What is a Blog? In Plain English Please.Written by Vickie J Scanlon
If you are fairly new to Internet, you have probably heard word “Blog” flying around. But what is a blog? How does it work? And how can I use it on my website? These are all good questions, which I hope to answer for you.What is a Blog? A blog, in simplest terms, is a daily journal of your thoughts that is maintained by a blogger (which would be you) on web. When posting to a blog you will notice that it is arranged in chronological order – with most recent additions on top. You can choose to allow your readers to add their own comments/feedback to any issues you may have addressed on your blog. Or, you can add audio to your blog. Pretty neat, isn’t it. What a great way to have contact with your customers. Can it be used on my website? Can it be used on my website? Definitely. It can be a great tool for you and your contacts. However, I personally feel that it would be a greater benefit to established website that has a following. In other words, start with a newsletter first, to build your mailing list, than go for blog. If you have a following, than go for it. Don’t want to pay for it? That’s okay, you can go to www.blogger.com, they have a great tutorial and blog is free. What can it do for my website? I see many inventive uses for a website that is based on content. Such as:
| | Affiliate Marketing and MLM - Vive Le DifferenceWritten by Stephen Brennan
I have to start this particular article with this disclaimer. I have nothing against MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) or those who have found their niche within it, unless they don't know what word 'NO' means or they don't realize that a funeral is not right place to sell toiletries or washing powder (why did those two come to mind?) I've have been seeing Affiliate Marketing compared to MLM for years now and to be quite honest, I really thought that difference between two was so obvious that a comparison could never be made. Not so! People, who obviously don't understand what Affiliates do and how their programs work, are assuming that it is just another 'MLM' business model. Nothing could be further from truth. So, my mission today is to demonstrate (obvious) difference to those who would compare two, once and for all. Firstly, popular MLM business models that have been around for years, long before advent of Internet, are well known to most people, at least, I assume they are to those that make comparison I speak of. Otherwise, on what do they base assertion that they are same or even similar? The two most well known MLM businesses, we’ll call them two "A's", in fact, both market very good quality products and, by all accounts, service their customers very well. I think aspect or idea of MLM that causes some Affiliates to often be concerned about comparison is memory of MLMer who tried to sell perfume or hand cleaner at a Baptism. Basically, without going into huge amounts of detail, MLM is a network (also known as ‘Network Marketing’) of distributors, who SELL products to distributors they have recruited. The distributors make profit on products they sell to their ‘underlings’, and so on down an often very long line. Some Affiliates DO have massive 'Downlines' and they do make sizeable sums from 'residual' commissions generated by those who joined under them however, Affiliate Marketing is NOT an MLM model, even if there is a 'Downline'. In Affiliate Marketing there is no dependence on those who join underneath for you to earn a good income. It is a business model in it's own right and doesn't rely on 'Downline' to generate bulk of income. Residual commissions are usually very small and are simply an encouragement and reward by merchant for those Affiliates who bring others into 'fold'. Conversely, in MLM you need to have your ‘underlings’ selling in order to make decent money.
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