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6 Steps to a More Successful Website in 2006
Another year has passed and a new one has dawned. It's an
exciting time to have an online business. More consumers have
computers and Internet connections than ever before, and people
are more comfortable buying things online than in years past....
Finding A Free Host - Part 1: Requirements for your host
Finding A Free Host Part I: Meeting Your Needs Introduction People on the internet are greedy. They want some ultimate free host, with “unlimited” storage, “unlimited” bandwidth, and no ads. That will never happen, unless it is some private host...
How To Shop and Save On Website Hosting
What's your web address?" From small "mom and pop" home-based businesses to mega-stores, people ask this question in business every single day. Even if you only operate a small, local business, if you don't have a website (or at least email)...
The proper way to use the robots.txt file
When optimizing your web site most webmasters don’t consider using the robots.txt file. This is a very important file for your site. It let the spiders and crawlers know what they can and can not index. This is helpful in keeping them out of...
Why Aren't You Using CGI
The very name CGI used to send chills up my spine. For years I put it in the 'too-hard-basket'. But like most things in life, CGI is not as scary as it seems. If you have a cgi directory on your website and you know how to FTP files, chances are you...
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Caution Required
Being active users of the internet, we all come across so many tempting
business offers. Most of us would love to be able to quit our mundane job
that takes all of our time and energy. Most of us think "I know there is a
way to make money on the computer, and some day I will sit down and figure
it out."
Every time an advertisement or website catches your interest, you can not
help but wonder if it could actually work, and then you could work from home
and spend more time with your family. There is nothing wrong with that!
Sometimes change is good, or sometimes you just have to take that chance.
But since there is so much riding on any decision you may make, especially
money, shouldn't you step back and take a second look?
First off, and very important, never ever take an ad for what it says.
There are no guarantees that advertisers tell the truth. They want to sell
to you, and they will tell you whatever it is that you want to hear to get
you interested. Now, there are many legitimate businesses that will not
steer you wrong. But, please do not take them for face value. Don't jump in
with both feet without taking the time to investigate.
I have always felt that MarketingTrendz.com has done a good job in trying to
educate our readers as far as dealings on the internet. But the fact is,
most of the people I hear from have all learned the hard way about the
offers they find on the internet. My thinking in sitting down to write this
warning to you is- Do you need to burn your hand to know that fire is hot?
Can we not learn from other real experiences and save ourselves from a lot
of trouble?
There are many ways to verify that a person or business is what they claim
to be and believe me (and everyone who has gone through this) it is worth
the extra time and research to protect yourself. Below are some web
addresses that I personally find useful and have book marked for my easy
access.
- Check the website registration.
http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois
Do this with all domains you
are interested in buying from. Of course, they
need their OWN domain for this to work.
- Verify names, addresses and phone numbers.
http://www.infospace.com/
Not everyone comes up in these directories, but it only takes a few seconds
and can make you feel more sure.
- Look for a membership to an association for protecting consumers.
http://www.scaminator.com/cobra/directory.htm
There are solid guidelines that members must follow. Remember: Also look
for their listing in the association's directory. That way you know they
haven't just stolen a graphic and are pretending to be a member.
- Stay up-to-date about circulating scams.
http://www.scaminator.com
http://www.scamwatch.com/scams/sacm001.html
There are many other places to read about scams. Look around, you might save
yourself a lot of problems.
Other things you should do:
- Contact the actual people of any testimonies that are given. This can
shed a lot of light on the business in question.
- Check out the company at your local Better Business Bureau and Attorney
Generals office in your area.
- Make sure all phone numbers to the company are working numbers. Call them
or check with the local phone companies and directories to see who the phone
number is listed to.
- Look for a street address for sending payments. Never send to a PO Box.
If they refuse to give the street address to you, that is a good indication
that there is something not quite right.
These are just a few things you need to get in a habit of doing. Even if it
seems like a huge pain, it is the best action to take for yourself. No one
else will be looking out for you.
Your Caution is Required.About the Author
Written by Sara Hardy
Owner of MarketingTrendz, and Publisher of
The OnLine Exchange Ezine.
To subscribe to her ezine goto:
http://www.online-exchange.com
This will automatically make you a member of The Profit Zone,
a FREE Members Only Club that gives you unlimited access
to FREE marketing tools, ebooks, resources and more!
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