http://www.everyone.net/main/html/community_tour.html Create a community

http://subportal.iboost.com/subportals.html Offer free stuff

http://www.atomz.com Add search to your site

http://contests.about.com/shopping/contests/mpboards.htm Offer a prize or competition

http://www.hi2.com Let visitors play games

http://web-source.net/write.htm Write an article (or three)

=> OR DO IT YOURSELF!

The web is literally brim-full with free website building tools that can really improve your website. Again, you are only limited by your own imagination (or creative combination of other people's imagination!). I recommend you visit all of these sites, and get thinking...

- http://www.bignosebird.com (script called birdcast) - http://cgi-resources.com/Programs_and_Scripts - http://reallybig.com - http://www.zdnet.com/developer/ - http://www.builder.com - http://www.web-source.net/web/ - http://buildit.sitesell.com/shopping101.html

=> READ MORE...

Think for a while about sites that *you* really like, and think why it is that you like them. And always be on look- out for good ideas, both online and offline.

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Make your site a "wow!", and get everyone talking about (and visiting) your site. Sounds simple, doesn't it! It isn't, but there are lots of tools and resources on Internet to help you. Just add your brain... then create a buzz!

Be sure and mention any specials or any new free things. This is very important. Tease them with something free, something which absolutely requires them to visit site. A free desktop theme, or some wallpaper, or clipart or anything like that.

Don't overload thing with ads. A few is fine, especially for your own services and offerings, but if you include more than half a dozen ads your e-newsletter will wind up deleted more often than not. Especially if those ads are at top of newsletter.

HTML format is great, because you can also include nice looking graphics and other things. In addition, HTML code can be included in your site as content - previous issues. I would stay away from any Java, ActiveX, Javascript, VBscript or any other fancy things as these tend to be frowned upon in emails. Just a nice looking, simple, quick newsletter describing what's new and telling visitor why he needs to come back to your site.

And that's what's critical ... getting visitors to come back to your site again and again.