Websites and Businesses

Posted on April 16, 2012 by admin

In today’s highly interactive age, websites and businesses must always go hand-in-hand. It is almost inconceivable for a business, even if it’s a small family run enterprise, to not have a website on the internet. Websites are now as essential to businesses as air is to a human.

In the past, having a website was seen as an additional expense – something nice to have if you had extra funds. However, since people have now become heavily dependent on the internet, having a website has become a necessity. A website doesn’t have to be complex with a lot of moving graphic imagery, sometimes all companies need is a simple, one-page static layout provided it has all the basics information and that this site is on a reliable host that can provide good security.

If you’re looking at getting a website for your business, make sure that you select the right web host. Information on the quality of service provided by web hosts can be viewed through sites such as web hosting user reviews. Host reviews, such as iPage Hosting Review, publish ratings and feedback based on the personal experiences of the host’s past and present clients. These sites are available on the internet and the contents can be accessed by anyone at any time. Through host reviews, you can compare the services of several web hosts until you find the one that is right for you (both technically and financially).

Host reviews are great resources that can help entrepreneurs find the best web host for their respective web sites.

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1-Click Webhosters – Rapidshare

Posted on March 1, 2012 by admin

Before I introduce you to Rapidshare, here is a short summary of the history of 1-Click webhosters.

Back in 2006 there was a sudden flood of what are popularly know as 1-Click File Hosting websites. The term comes from the simplicity of the upload process offered by the respected sites. As opposed to using complicated FTP software users are able to easily locate files from their HDD or simply drag-and-drop them directly into their favorite browser. After that with a mere click of a button their files begin uploading without further interaction. After the files have been uploaded the user is provided with a download link which they can share with their friends.

Since then a lot of 1-Click webhosters have emerged but for one reason or another failed and eventually were put out of business.  One of the few successors in the business is Rapidshare©

Rapidshare© is a premium 1-Click webhosting solution based in Germany. Over time they have increased the hard disk and internet bandwidth capacities of their datacenters to eventually reached, as of today, 140 Gigabit/s internet connectivity and the whooping 3.5 Petabytes (1 petabyte = 1000 terabytes = 1 000 000 gigabytes) of storage space. The fact that Rapidshare© is number 11 according to the Alexa traffic monitoring and ranking website speaks for itself of how popular and widely-used Rapidshare©’s service is.

This concludes the article on Rapidshare – one of the biggest players in the highly competitive file sharing business.

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1and1 Hosting – Raising the bar

Posted on February 23, 2012 by admin

First, I have to admit. I’m a terrible customer.  I’m a demanding perfectionist who rarely feels that he is getting his money’s worth.  This is especially true of hosting providers.  In the past four years, I’ve had to change providers at least six times because I felt that I was not getting what I paid for. This brief commentary is somewhat of a treat for me as I finally get to say something good about a hosting provider!

A little over two years ago I was reading up on the latest technologies in one of my favorite publications, eWeek, when I ran across a nice, full-page ad from 1and1 offering an introductory offer of free hosting for three years.  Wait! What! No way!  This has got to be too good to be true! Off to the trusty computer I go…

Sure enough, it was the real deal. 1and1 was indeed offering free web hosting for three years to introduce its new public sector hosting service.  Well, like any good cash-strapped college student, I stepped right up and got me a piece of the pie. I’ve got to say, the pie was good too!

After roughly two years of hosting with 1and1, with minimal problems I should say, I started to notice that I was getting dangerously close to the bandwidth allowance my free package had to offer. No big surprise there; these things happen when you’re trying to establish an online presence and you offer free downloads.  It was time to upgrade my hosting.

At the time, there were no great specials going on at 1and1 so I decided to shop around. That was a tremendous mistake! What I got was a course in how *not* to run a hosting service.  I will be polite, this time, and not name and companies, but let’s just say stay away from cheap reseller hosting accounts!  The uptime is nowhere near what they promise and every time you turn around some idiot is running a script that bogs the server down to a crawl.

After a couple months, a chunk of wasted cash, and several moves back and forth between providers, I finally conceded that 1and1 was indeed the best host I had come across thus far. As luck would have it, I had received an email from 1and1 announcing a great promotion for their free preview package holders (obvious marketing trick, but good timing in my situation).  They were offering their top shared Linux package for half the price.  Ok, that sounds like a good deal, and it was, but what about next year? Well, this is where it gets even better.  Not only did I get the package at half price, but they guaranteed that price for three years with free upgrades!

