Friday, October 28, 2005

Splog

Leave it to irritating internet marketers to always take a great new idea and ruin it -- and create a new word. The most recent word, Splog coined in August 2005 to represent Blogs that were all about spam. Sure many people have blogs to help promote their businesses but these splogs are simply spam ads. Why do they bother? Because blogs, with their frequently updated content, get good results on search engines.

Its even gotten worse though. I was so happy to see people leaving comments on my blog until I discovered many of them were...you guess it... spam (or splog). It looks like internet spammers have developed a way to use automated submissions to put their messages on blogs' comment areas. Blogger and many other blog hosts have implemented a safeguard and like all internet safeguards it hinders effectiveness for the site owner and creates more work for the visitor. It involves having comment-posters put in a verification code when they submit their comments. These codes are random and can only be submitted by the actual person.

What always surprises me, is how spammers and irritating internet marketers get away with this stuff. It must work or they would stop. But when I get spam I always think "You are the LAST person I'd get a mortgage... weight loss... work-at-home... watches.... or whatever crap they are peddling ... from." Who wants to do business with someone who insists on breaking nettiqette?

As someone who makes much of my income online, I work hard to NOT annoy people. I have very few solo ads on my ezine. All my lists are double-opt-in. When I do email lists, I try to make sure they get some really great information they can use. I have removed my guestbook which was spammed all the time. I have invested in programs that have safeguards (double opt in, link removal, etc).

The truth is, the spammers get richer and make life for those of us who want to earn income online the right way, much harder and more expensive.

I hope that those of you who do enjoy my little blog will continue to leave me notes even though you now have an extra step.

Leslie Truex

posted by Leslie Truex at 8:22 AM 2 comments

Friday, October 21, 2005

Madam President

I have been noticing some hub-bub about Geena Davis' new show about a woman president. Since the U.S. has not yet had a female president, I can understand all the buzz about this show. However, its a bigger deal to me that the U.S. hasn't had a female president yet.

The United States touts itself the land of freedom and progressive thinking. Yet, it lags way behind many other countries in things like having a female leader. Why is that? The world has had great female leaders like Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, etc.

I don't know how people can keep a straight face when they say a woman's monthly menses or emotionality stop them from voting for a woman. Oh pleeeeeeeeease.

When it comes to mental strength and endurance, women are strong enough to run a country. Lets face it, women have breasts because men couldn't handle a mammogram. Women have babies because men couldn't handle child birth.

We understand the economy better than anyone since we do most the grocery shopping, clothing children, and filling the SUV or minivan with gasoline.

While men have tunnel vision focus that makes it difficult to handle more than one thing at a time (like finding Bin Laden AND searching for WMD), women are natural multi-taskers. We can be extremely organized, efficient and practical. The emotional part helps insure we DON'T push "The Button" because, as natural nurturers, we have trouble with "collateral damage". That doesn't mean we won't strike when provoked. In the wild, its always the mother animal you need to watch out for as she'll do whatever to protect her family.

So come on America, open your mind to the idea of a woman president. Encourage your daughters to believe that not only can they be good at math, but they could rule the country too.

posted by Leslie Truex at 11:50 AM 3 comments

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Work-At-Home Success Jobs and News Oct. 14, 2005

This week's Work-At-Home Success Jobs and News is now posted. This issue you will find:

- The Top Ten Steps to Springboarding Your eBusiness
- Drivers try to cut expenses :Ideas include working at home, using mass transit and car pooling.
- What Marketing Can Do For You
- Medicare Scam Alert
- 10 New telecommuting jobs
- And more.

Pick up this week's issue here:
http://www.workathomesuccess.com/ezine.htm

Leslie Truex

posted by Leslie Truex at 9:08 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Great Savings sources and freebies!

One of the ways I have been able to stay and work at home is to learn to cut back on expenses. The Internet has made saving money and find deals even easier. Here are some great savings and deals. There are even some great freebies!

For those of you that like to earn cash and prizes throughsurveys, try:

Happy savings:)

Leslie

posted by Leslie Truex at 12:12 PM 0 comments

Monday, October 10, 2005

Work-At-Home Success Jobs and News Oct. 7, 2005

The latest edition of Work-At-Home Success Jobs and News is now posted at http://www.workathomesuccess.com/ezine.htm.

This week:
1. News and Updates
2. Work-At-Home Tips, Tidbits, Inspiration - Can You Afford to Work?
3. Work-At-Home Jobs - 10 new jobs posted
4. Work-At-Home in the News - Growing Impetus for Telecommuting
5. Work-At-Home Opportunities - Many great income options.
6. Marketing and Promotion -Five Traffic Generation Techniques
7. Scam Alert - Top 10 Scams to Watch Out For!
8. Reality Check - WAHM Confessions - Annoying Online Marketing

Don't forget Work-At-HomeSuccess' sister sites:
MomsAtHomeSuccess
JobsAtHomeSuccess

posted by Leslie Truex at 12:05 PM 0 comments

Friday, October 07, 2005

Untapped Telecommuting Resources

© 2005 Leslie Truex

The Internet has made working at home easier and more accessible to people. It allows companies to hire the very best workers regardless of where they live. But often, people who are looking for these jobs fail to tap into one of the best telecommuting job resources: the local community. In fact, premium telecommuting positions are more likely to be found in small local businesses. These jobs include the highly coveted typing or data entry work, office support, and customer service jobs. Here are some tips to finding or creating a work-at-home job in your own backyard.

