Budget and Sanity Travel Tips

1. Carry an empty water bottle with you. As you know, you may not carry liquids or more than 4 ounces through TSA security checkpoints in U.S. airports. But that doesn’t mean you cannot carry empty bottles, even those more capable of holding more than 4 ounces through these same checkpoints. So bring your favorite funky or classy, plastic or metal water bottle through the line. On the other side, fill up with tap water (yes, tap water is still fine to drink) or water from a restaurant soft drink fountain.2. Bring your own tea bags or drink mix packets/sachets. This is one of my favorite things to do because I think it’s so outrageous to pay over $2.00 for a single tea bag. Most time, a restaurant will no charge you for a cup of hot water. What they DO charge you for is the tea bag or the hot cocoa packet or coffee. So, with purpose and resolve, make your way to the counter of that ever-present fast food joint or cafe and ask for a cup of hot water. Then make your way out of the restaurant and drop into the cup your favorite Earl Grey packet or even Starbucks VIA instant coffee sachets. If bringing the VIA sachets, be sure to segregate them into the quart-size zipper baggy that you send through the TSA checkpoint.3. Bring your own pillow and blanket. Have you ever wondered if that pillow now snug up against your face was drooled on by the previous passenger who help your seat? Or did you ever think that maybe the blanket tucked under your chin was used as a towel to wipe the sweat from the previous ticket-holder’s brow or maybe even more odoriferous places on his body? Despite the effort that airlines have made in providing these amenities to passengers, I am grossed out by the prospect that pillows and blankets aren’t always cleaned between uses. With these disgusting thoughts in mind, I highly recommend two packable, lightweight, cozy items for the traveler: the Cocoon Coolmax Travel Blanket and the Cocoon Ultralite Aircore Travel Pillow. Both are very compact and the pillow can even by adjusted by inflating and deflating it.4. Bring along baby wipes. While not so much a travel tip that saves you bucks, this one can surely keep your frustrations in check. It’s not unusual while traveling to be in need of a quick clean up. What I’m talking about here is anything from wiping your hands after eating a sauce-laden sandwich to being stranded at the airport without any access to a shower, although your really, really need or want one! Baby wipes are a quick and convenient way to freshen up in the sense that a sponge bath does. And because baby wipes are intended to clean up some pretty messy situations, they seem to be really good at more adult messes such as food stains on clothing. And we know what an airline meal and turbulence can sometimes mean for food ending up on your clothes.5. Pack your own snacks. Don’t expect airline food to be healthy or cheap. These days, airline fare can cost your well over $10 for a semi-flavorful sandwich in-flight. And we all are familiar with the high prices in airports. So, don’t get stranded in this no-win situation. Pack your own nuts, cereal, dried fruit, sandwich, and even sushi. For finger-ready breakfast fare, bring Cheerios. If you prefer it with milk, you can always ask for some milk as the beverage cart makes it way down the aisle.6. Bring or wear socks when you arrive to the airport. Thanks to security procedures, many airports now require travelers to remove their footwear before passing through the security checkpoint. Being barefoot on such well-trodden floors isn’t my idea of cleanliness or even safety. So, I either be sure to wear socks or bring them with me and slip them on as I remove my sandals. Socks are also good to keep with you in your carry on as flights are sometimes chilling to the toes.7. Take the time to make a thorough visible check of your rental car when you first pick it up. All rental companies give you a portfolio with a bare-boned diagram of a car. Be sure to use that to inspect your rental car inside and out and make note of any scratches, dents, dings, and accessories in disrepair. If you are unable to see your rental car clearly – say it is nighttime or rainy when you arrive – ask where you can bring the car to a more lighted area. Additionally, you should use a digital camera or your camera phone to visually record any damage to your rental car. If any damage is not noted and communicated to the rental company before your drive off the light, you run the risk of being liable for the damage.8. Bring ear plugs. I can’t list the myriad of reasons why these little foam gems can be a way of keeping one’s sanity while traveling. I’ve often been the unlucky row-mate of crying babies, loud conversations, and even screaming earphones from the passenger next to me blaring the headsets so that she can hear the dialogue from the in-flight movie. I bring a few sets just in case I lose them, too. Oftentimes, I use them to muffle the sounds of the plane just enough to be a lull that helps me get a couple of hours of sleep on the plane. And at my destination hotel, they sometimes come in handy to muffle the sounds of a loud room air conditioner or heater or even the loud snores from the neighboring room.9. Pack underwear and other small items in zip-top plastic bags. I am a great believer in zip-top bags to hold my intimates and bathing suit (separately). It hasn’t ever happened to me, thank goodness, but I have seen luggage burst open on the carousel for arriving passengers. Unfortunately, this means articles of clothing all over the place – pants, shirts, dresses, and yes, underwear! Therefore, it’s a good idea to keep undies all in the same portable location. For more normal and usual travel, zip-top plastic bags allow you to see the contents and slip the bags around to little nooks and crannies in your luggage for especially efficient packing.

