+=+=+=+= INSIDER REPORT =+=+=+=+
ISSN 1710-0747
April 6, 2004
E-Zine #138
ISSN 1710-0747
April 6, 2004
E-Zine #138
SIM's INSIDER REPORT is a free bi-monthly newsletter dedicated to helping readers succeed online while saving both time and money with cutting-edge tools, tips and strategies for internet marketing, online advertising and website promotion.
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IN THIS ISSUE
==> Tip of the Week
==> Online Weekly Reports
==> Tips, Tools & Resources
==> Feedback & Contributions
==> Food for Thought
==> Classifieds
==> Administrivia
First, a warm WELCOME! to all new subscribers!
This week's Tip of the Week features cutting-edge report by Shelley Lowery titled "Syndicate Your Headlines Using RSS."
RSS is quickly becoming the standard of choice for delivering syndicated web content. Shelley shows you how it's done with this report - available in ebook format as well so you can refer back to it often.
Download here... http://startupinternetmarketing.com/rss
Regards,
Dan Porteous
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TIP OF THE WEEK
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Syndicate Your Headlines Using RSS
RSS is quickly becoming the standard choice for delivering syndicated web content. Have you ever wondered how some of the large content sites deliver their headlines? Or, have you ever wanted to display news headlines, but didn't want to display the standard "Content Provided By..." info? Or, have you ever wanted to syndicate your own content? RSS may be the answer you've been looking for.
RSS stands for Rich Site Summary. It is an XML format specifically designed to share content. Netscape originally developed RSS to drive channels for their Netscape Netcenter. Formerly known as RDF, RSS was developed in 1999 and has quickly evolved into the dominant format for syndicating content. Well- known sites such as, CNET, ZDNet, CNN, Wired and many more utilize this powerful means of dynamic content delivery.
Distributing your content using RSS will involve creating one file that contains your content. This file will reside on your server to enable other web sites to display your channel. You can update your channel simply by updating your file.
Once you've created your file you can submit it to web sites like Netscape to enable other web sites to subscribe.
Creating an RSS File
Your first step will be to identify your file. To do this, place the following code at the top of your text file.
<?xml version="1.0"?>Your next step will be to create your channel header. The "channel" tag indicates that you are beginning a new channel.
<!DOCTYPE rss PUBLIC "-//Netscape Communications//DTD RSS 0.91//EN" "http://my.netscape.com/publish/formats/rss-0.91.dtd">
<rss version="0.91">
<channel>The "title" tag indicates the name of your channel. The "link" tag will contain a link to your web site. The "description" tag describes your channel and the "language" tag indicates that you're writing in US English.
<title>Web-Source.net Syndication</title>
<link>http://www.web-source.net/</link>
<description>Web Development article syndication feeds!
</description>
<language>en-us</language>
In addition to displaying text, you can also display a small logo. The image should be 88 pixels wide and 31 pixels high. Displaying an image is optional. If you're not going to include an image, skip this step.
<image>Now, you're ready to create your headlines. Each new "item" tag represents a new topic. The rule of thumb is to include between five and fifteen items. You can include a description, but it isn't required.
<title>Web-Source</title>
<url>http://www.web-source.net/image.gif</url>
<link>http://www.web-source.net/</link>
<width>88</width>
<height>31</height>
<description>Web Design and Development</description>
</image>
<item>
<title>Moving Up From Classified Ads to Display Ad</title>
<link>http://www.web-source.net/biz_tips_feed.htm</link>
<description>Display ads are the standard advertising tool of print media. You can impress your carefully targeted audience with a colorful display ad that spreads across the page of your favorite magazine, trade bulletin, or newspaper.
</description>
</item>
<item>Your final step will be to close your channel by adding the following tags:
<title>Creating A Customized Marquee</title>
<link>http://www.web-source.net/web_tips_feed.htm</link>
<description>Learn how to create a customized marquee for your web site</description>
</item>
</channel>Save your new file with a .rss file extension and upload it to your server.
</rss>
If you'd rather not create your own RSS file, RSS Channel Editor is a free Web based tool that makes it easy to create and maintain RSS files. You can find the script here: http://www.webreference.com/perl/tools
Now, you're ready to share your content. Visit the following web sites to submit your new channel and enable other web sites to display your content:
http://my.netscape.comIf you'd like to display RSS content on your web site, you'll need a script to fetch the content. RSS Fetcher is a free script that will fetch content, format it as HTML and store it in a file on your server. The content can then be displayed on your web site.
http://my.userland.com
http://www.xmltree.com
You can locate RSS files to display on your web site at the following web addresses:
http://my.userland.comFor further information about RSS, read Jonathan Eisenzopf's tutorial entitled, "Using RSS News Feeds."
http://www.xmltree.com
http://my.netscape.com
http://w.moreover.com
If you have content that you regularly update, give RSS a try. Providing free content is an extremely powerful method of increasing your web site traffic.