I might not be the brightest light bulb in the box, but I know a good deal when I see one.  So, as I’m sure you’ve already figured out, I signed up.  What I got was a whole lot more than what I bargained for, and honestly, could have hoped for.  Almost instantly after upgrading, I noticed that my sites were running faster.  I’m assuming that paid customers are placed on less crowded servers.

Then, the first upgrade came.  My space and bandwidth were doubled at no extra charge.  I thought to myself, cool, I’ll take it!  A couple weeks later, I was browsing the 1and1 site comparing features for a potential client when I noticed that the package I have had been bumped to ridiculously high levels.  Even though I was getting my money’s worth at the time, I felt a little bitter that I wasn’t getting the full package spec.  After all, I was promised that I would get every package upgrade.

Just like any other nightmare client, I promptly dialed billing to give them a piece of my mind.  Apparently, the billing agent was no stranger to difficult clients like me.  Within a few minutes of talking to me, he got me defused and assured me that my package would be brought up to spec within four weeks. That was two weeks ago.  He explained that it was taking more time than expected to upgrade all their current accounts to the new account specs.  He really surprised me when he said that I’d actually be getting more than what was currently listed on the site. What?!  Ok then! Thank you for your time!  Needless to say, I was left feeling very positive about that support call.

Here’s where we get into the numbers… When I logged into my account today, I was greeted by some very generous numbers for the package I have.  I discovered that I now have 30,000MB of storage and 1,500 GB of transfer on a shared hosting account that normally runs $19.99/mo! Wait!  That can’t be right! Those are VPS specs!  Yup, you read right. 30GB of storage and 1.5TB of transfer for under $20/mo. PLUS, with 1and1, I only pay $5.99 per domain, per year.

Now, let’s be real here.  Those numbers are great and all, but other providers offer similar specs.  What sets 1and1 apart?  For starters, uptime!  With every other host I’ve used, uptime was a major issue.  This is not so with 1and1.  I can count on one hand how many times in the past two years my site was not available and nearly every time it was related to an ISP router, not 1and1! Also, one of the things I’ve really grown to appreciate is their one-of-a-kind control panel.  It’s a little slow, but it more than makes up for it in streamlined administration.  This is especially true of the domain administration.  Even complete n00bs have no problem navigating the 1and1 control panel and managing their package like a pro.

Again, I’m not the easiest person in the world to impress, especially when it comes to hosting providers.  Nevertheless, 1and1 has really raised the bar of what a good hosting provider is in my mind.  They are now the benchmark by which I will measure all hosting providers.  If you are in the market for a good, reliable, affordable hosting provider, I cannot say enough positive about 1and1.

There is only one negative I’ve found with 1and1 and it’s not even really a negative. They’re a bit restrictive on script execution.  If you think about it, in a shared hosting environment, this is a good thing, and this also explains why the only time I’ve noticed the server actually being down was during a scheduled hardware upgrade. Now, who’s going to complain about a free upgrade in performance?

If you would like more information on 1and1 and the packages they offer, I encourage you to visit their site.  Just as a point of reference, I’m running on the Developer Package.  I think you’ll find that it’s a more than adequate package for moderate to heavy traffic sites.

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1 Simple Secret For Small Busines Owners

Posted on February 16, 2012 by admin

This article is from your MYB Consultancy for small business owners, in fact any business owner

Online Business Education – Operational Risk Management Training

All you need to get going is 1 Simple Secret that gets you started towards achieving your goals…

Small business Owners – Can you see what you want?
Too many business owners just can’t see it…
Do you see what happens to a business owner when they don’t know what they want?
You wonder where they see the business going? Who is there anywhere that can lead them forward if they can’t see where they want to go.

As a business consultant I have found that secret!!

If you knew a very, very simple secret would you use it? I just bet you would…

Here it is! …See your business picture…

You must be able to see your very own business picture.

You need to know what your business, your life looks like to you. How else do you know what you want or if in fact you actually get to where you want to go???? How will you know when you get there?

We all do it – consciously and sub consciously – we visualise, we create that picture in our minds. Anything you have ever really wanted you could actually see it clearly in your mind, before you got it. That’s what drove you to getting it. Part of knowing what you want is being able to see what you want.

If you can’t see it, you can’t reach for it….its so, so important to create that business picture. Sit there quietly, close your eyes and look for it. Create it if you haven’t already.

Everything that you do is a product of what you see – like it or not. If you don’t see it you will be flat, without purpose and scattered. When the going gets a bit tough as it surely will at times, search your mind for your very own success picture and keep it in focus. It’s a great pick-me-up. But more than that – you have something to reach for. If your picture is somewhat blurred – tidy it up, make it smart and desirable.