Online Jobs for College Students Revealed

Employment opportunities have progressed through the years resulting with jobs performed online becoming part of our daily lives. As job opportunities evolved, the quality of available online jobs have evolved as well. Many jobs online that were available early on were associated with quick money making scams, opportunities which require you to enter quite a bit of personal information, allowing companies to sell your personal information for marketing purposes, some even require you to purchase a service to help get you set up with an online business which typically had the slightest chance of success.

However, with current technological advances, legitimate online job opportunities are available, opportunities which can make fairly decent income. The amount of money that can be made from these job opportunities may not allow you to leave your day job to pursue working online on a full time basis, however, these jobs provide people with the opportunity to supplement their income without disrupting their daily routine due to the flexible work schedules and minimum qualification requirements.

The minimum job requirements and versatile work schedule make available online jobs the most ideal for college students, since the qualifications required to obtain the jobs align with the requirements students need to attend college. These job opportunities provide college students the opportunity to monetize on the education and knowledge they worked hard for thus far.

In addition, all of the job opportunities can be performed whenever and wherever the students desire, a flexibility that is difficult to find with the part time jobs many of us are familiar with. Many students are faced with the need to earn extra income without compromising their school schedule. The traditional part time job opportunities make this a challenge for students to accomplish. The advantages of the available online jobs for students are instrumental for students to complete their education and pursue the career they have dreamed of for many years.

The evolution of online jobs pave the road for what jobs can provide us in the future. As technological advances progress, the online jobs available will open up to a much more diverse group of people, changing our culture. Future job opportunities will soon allow for work to be performed at everyone’s convenience. People will no longer be constrained with the corporate structure many of us live through today. The mundane daily routine will soon be behind us, and the spontaneous lifestyle many seek out will soon be part of our daily lives.

QLD Real Estate Agent License Course – Are You Prepared?

One of the industries that is making most of the global economic progress is real estate. It has become a very lucrative profession and to become a real estate agent in Queensland, you must possess a license. There are many criteria that must be fulfilled in order to be able to get the license. This includes that the candidate must be 18 years or over, be a suitable person (there are specifications for this), have at least one place of business in Queensland and should have completed the required training units through a registered training organisation.**

For getting the QLD real estate license, training from a recognized organisation is essential. Not only will it help in obtaining the license but will also help in shaping a successful career in the real estate industry. There are a lot of organisations that provide training to get a real estate license and they offer courses through various modes of education (including correspondence). Training centres have specific time tables and candidates can pick and choose the classes they have to attend accordingly. They have an instructor who can help them. The classroom courses and correspondence courses have their own advantages and disadvantages as compared to each other; and one or the other might be more suitable for you depending on your constraints.

The QLD Real Estate Agent License Course includes 19 units in general. To get the full license, all the chapters/units need to be completed. If you have worked for twelve months or more in a real estate agency as a letting agent, property manager or salesperson, you would have most likely completed six to eight units. You will be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning in this case and you can consult with your workplace on what units you can be judged to be competent on. Formal education in real estate will also provide the necessary evidence to Prior Learning and you will not have to repeat units you have already learnt.

If the candidates have possessed a similar real estate agent license two years before applying for this one, then they do not need to complete the training requirements.

