The Refresh Orlando Heirs

Going into business is a hard decision to make for obvious reasons. The path to a successful business is littered with the remains of failed entrepreneurs. That path is made more treacherous when we lack knowledge. With the proper knowledge, we improve our odds and the chances of success. With internet business, the stakes are even higher. Hundreds of thousands go online each day with the hope of creating a living on the internet promise, just the same way that many leave, disappointed and heart broken. But that will not be your portion, because you are reading this simple article today.

Many fail on the internet because they do not understand how things work on the net. They approach the net with the same conventional business mindset- “build it and they will come.” Fortunately and unfortunately, the internet works a little differently. Unfortunately, because we lack relevant knowledge and therefore doomed from the start and fortunately because once you understand how things work on the net, the rest is easy. And the good thing is that the formula is so simple that anyone with effort and some determination can be successful.

I am talking about the concept of CONTENT->TRAFFIC->PRESELL->MONETIZATION (CTPM). CTPM is a process created and thought by Ken Evoy in his Affiliate Masters Course, and the best part of it is that it is free For two good years, I tried to understand how to do business on the web. I read every emial course I could find and bought many ebooks I could afford and in the end all I got was bits and pieces of the internet puzzle. All that changes when I found Ken’s Affiliate Masters Course. In five refreshing and easy to read instalments, Ken took me by the hand and walked me through the internet maze, from idea generation, to picking a profitable theme/concept, to content creation, traffic building, all the way to monetization. In five easy reads, the whole internet debacle, crystalized into a simple process of CONTENT, TRAFFIC, PRESELL AND MONETIZATION. It was like a revelation. In five days I had boiled down the whole internet business to CTPM, and it was all FREE.

Even though nothing is guaranteed, there is almost a sure thing about this process if you follow the path. Most who failed on the net, fail because they started at the end. They put the cart before the horse. They lacked knowledge. Relevant knowledge that is. But you are informed and must first build your CONTENT- relevant and quality content that is. It is only after you have built your content that you can then start building your TRAFFIC. And when you have built some traffic, you can then PRESELL and MONETIZE. It is that simple. Try it!

About the Author

Austin Akalanze is a poet, freelance writer, and webmaster. Read more at www.poetrykeepsake.com/mystory.html

Microsoft scores one for the good guys
Scott Richter, the self-proclaimed “Spam King,” just can’t seem to get enough attention. Admittedly responsible for sending literally billions of Unsolicited Commercial Email messages (UCE), Richter made headlines again recently when his spam-fed cash cow, OptInRealBig.com, filed for bankruptcy protection in U.S. federal court in his home state of Colorado. According to Richter’s father (who is also his attorney), “It’s the legal fees that are battering the company. OptIn is profitable but for these lawsuits.”

At the time of its bankruptcy filing, OptInRealBig.com claimed assets of less than $10 million and liabilities of over $50 million. Richter claimed his company made $15 million a year sending more than 15 million email messages per day. However, in 2003, OptInRealBig was dealt a powerful 1-2 punch from Microsoft and Eliot Spitzer, the Attorney General of New York; both sued Richter under local state anti spam laws. Although the New York case was settled out of court last year, Richter has had no such luck dealing with Microsoft, whose claims top $19 million.

A Case of Global Amnesia?
Richter’s company and others like it market products ranging from diet pills to pornography. He’s also been accused of using spam to extract personal information from unsuspecting recipients. For instance, one alleged scheme hatched by Richter and his associates promised recipients a copy of a “Girls Gone Wild” DVD if the recipient registered on a website. The registration information was then used to bombard the recipient with more and more spam.

Richter contends that his methods are all legal, and that he’s just a regular guy trying to do right by the world; he’s even gone so far as to claim that he’s a “victim” of overzealous anti spam companies and prosecutors. “We don’t spam,” explained Richter in an August 2004 PC World interview. “The biggest problem is when people get an email that they think they didn’t sign up for or don’t remember signing up for, and they call it spam.”

To hear Richter tell it, tens of millions of people simply forgot that they had previously asked to receive his messages. According to the state of New York, however, he falsified header information and used deceptive routing and domain purchase practices in order to get his messages through. The lawsuit also accused Richter of using a network of approximately 500 “zombie” computers to send his messages. When asked how so many users could have subscribed and not remember doing so, Richter claimed the signups must have been via anonymous “partners of our partners” web sites, the names of which slipped his mind.

Not Just an Online Threat
Evidently not satisfied with stealing bandwidth, Richter also shows a penchant for heavy equipment. In an unrelated 2003 case, he was put on probation after pleading guilty to a felony charge of receiving stolen items worth more than $10,000. According to court records, an informant’s tip regarding a stolen Bobcat loader led undercover officers to Richter. Over the course of 13 months, the officers proceeded to strike deals with him for a Honda generator, hundreds of cases of cigarettes, three laptop computers and other items, all offered at suspiciously low prices and purchased in some of Denver’s seediest neighborhoods. In addition to probation, Richter was also ordered to pay $38,000 in restitution for the stolen goods.