Ask any successful business owner to tell you about their PICTURE, and they can and will tell you.

In business it is called VISION – this is the very first step on your pathway to success.

1 Simple Secret – Make your picture a beautiful one

Take advantage of FREE online business coaching and masimise your Operational Risk Management Training Opportunity.

More tips for becoming a successful small business owner can be found at my website: http://www.businesscoachingsite.com

Know Your Business “Picture”
Elaine Masters
Business Consultant & Coach
Master Your Business
Online Business Education
Operational Risk Management Training

http://www.businesscoachingsite.com

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“Who Loves Money” Review

Posted on February 9, 2012 by admin

“Making Money Online is Easy Right? It Can Be if You Know What You’re Doing”

“Who Loves Money” will teach you how to earn money online, and best of all, it’s free. We’ve reviewed all of the top “making money” programs online and have created this site to help you determine which products and services will actually help you make money online!

Lesson #1: How Does Someone Make Money Online?

There are many ways to make money online, but the most common, and most lucrative way to make money online is to sell products for companies willing to share the profits with you. The process of marketing to people online is called “Internet Marketing” and it is a multi billion dollar industry. Hundreds of thousands of people, just like yourself, are making money online everyday by partnering with companies who pay commissions based on sales that you help generate.

This sounds difficult but it’s not because these companies have “Affiliate Programs” setup for their partners (Affiliates). You can partner with thousands of companies online and start selling their products in literally minutes. So how do you start selling a companies products as an Affiliate? Simple, all you need to do is send visitors to their websites. This sounds simple, and it is, but finding the right kind of traffic and enough of it is more difficult. Products like “Who Loves Money” can teach you how to find high converting traffic for VERY low cost and can actually teach you how to get started with Internet Marketing for nearly ZERO investment.

Lesson #2: What If I have No Experience?

The most common misconception about Internet Marketing is that only people with good computer knowledge and marketing skills can take part. This is NOT the case.

You DO NOT NEED a website
You DO NOT NEED your own product
You DO NOT NEED any previous experience (none)
What you will need is a guide to help you learn how to get started.

Lesson #3: Be careful who you choose to learn from

Everyone has heard of being “Scammed” on the Internet, and although this is only somewhat true, many people have learned about making money online from companies who do not have good reputations in the Internet Marketing world.

There are many products out there tha offer old, rehased, and plajorized material that WILL NOT help you make money online. Anyone can tell you how to put up an advertisement on Google Adwords, but few people can tell you how to connect with the right customers. The problem with these so called “Guru’s” is that they don’t use the techniques they write about on their own Internet Marketing endeavors so they cannot explain how the techniques work. That’s the sad truth.

There is no such thing as “Getting Rich Quick” on the Internet. It doesn’t matter what you hear, you will never make money on the Internet overnight. Internet Marketing is a real business and it takes time to grow your business to a point where you are earning $500 / day. If you are dedicated to learning the correct techniques and are willing to put in the work, you WILL achieve your goals of making big money online.

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‘Tis The Season!

Posted on February 2, 2012 by admin

‘Tis the season to begin gift shopping once again. But, rather than battle crowds, weather and fatigue, we have the greatest invention of our generation—online shopping!

I love online shopping. I love the convenience of sitting in my robe, with a snack and drink close by, the TV on or a CD playing, and being able to choose any hour of the day or night to shop. And best of all, not having to battle traffic, rude crowds, or SNOW!

I love pretty much all online shopping, but one of my favorites is gift baskets. Gift baskets have been around for a long time, but seem to have really come into their own with the popularity of online shopping. They are the ultimate in easy gifting! And they make it easy with secure checkouts, personalized gift cards, and time-sensitive to-the-door delivery.

Whatever the occasion; whoever the intended recipient, there’s a fun and appropriate gift basket to be found. And for those of us with the spirit of adventure, some sites even offer customizable baskets. Many of the gift basket sites are really one-stop gift shopping—offering flowers and plants, wines, food baskets, corporate gifts and special gifts for kids.

I spent about an hour recently on one of my favorites, and managed to clear my list of a birthday gift for my 10-year old niece; an anniversary gift for my sister and brother-in-law; flowers for my “adopted mom” who recently underwent knee-replacement surgery; and a congratulations basket for a dear friend who recently had twins!

Being the frugal person that I am, one year I decided I would make and mail my own gift baskets. It was very time consuming, very expensive, but fun for a one-time activity. I created a home entertainment basket with microwave popcorn, Milk Duds and Raisinets, a few well-chosen video tapes (before DVDs became the in-thing!) and a few other items. Being of Italian descent, my favorite home-spun basket is called “A Taste of Italy.” It includes pasta, sauce, good Romano cheese, bread sticks, olive oil, wine and some delicious traditional Italian cookies!