**To qualify for this licence you must complete these subjects from the industry-recognised Property Development and Management Training Package:

1.PRDRE09A Implement and monitor financial systems
2.PRDRE10A Manage agency risk
3.PRDRE11A Provide property appraisal
4.PRDRE12A Establish and expand client base
5.PRDRE13A Obtain property listings
6.PRDRE14A Market property
7.PRDRE15A Undertake property sale by private treaty
8.PRDRE16A Monitor sales process
9.PRDRE18A Lease property
10.PRDRE19A Provide property management services
11.PRDRE22A Present and explain property reports
12.PRDRE26A Conduct property sale by auction
13.PRDRE28A Maintain trust account
14.PRDRE30A Implement personal marketing plan
15.PRDRE37A Perform and record property management activities and transactions
16.PRDRE39A Prepare and execute documentation
17.PRDPOD62A Clarify and confirm property information requirements.

**Alternatively, you can complete these units from the Property Services Training Package endorsed by the National Quality Council:

1.BSBSBM406A Manage finances
2.CPPDSM4003A Appraise property
3.CPPDSM4005A Establish and build client-agency relationships
4.CPPDSM4006A Establish and manage agency trust accounts
5.CPPDSM4007A Identify legal and ethical requirements of property management to complete agency work
6.CPPDSM4008A Identify legal and ethical requirements of property sales to complete agency work
7.CPPDSM4009A Interpret legislation to complete agency work
8.CPPDSM4010A Lease property
9.CPPDSM4011A List property for lease
10.CPPDSM4012A List property for sale
11.CPPDSM4013A Market property for lease
12.CPPDSM4014A Market property for sale
13.CPPDSM4015A Minimise agency and consumer risk
14.CPPDSM4016A Monitor and manage lease or tenancy agreement
15.CPPDSM4018A Prepare and present property reports
16.CPPDSM4019A Prepare for auction and complete sale
17.CPPDSM4022A Sell and finalise the sale of property by private treaty
18.CPPDSM4046A Manage tenancy disputes
19.CPPDSM4080A Work in the real estate industry.

The QLD Real Estate Agent License Course would give the candidate the opportunity to own and manage a real estate agency, either on their own or with someone else. If real estate interests you and you have the burning desire to explore new opportunities in this field then getting a license will help the dream become reality.

** The information has been provided in http://www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au

Fitness Tip: A Quicker Way To Lose Weight

Anyone who has been in the fitness world runs into the question about weight loss quite a bit. People want to know the best way to lose weight or the fastest way to lose weight.

Of course, the easiest answer is to always say “Burn more calories than you take in” and most people will be satisfied. But let’s dig deeper into that, shall we?

It goes without saying that it’s easier to take in calories than it is to burn calories, right? So, if we look at it that way, the natural progression for the next type of question would be “what is the best way to burn calories?” But if we are looking for a way to lose weight quicker, we want to look at ways to burn calories quicker, right?

Now, before I go on, I want to make sure it’s understood that I believe ANY kind of physical activity is better than NO activity, OK?

Let’s look at two basic kinds of workout activities, both of them are good for you. Both will make you fit and both are used by millions of people around the world. But remember our question… what is the FAST way to burn calories?

I’m sure I’ll catch some flack from this one, but everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I’ll give you mine.

The two activities are a cardio workout and a weights/resistance workout, so let’s compare the two in terms of calorie burning. If you give a solid, honest 1 hour effort for each workout, the weights/resistance workout will burn more calories. Not only that, but you will burn more calories when the workout is over for a longer period of time with this kind of workout as well.

But here lies the problem with the weights type of workout; most people, especially beginners, don’t give a true honest effort because it’s “too hard”. Another thing people do is spend WAY too much time between sets, which causes the actual workout to be longer. This longer workout is less appealing to people so they don’t continue this type of workout.

Then, their only option is the cardio type of workout, which is still a good workout. Again, I’m not knocking a total cardio workout, I’m just comparing which workout burns more calories quicker, get it?

If you want to ride the bike, walk, run, or do anything like that for an hour, I’m backing you 100%, and I’ll encourage you to do so.

Affiliate Marketing Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Making money on the internet is a popular way to get an extra income. Working online offers flexibility: people can do it whenever and wherever they like. Besides, there are many types of online businesses available today, and one of them is called ‘affiliate marketing’. This program allows you to be an affiliate marketer of some certain merchants and link their products on your site. When a product is sold, you earn a commission.