Article by Shelley Lowery - Copywrite 2004
Shelley Lowery is the author of Ebook Starter - A complete ebook design kit. Subscribe to Etips, for a wealth of quality information to assist you in Web Design, Internet Marketing & Ecommerce. All new subscribers receive a free copy of the highly acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.startupinternetmarketing.com/wdm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SIM's "Tip of the Week" back issues available at... http://www.startupinternetmarketing.com/ezines
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ONLINE WEEKLY REPORTS (change weekly)
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One-Two-Three Punch Marketing
Printed material is just as important today as it was before the Internet. With SPAM getting out of hand, it's a wise choice to rev up, update or create printed material, ads, catalogs, direct mail, press releases, letters, templates and the like... http://startupinternetmarketing.com/tips/tipmarketing.html
How to Grab Attention With Your Headlines
You've got just a few seconds to grab your prospects' attention, spark their interest and motivate them to keep reading whether they're looking at your web site, your letter or your brochure. http://startupinternetmarketing.com/tips/tipsales.html
Marketing Your Reliability
Ask a customer to list the three most important things they consider when doing business. Almost always, trust will rank high among them... http://startupinternetmarketing.com/tips/tipbiz.html
Adding Special Effects to Your Web Site
When designing a new web site, you'll probably be tempted to use all the fancy techniques to create special effects. However, try not to go overboard... http://startupinternetmarketing.com/tips/tipdesign.html
Displaying Number of Words Typed Into Form Fields
Learn how to to limit and display the number of words in a link request form field with Will Bontrager... http://startupinternetmarketing.com/tips/tipsite.html
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TIPS, TOOLS & RESOURCES
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Fast Explorer
This shell extension for Windows makes it easy to add options to the right-click context menu for any of your files. Fast Explorer also allows you to specify a group of applications to appear when you right-click on a file type. http://thesoftpro.tripod.com/downloads/fe
W3Counter.com
Website Goodies has launched W3Counter.com offering enhanced graphical and private counters, and a range of website statistics, all for free. http://www.w3counter.com
Rebrand Profits
This new ebook boasts the ultimate system for making money with affiliate programs. Rarely taught and rarely used techniques that the most innovative minds have created to help you earn more profits with your affiliate programs and resell rights products in less time and with less effort. http://startupinternetmarketing.com/dl/rebrandprofits.exe
SIM WEB BOOKS
Syndicate Your Headlines Using RSS
RSS is quickly becoming the standard choice for delivering
syndicated web content. Have you ever wanted to syndicate
your own content? RSS may be just what you've been looking
for. This free report by Shelley Lowery will get you started...
http://startupinternetmarketing.com/rss
The Birth of a Professional Website
This free download is brand new and available from the SIM
site ONLY. It's a compilation of 10 articles by Shelley Lowery
that completely covers the job of launching a professional
website, as only Shelley can. HIGHLY recommended...
http://startupinternetmarketing.com/birth.htm
Internet Marketing Basics
If you're not TOTALLY familiar with the BASICS of marketing
online then you owe it to yourself to grab AND read this
dynamic 39-page report by Shelley Lowery. She discusses the
many aspects involved with bringing your business online...
http://startupinternetmarketing.com/shelley
FREE COURSES
We have a large selection of free courses waiting for you at http://www.startupinternetmarketing.com/fc
Courses:
*Mastering Search Engine Placement
*25 Secrets eBay Doesn't Want You To Know
*Netwriting Masters Course
*Affiliate Masters Course
*Service Sellers Masters Course
*Webmaster Business Masters Course
*Make Your Net Auction Sell
*Make Your Price Sell, The Masters Course
http://www.startupinternetmarketing.com/fc
* For more great tips and tools, visit our website:
http://startupinternetmarketing.com/free
http://startupinternetmarketing.com/free
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FEEDBACK & CONTRIBUTIONS
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19-Year-Old College Student Earns Extra Income
GotDot.com profiles Samantha Morris, a 19 year old business major at the University of Victoria in Canada, who's earning extra income for college saying goodbye to the starving student days.
Going hungry as a student is practically synonymous with the college experience. Many students live in cramped quarters, cutting mold off cheese and eating it with day old bread the coffee shop gave away, feeling lucky at discovering an uneaten Snickers Bar, calling it a meal, which sure beats the packaged macaroni and cheese, which has been the only staple in the cabinet for months. It gets so bad some students sell their blood just to pay for classes and books.
Samantha's not starving. As fellow students like to say, "She's been there, done that," proving to be quite a role model too. In the past this gal worked part time jobs. The money barely paid for books, let alone her apartment, food and college tuition.
Like many college kids Samantha surfed the Internet, instead of finding the latest rock and roll song she discovered a way to end her starving college days for good. She found affiliate marketing, earning extra income from home, on her hours, around school work and an active social life.
As Samantha says, "No more going hungry before class, thanks to affiliate marketing I have enough money for living expenses and school and I'm saving money too. Maybe I'll study in Europe. Anything is possible now."
Samantha mentions that most students aren't prepared for the future. In the class room the learning is passive. Samantha says, "With affiliate marketing, its active learning and real world experience. And experience is everything."
Samantha is learning marketing, finance, design, and the sweet joy of financial independence at a young age. Sometimes it's the young ones that show the way. Anyone can be a success with affiliate marketing. Listen to Samantha's story and you'll learn how.
