Some sites with good "tell-a-friend" scripts are listed below.

- http://www.sitegadgets.com/ - Remotely hosted script usable by any web site.

- http://www.dtp-aus.com - Hosted locally on your own server, requires CGI access.

For an example of a tell-a-friend script, check out:

http://www.internet-tips.net ellafriend.htm

This is copthis script from http://www.dtp-aus.com. It requires that you have access to CGI on your host. However, remotely hosted versions (which can be used from any HTML page) basically look same and perform same functions.

So what does a tell-a-friend script do? At very least, it accepts your email address and email address of a friend. Once that information has been entered, friend is sent an email which states that you have recommended site to him. That's a very critical piece of information - a person is recommending site, and it's a person who is known (presumably) to friend.

The better scripts also allow your visitors (and you) to enter their name. The very best scripts allow more than one name and email address to be entered at a time, and your visitors can even include a comment such as "check out this site - it's great". I also like those scripts which provide for an email to be sent to me when someone refers my site - this way, I know if people are taking advantage of this feature.

You will get more results if you include form itself on each and every page of your site. You will find this on many sites such as zdnet - they have a form which allows you to enter a persons email address and name. This sends them a quick email saying that you recommend site to them.

You will not see an incredible burst in traffic due to these forms. What you will see is people referring your site to their friends, which will cause more (and higher quality) traffic. I've noticed that when someone receives a referral they stay longer and, if you sell something, they are more likely to buy something.

Free Articles For your Web Site - http://www.internet-tips.net/Sticky/freearticles.htm

There are also many great places to look for ideas for your articles. Just remember that there is content all over place - use it to your advantage. Also, remember to stay ethical and honor copyrights at all times.

Writing For The Web http://www.internet-tips.net/Sticky/writingforweb1.htm More Places to get Ideas http://www.internet-tips.net/Sticky/writingforweb2.htm

Okay so you've decided on your format and you've got some articles. So put together a nicely formatted ebook with a table of contents. Be sure and include hyperlinks to your web site all over - at least one per page. Also, you can include brief advertisements, links to join your newsletter and all kinds of other things. It's your ebook - do what you want.

However, remember what you are doing is creating something that you want people to put up on their web sites, send to their friends and recommend to everyone. Thus, while you want to promote your stuff, be sure it's valuable enough that people really want it. People don't recommend advertisements - they recommend content.

Now what? Advertise heck out of your new ebook. Post it on your web site, promote it in your ezine and add a link to your email signature. You can sell it if you want - or you can just give it away.

Be sure and give everyone permission to post it, send it, copy it and sell it as much as they want. In fact, you would be wise to make first page totally explain what you are up to. Tell people what they can do with ebook, don't make it a secret.

Give it some time (assuming you've created a worthy ebook) and you may find it spread all over internet. And each and every copy will have your links, your ads and your site mentioned. That can add up to a lot of traffic - for free.