1) Internet- The Internet is a fantastic resource for finding local work IF you know where to look and how to avoid scams. To find local telecommuting jobs, stick to job searches in your local area. Most job search sites such as Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com give you the option search by state and even city; however, a better bet is to use job search sites that are specific to your area. My very favorite site for finding telecommuting jobs in specific communities is Craigslist.org. Choose a city and then the “Job” search function. Craigslist.org even has a box you can check to search only “Telecommuting” jobs. Most telecommuting jobs posted on Craiglist.org require a local resident but still give the flexibility of working at home. You still need to watch out for scams and biz ops disguised as jobs. Remember, there is never a fee for legitimate employment.

2) Local Classifieds – Although you aren’t likely to find jobs advertised as “telecommuting” in your local newspaper, local classified ads are still a good resource for finding work-at-home jobs. Look for jobs in your “help wanted” classified ads that you are capable of doing that could also be done from home. Prepare a resume and cover letter, as you would for any job however, propose a telecommuting option (see proposal below) as part of your submission. Beware of ads with 800# and as always, if there is a fee, its not a job.

3) Yellow Pages – The very best telecommuting position I ever got was found through the yellow pages. My background is in social work and when my sister told me her adoption social worker was a contact worker I thought, “I could do that.” I used my phonebook yellow pages to find adoption agencies in my area. I mailed a resume and cover letter outlining a work-at-home proposal to eight adoption agencies in my state. One contacted and hired me. You could do the same for your area of expertise.

The key to getting a local company to consider a home-based worker is to focus on the benefits telecommuting offers the employer. Employers don’t care about your childcare hassles or commute. If you can show them that they get more for their money, then you will have an active listener.

When you write, send your resume but include a cover letter that not only outlines your skills but also the benefits of telecommuting. Here are some areas to cover:

1) Outline your qualities and experience that would make you a good candidate for the job.

2) List the benefits of telecommuting including increased productivity, savings on real estate and equipment savings, and decreased absenteeism and burnout.

3) Detail any cost savings the arrangement may offer such as reduced benefits. Some companies are eligible for government funding based on their telecommuting programs. Research federal and state incentives available to companies for encouraging telecommuting.

4) List any equipment or resources you currently have available such as second phone line, computer, manuals etc.

5) Indicate how you can be contacted (phone, fax, etc).

6) Include information on how you will deal with meetings, deadlines, office activities and emergencies.

Be sure to follow-up your letter with a phone call.Telecommuting is growing significantly. Small, local based companies are at the forefront of this growth. You can tap into this great resource of home-based jobs by using the ideas and strategies above to create your own telecommuting arrangement.

For more information on telecommuting, check out Leslie Truex's ebook, Jobs At Home: A Complete Guide to Finding or Creating a Work-At-Home Job http://www.jobsathomesuccess.com .

posted by Leslie Truex at 5:04 AM 0 comments

Annoying Online Marketing

I recently experienced an online marketing tactic that I find unprofessional and annoying. No, I'm not talking about spam, bulk emailing or pop-ups. I'm talking about online marketers that harvest names off of classified ad sites. Fortunately, I don't run into too many of these people because I don't market using online classifieds. But I work with people who sometimes do. I get an excited call that someone has emailed them about their ad. The email is my first tip-off that this may not be a legitimate inquiry as most people fill out the form, not email. But, we contact the person who proceeds to ask us if we want to make $10,000 in two weeks or get 100 customers a month. In the past, curiosity had me going through their shpele to see what they had. Now, I tell them no and get off the phone.

One program offered a "unique marketing" system that would have 100's of people in your business each month. It was only $400 and you could sell it too! Only, you didn't get paid on your first 3 sales. What's wrong with this picture? First of all, what is unique about harvesting contacts from ads? Many would call this spam. I think its unprofessional. And of course, its not at all unique.

Yesterday, I left a message for a man with a name like Sugar (that should have been my first tip off that something was weird) who called me back and wanted to know if I wanted to make $10,000 in the next two weeks. I politely told him how I felt about his marketing tactics. Wouldn't you be annoyed if people responded to your ad but were only contacting you to sell you something? He got all puffed up (I'm sure he would say he was posturing) and told me that I wasn't the type of person he was looking to do business with. I told him he was right and hung up. I don't have time for people who try to intimidate me.

Why is contacting people through their ads with an "I saw your ad" email so bad? For one, as I mentioned, many places would call it spam. I believe its completely unprofessional. Its a sign of desperation to prey on people who are already working a business to try and get them in another business. I'm sure they wouldn't like me contacting people in their business to try to get them into something else.

If you are contacting people through their classified ads to try and sell to them, I urge you to stop. If you are using classified ads to market your business, I encourage you to stop as well. There are many great ways to promote a business online that are effective and don't annoy people.

posted by Leslie Truex at 4:36 AM 0 comments

Monday, October 03, 2005

Work-At-Home Success Jobs and News Sept. 30, 2005

Your Work-At-Home Success Jobs and News is now ready. This week you'll find articles on the Untapped Telecommuting Resources and 7 Credibility and Sales Boosters. Find out what organizations will face penalties if they fall short on their telecommuting goals and learn of a Fake FBI Scam Alert. Plus you'll find 10 new work-at-home jobs and many home income resources.

Get your Work-At-Home Success Jobs and News Here:
http://www.workathomesuccess.com/ezine.htm

Have a great weekend.

Leslie Truex
http://www.workathomesuccess.com

posted by Leslie Truex at 8:37 AM 0 comments