Despite his guilty plea, Richter maintains his innocence, saying he pleaded guilty to the felony charges because it was “easier to be done with it,” and he had “too much stuff going on in my life.”

What’s Next for Scott Richter?
The 5-year-old OptInRealBig.com, which employed 25 people last year and had 350 clients, will continue to operate under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. While the bankruptcy filing shows the power of legislation and legal action from parties with a vested interest in stopping spam, Richter is not likely to fade quietly into the sunset. Under Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws, the company must follow a court-supervised “debt rehabilitation” plan to pay off creditors, but is not required to modify its business practices. None of OptInRealBig’s assets will be liquidated, meaning the company’s stable of spam cannons will remain active. The bottom line: Scott Richter will not be required to stop sending UCE in the immediate future, pending ongoing litigation intended to determine exactly what spam is in legal terms. In the meantime, the best defense against spam is a comprehensive gateway solution that will guard against all manner of email threats, especially spammers like Scott Richter.

About the Author

Dr. Paul Judge is Chief Technology Officer at CipherTrust, the industry’s largest provider of enterprise email security. The company’s flagship product, IronMail provides a best of breed enterprise anti spam solution designed to stop spam, phishing attacks and other email-based threats. Learn more by visiting www.ciphertrust.com today.

The Top Ways to Spot a Bad Computer Sales Rep

When going into the computer store, you begin to go through the aisles and suddenly he upon you. Is it Gilbert from Revenge of the Nerds or is it the cousin you avoided during your childhood because he was busy being on the Internet Al Gore invented? Whatever the case, you recognize “them.” It is the sales rep who is busy telling you about bits and bytes and RAM and ROM and CPU clock speed and access rates for hard drives… Stuff those who are not neck deep in the industry doesn’t ever think about. You need help finding the right computer… not understanding the whole process of the computer’s inception since 1973.

The first thing you want to look for in a sales rep is one that is helpful. Helpful meaning one that is actually trying to help you get the right computer… not the one that is just trying to help the store sell a computer. You can generally tell if the rep is helpful by seeing if he/she asks questions (lots of them) on your intended uses. As he gains an understanding of your uses… he/she should be able to suggest one of several laptops that will meet your needs. If you ask questions about tech specs when you don’t know much about it… he/she will tell you how the laptops differ in relation to one another and in relation to your intended use.

Don’t allow yourself to be intimidated into buying a laptop because someone is using technologese. Make sure it will do what you need it to do. If you plan on going to coffeehouses and go online… tell the rep you want to do this. He/she will then make sure you have a Wi-Fi card. Maybe you don’t know what Wi-Fi is… that’s OK, he/she should and will direct you to a laptop with this feature so you aren’t frustrated 3 days after buying it seeking a return.

Ultimately, if a rep is doing his/her job… you will both be happy. They will get a sale and you will get a laptop that fits your needs. If you feel as if you are just a path to a better sales figure… maybe it is time to look elsewhere. Some things that will help you find the right sales rep…

Friendly - Seems genuinely interested in helping you.

Knowledgeable - By this the idea is he/she has knowledge pertaining to your individual uses and can help match you with the right laptop.

Recommended - If friends tell you about a rep who was really helpful… find that rep and get the laptop from them.

Practical - A rep who seems to be trying to get you into a laptop despite your budget is someone to be leery of.

They should also use language that is understandable to you.

Hopefully this can help you in your next computer purchase. Yes this is common sense… but many people seemed to get intimidated into buying technology because someone talks over their head and they don’t want to look dumb. Take a risk… ask what RAM is and see how they explain it! If you don’t know, admit it and tell them what you want to do and get some real help!

This article was written by Jesse Harwell with the web-site http://www.usedcollegelaptops.com

Feel free to contact the author through this site.

There was a time when joining a dating site seemed like the last hope for only the most desperate people in the world. It was a place people turned when they had no chance of finding a date in the “real world”. Today however, things are much different. Dating sites are much cooler and they are seeing people who are already successfully dating on their own joining. You no longer have to be completely out of luck before trying one of these sites.

Many singles gravitate toward dating sites to find a fresher batch of singles to choose from. They may be dating the same type of people, without anything ever working out well for them. They might think they need a new perspective. When most of these sites guarantee they will match you well according to your personal questionnaire you fill out, you can get even more excited about the possibilities.

Instead of thinking of dating sites as the last resort, consider them a place where you can get professional help choosing who is good for you and who isn’t. You will likely find many new friends and maybe even find the person of your dreams. After all, what do you have to lose?

Streamate has sponsored Shaadi Bliss, an asian dating research site.