Probably the only thing more fun than shopping for or creating gift baskets is receiving one. Several years ago I received this huge basket of the most incredible English muffins. Thick, exquisite muffins in every possible flavor. Needless to say I shared my bounty – and the next year went to the site and ordered several baskets for folks on my list. Another basket that really impressed me was the one our realtor sent after we bought a house. It had all the fixings for an intimate housewarming party, including a lovely bottle of wine.

I have to admit, the “gift box” from a well-known cheese company left me a little flat. I couldn’t get over that the entire box, which I know was not inexpensive, consisted of about four of those 2 ounce bars of cheese, a small jar of mustard, small package of crackers and a few hard candies. Definitely less-than impressive!

I really do LOVE online shopping. And I really love the ease and convenience of gift baskets! So next month, you’re likely to find me in front of the fireplace with my laptop busily choosing and sending out lots of holiday greetings around the country without having to put on shoes!

If you haven’t already joined the ranks of online shoppers, do yourself a favor and try going the online shopping/gift basket route. I guarantee you’ll enjoy the holiday season a whole lot more!

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7 Ways To Stay Motivated For The Long Haul

Posted on October 10, 2011 by admin

Staying motivated for the long haul is both challenging and necessary. We live in a fast-paced society where instant gratification is the norm. We may discover that we need skills and attributes to help us stay positive and on course as we deal with the ups and downs of business. We come to learn that growing a business is a process that requires patience, flexibility, trust, and the ability to deal with uncertainty, among other things.

It is important to note that we can learn new skills and attributes to help us in our business. Entrepreneurship is no longer something someone is just “born to do” instead it is something we learn. Through practice and patience, we have the ability to change what is not working and enhance what is working so that we can successfully grow our business.

Below are 7 ways to stay motivated for the long haul:

Make/Renew your Commitment – Being committed to one’s business venture is essential to staying motivated for the long haul. When we make a commitment to ourselves and our business, we are able to move beyond fears, doubts and insecurities that in the past may have held us back. I know this to be true because I experienced it. I didn’t make a commitment to my business until I was in business for almost three years. I would fluctuate in my commitment depending upon the circumstances. When things were going good, I was committed, when they weren’t, I thought about giving up. It wasn’t until I made a written and verbal commitment to myself that I was going to give this business my all, no matter what, that I began to reap the benefits of being an entrepreneur. What I learned is that when we are most challenged is when we need to be committed the most.

Be Agile/Flexible – Combined with being committed is being agile and flexible. Bill Rancic, winner of The Apprentice reality-tv series was recently a guest on my radio show, The Entrepreneur Hour. He said, “having a business plan is important but being flexible with the plan is more important.” Bill completely revamped his marketing strategy for his cigarsaroundtheworld.com business when his original business strategy wasn’t working. He shared about how we need to leave our egos at the door and just do what needs to be done.

Develop a support network – A support network includes friends, colleagues and family who celebrate our successes and help us through our challenging times. While it is easy to call a support person to celebrate a success, it can be difficult to call and ask for help or express a difficulty. It’s at the moment when we reach out and share our challenges, or ask for help that we begin to experience relief from the problem or challenge, see solutions and recognize the value of the people who support us. The support we receive is as strong as our ability to share the good times and bad.

Stay Balanced – When we are balanced within ourselves by getting enough rest, having healthy eating habits and taking take our spiritual needs, we are better able to cope with challenges. If you find yourself becoming irritable, impatient or the like, check first within your being – mind, body and spirit to see is you are in balance. We are always better able to cope and stay motivated when we take care of our human needs.

Be Realistic –Being realistic means that we know and expect ups and downs while growing and operating our business. These ups and downs may include anything from success to disaster. Our opportunity in being realistic is to know and believe that we have the skills within us to deal with any situation, regardless of the circumstances.

Choose a positive attitude – Having a positive attitude is a choice we can make at any moment of any day. We might be dealing with a difficult situation and while our natural tendency is to feel negative, we can choose to be positive. A positive outlook and attitude is a necessity in staying motivated for the long haul.

Stay Present – When we stay present to our business and to ourselves, we stay out of fear and worry. Staying present means that we “stay in the day” in our minds. We do this by not projecting our fears into the future or worrying about something that may or may not happen. Just like worry is a habit, we can develop the habit of staying present and being free from worry. Sometimes it helps to remind ourselves that all is okay for today.

Staying motivated for the long haul is a one day at a time journey. Enjoy the ride!

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