's just the way it is... and you'd better get that through your head right now... before you start justifying not doing this, avoiding that, and all the myriad of excuses of which you are the past master.

And this is where I advise you, yet again and in the strongest possible way, that you succeed to the extent that you do your online business EVERY day... without fail... without cavil... without regret... and do it always with pride, energy, enthusiasm, and a clear understanding that you are a very fortunate person indeed to have this chance which can so orchestrated deliver so much and so happily.

How much do you need today?

In the early days of Worldprofit, Inc., our online company, George Kosch, our technical wizard, would tape a twenty dollar bill to the top of his computer and announce just how many of these we needed on any given day to keep the doors open and make a profit. That was our focus for the day... first paying expenses... then making the profit for which we were in business in the first place.

Some days were easy; there were even days (wonderful days!) that we'd achieve our objective even before we'd finished the arduous task of going through the email. But there were also days, long, long days, when we had to work late to achieve the objective... because we had an immutable company policy that we would never charge the next day with covering the deficiencies of the last. And so we stayed late, worked hard, and, holding our noses, made deals to bring in the cash we had to have.

And here's the clincher: we did it gratefully because each action, every deal built the company and our clientele... and so appreciably moved us to our goal.

Is this how you approach your business? Because if not, you need to reassess just what your are doing... and just how you are doing it and you need to do this NOW... and EVERY day until you profit. This is what entrepreneurs do... this is what you must do.

Now turn on Jennifer Hudson again and listen to the pulsating sound that should be the current of your business day. And listen, now with a new ear, to her words and make them yours

"I'm not livin' without you. I don't wanna be free I'm stayin' I'm stayin'"

Now you, too, can soar.

About the Author

Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Jeffrey Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.

Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.

Who's picture should appear on the next batch of postage stamps?Why yours... and mine, of course! An audacious proposal.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Author's program note. The United States Postal Service is in deep doo doo. There's no question about that. The question is what are they doing to clean up the mess and run in the black again? Elvis Presley has already helped the Postal Service out once before; he was featured on the 29 cent stamp in June, 2004. So, I'm again calling on the King to assist... this time with his catchy little ditty, "Return to Sender" (released 1962)). You'll find it in any search engine. Enjoy! And, remember, if the Postal Service cannot solve this problem, His Majesty's words will be prescient indeed -- "no such number, no such zone." At least in that case the USPS will have an excuse for non-delivery. They won't be so lucky in general.

Crisis at the USPS.

As I have written before, the lumbering United States Postal Service, founded in 1775 by Benjamin Franklin, is reeling from crisis to crisis. I have reported on their pressing problems, problems which have been worsened by the tortoise-like speed with which they react, slow, slow, aggravatingly slow.

It took them far too long to react to the advent and significance of the Internet and e-mail. While the world was flocking to these and other methods of communication and fast delivery -- (quick! can you say "Federal Express"?) -- the postal service maintained an establishment that any emperor would envy. It was immense, costly, unnecessary and the whitest of sacred cows, politically sacrosanct, untouchable.

Sure, they cut jobs... but too few, too slow.

Sure, they closed post offices. Again, too few, too slow.

It was all reactive, always too little, too late.

And while they fiddled, Rome burned... money... huge amounts of it, too. They needed -- had to have yesterday -- at least ten billion bucks, not least for pensions for their overworked employees! Their general attitude seemed to be the same as Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Newman: "What me worry?"

Until now...

I don't know whether this idea came in from an overpaid consultant or was put into the suggestion box by a bright lad or lassie... but, at last, someone is brainstorming ideas not just sitting around figuring out how many days remain until they can retire and get their pension.

The idea goes like this.

Living people should be placed on stamps for the first time ever.

Sounds logical to me. The USPS needs money. Put the living to work by placing them on stamps -- thereby helping the dead who are, you'll admit, past the business of helping otherwise than by using their mugs on the stamps.

Of course, the minute this idea was floated by USPS, the venerable Boston Globe, sure to be on the wrong side of any progressive idea, weighed in with its usual ponderous, pompous, and (may I say) downright silly response.

I quote from their sonorous, sententious editorial of September 28, 2011, thus

"... its decision to abandon a longstanding policy by allowing living people to appear on stamps in hopes of boosting sales is short-sighted. The service concluded that it could no longer afford to pass up the opportunities of, say, an Oprah commemorative stamp, or perhaps a first-day cover for the season premiere of 'Glee'".

But the Globe-ists are just warming up. "But for a modest financial gain, the service is sacrificing a rule that has kept disreputable characters off stamps -- imagine the Pete Rose commemorative, circa 1985 -- and more importantly, helped insulate the agency from political disputes." It then concludes with that orotund flourish for which it is famous: "The Postal Service should let history render its verdict before delivering its own." They all but said forsooth and nevermore. It is for such an organization with such insular thinking that the word fustian was invented.

What we need is to extend the recommendation... not kill it. Here's how we do just that:

1) It should be the policy of the USPS that people should appear on postage stamps, whether living or dead does not signify.

2) Worry about whether some living person placed on a stamp later is found to be disreputable in some way or another is a complete waste of time. For one thing, there are plenty of dead folks with skeletons in their closets who have been honored (Thomas Jefferson and his forced liaison with Sally Hemings comes immediately to mind)... and if the public disapproves of one person or another, that's unimportant. The postal service needs the money and that's that. However, I suspect that given the usual propensities and proclivities of stamp purchasers and collectors, the more notorious the crime, the more that stamp will sell. Elvis is a very good example.He was hardly a model citizen.

Thus, let's develop a list of, say, 100 currently living Americans who are, each and every one of them, contributors to American life, culture, and welfare. This should include authors, scientists, inventors, statesmen, athletes, entertainers, business titans, and a catch-all category for other worthies and notables.

Now let's make this proposal truly audacious, bold, and ground breaking. Let's go for broke and completely change the basis for appearing on stamps, just like the Blair Ministry in the United Kingdom changed the basis on which the royal honors are given out, so that anyone could get an honor... if deemed suitable. And that's the way it should be for our postage stamps. Sure, Bill Gates should be on a stamp... but so should the executive director of a vibrant, helpful historical preservation society. Equally, while Patriot Tom Brady should be honored (especially if he retains his wind-blown locks) so should a hero helping polar bears survive or running a rescue league... and, of course, if you and I have a claim... we should be allowed to put our reasons in writing and say so... It's only right and proper.

The only category of folks who should be excluded is... current office-holding politicians holding any elected post whatsoever. They can -- and should -- wait to be honored until dead... and etch that prohibition in stone, or they most assuredly will find a way around it. And that's a fact.

About the Author

Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Jeffrey Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.

About the Author

Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Jeffrey Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.

Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com.