What is affiliate marketing?
By now most people have heard all about the success of Amazon.com. What they may not know is that Amazon spawned an Internet industry in 1996, by allowing independent website owners to earn commissions by referring paying customers to them. This is known as pay-for-performance-advertising or affiliate marketing.
With affiliate marketing it's important to remember that there are three primary roles consisting of the merchant, the affiliate (publisher), and the third party (Commission Junction). The merchants (advertisers) pay a commission on sales generated by customers, which the affiliate (publisher) sends to their sites. Commission Junction (third party) pays affiliates on behalf of the merchants and provides a tracking system. The merchant handles all order processing, shipping, and customer service.
Visit Commission Junction to see a partial listing of their top-notch merchants offering affiliate programs.
How Samantha got started in affiliate marketing
Samantha's says with the enthusiasm and bubble of youth, "It's cause of Jamie." She's referring to her mentor, James Martell, an entrepreneur, and successful affiliate marketer of over 70 specialty shopping sites and author of James Martell's Affiliate Marketers Handbook.
Samantha says, "Jamie's system is very straight forward, it's inspiring, really gives you confidence, that you can have financial independence on your terms, not the bosses."
Got Dot: How did you choose your market niche?
Samantha says, "Oh! That was easy. My friends love decking out their cars, I know the lingo and how fanatical it can get. And it's great, a real money maker! Down the road I'd like to have a fashion and cosmetic site, that one will be more girly of course."
Each website Samantha builds follows the proven, 8-step system™ developed by James Martell for web site construction. These principals are incorporated into Samantha's successful specialty shopping sites featuring: car & truck rims, decals & alarms, tonneau covers and car stereos.
Keywords are the search engine building blocks. Marketing on the Internet is all about placement and being seen. To be successful you need keywords that people use for queries on the search engines. That's how your site will be found. James provides a proven formula for choosing keywords and producing keyword focused content.
Got-Dot: How did you discover that Ground Effects are associated with cars?
Samantha says, "That one surprised me. It didn't sound like a car accessory word at all, but key word tracking it proved otherwise. The buyers know it's specifically about cars. Just, goes to show you, you should never assume you know a market really well, before researching the key words."
Got Dot: Can you give another example how this keyword driven content works?
Samantha says, "Type 'Honda body kits' as a query on a search engine. What you'll find is an article on my website with the exact keyword ‘Honda body kits'. By following Jamie's system you get top positioning on the search engines and the traffic to prove it!"
Got Dot: How do you measure the success of your efforts?
You need traffic and conversion to make affiliate marketing work and to make money. With Commission Junction's tracking system you can check merchant activity, monitor which site is getting sales, and where the sales are coming from. Say for example, if a keyword isn't driving the orders, you know where to tweak it, so it can perform like the high rollers.
Got Dot: How about the money?
Initially, Samantha set a goal of earning the equivalent of her part time job working at a grocery store. Now she's making enough money to pay for tuition, books, and living expenses. And the University of Victoria is not cheap! Her next major goal is earning $10,000/month.
Got Dot: What's your favorite part of the business?
Samantha likes writing the articles and the visual aspect of building a website, making sure the colors are aesthetically pleasing. When asked what else is there, she laughed and coyly said, "Watching the money roll in."
Got Dot: What advice would you give another student?
- Read James Martell's affiliate training manual and subscribe to his audio newsletter for affiliate marketers; you'll learn everything you need to know about affiliate marketing.
- Set goals. Even it's a small one, like writing ten pages a day. It makes a huge difference having the goal and the sense of accomplishment that comes along with it.
- Write articles that appeal to your audience. Remember to make it creative and interesting to read.
- Validate the keywords. Have several sources that show the keywords for your market.
- Say goodbye to procrastinating. Make the time. Just do it. The payoff's worth it.
. . .
Copywrite 2004 - All rights reserved.
Samantha followed a simple 8-step-system™ for affiliate marketing created by James Martell, successful affiliate marketer, and developer of over 70 specialty shopping sites covering a wide range of topics including: duvet comforter sets, mini blinds and even camping stoves; and is also in the business of helping students to earn extra income using affiliate programs and the Internet.
Got Dot offers professional copywriting services to affiliate marketers.
If you have a promotion tip to share (or an affiliate program that would be of interest to the rest of us) or if you have a web design tip, or a specific question, please feel free to post all tips, questions, or answers to posted questions here and I will add your email or URL with it. It's FREE promotion!
Send your tips, questions or answers to:
mailto:editor@startupinternetmarketing.com?subject=Q_&_A
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
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Benevolence alone will not make a teacher, nor will learning alone do it. The gift of teaching is a peculiar talent, and implies a need and a craving in the teacher himself.
--Source Unknown
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CLASSIFIEDS
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ADMINISTRIVIA
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Legal Stuff
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We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within SIM's Insider Report.
Although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this newsletter does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles.
Be responsible! Always do your own Due Diligence before responding to any offer.
The SIM's INSIDER REPORT is a production of Startup Internet Marketing and is owned by Dan Porteous
ISSN 1710-0739
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Kirkland lake, ON, CA.
P2N 2K6 Tel: 705.567.3519
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