You are probably interested in this marketing program. But before taking a part in this business, it is essential for you to know the tips and tricks. Here are some affiliate marketing tips that would be useful for beginner affiliate marketers:

- First of all, you should build a website and you should select a topic that you love for your site. Try not to start with a topic that you don’t like since it will only make the site a boring place. People will know how well you know about your topic by looking at the contents of your website. That way, people will be interested in your website as well and you will draw more visitors. This may not get you the highest commission but it is a great way to attract traffic.

- A good website should feature a good design as well. It would be helpful if you know how to use a graphic design software. Adding graphics to your site will make it look attractive. If you are not sure how to use a graphics software, you can always rely on the tools available on the website builder site.

- When running an affiliate marketing business, people often ask about the best network to choose. Well, actually there is no exact answer to this question. It because each network has their own strong points and you should choose one of them based on the tools they offer. You can also choose merchants from the major networks and see which one that works for you.

- “Parasites” can have a negative impact to your business. When you are involved in affiliate marketing, you will find the term “ScumWare” or “ParasiteWare”. These are applications that can redirect your visitors to other websites. These applications often masquerade as file sharing applications or browser help objects. It is essential to learn more about these applications so that you won’t lose your visitors.

- Learn and learn more about the business. When you are involved in affiliate marketing, it is essential that you educate yourself. There are various things that you need to learn such as creating custom links or advanced HTML coding. You can easily find affiliate marketing tips and guides posted by other marketers on various forums.

10 Essential Tricks in Using Video Effectively to Market Your Business

Nearly all internet marketing professionals use video as one of the core methods for marketing their business. Video grabs people’s attention far more quickly and effectively than text, audio or photographs. Making a short video can capture a thousand words and pictures and helps to get across your personal brand and lifestyle.

Research your top keyword phrases and use these in your upload descriptions and titles. It’s important to stand out in the crowd on video channels and search engines. Aim your headlines at capturing the imagination regarding your topic. So don’t be dull – test out curiosity, shock or fun tactics for getting those download clicks.

These ten tips aim to help you create short, attractive, effective videos based on solid keywords that convert and that stand the test of time.

First of all, get set up.

When you’re starting out, it’s OK to just use your webcam. This is what I’ve used in this video for illustration. You can see it’s not great, but it does the job. It will give you the opportunity to practice while you’re honing your presentation skills before you fork out for a camcorder. When you’re ready, you can buy an inexpensive digital video recorder, like say the Flip and a tripod and you’ll be set up to rock and roll.

Make sure you take your videos in well-lit conditions. Inside your office you’ll need decent lighting, or you can whip out your camera when you’re out and about. It makes for a much more interesting back drop.

OK. So now let’s go through each of my TOP 10 TIPS for creating and using videos to market your business.

TIP 1: Keep your videos short

Whether you’re loading videos on YouTube or just putting them up on your website or blog, it’s really important to keep them short. Just 5 or 6 minutes is really all that’s needed. It’s just enough for introducing yourself to people that may not know you yet. In fact, YouTube.com will not accept videos over 10 minutes. I guess that’s a maximum for all kinds of reasons that make sense.

If needed, you can of course break longer topics up into a series of smaller videos, which you could market as a series – see tip 10.

TIP 2: Post videos on your sales pages

You can use video on your sales page to introduce the main benefits of your product or business opportunity. You might even put a very short video on your landing page or capture pages. It can help to orientate visitors and to highlight the main points of your regular, written sales letter. People often want to listen or watch an explanation rather than read a whole long story. And let’s face it, sales letter are becoming more and more alike these days, with everyone using what they think it ‘good sales copy’ to draw buyers in and provide proof and testimonials.

So you can use videos to introduce yourself and what you represent, to demonstrate your product or an explanation, and talk about how easy it is to get started and to get in touch with you personally. Often what we prefer is to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

TIP 3: Choose your keywords carefully

This is really important tip, because it will affect how your video gets picked up by the search engines and other internet ‘bots’ that seek out content. If you’re loading your videos onto YouTube then it’s really important that you allow people to find those videos. So if they are putting in words or phrases into a search box like Google, yahoo, MSN or on YouTube itself, you need to ensure your video shows up.

Pick keywords that will attract the right kind of traffic and leads – research like crazy to find out what your prospects are looking for – and then use a keyword tool to identify long tail keywords that you can really dominate. Make sure you headline and description includes your main keywords.

Getting this right is critical because it will help people again to find your video when they type in those keywords and over time will mean you get ranked higher. Doing this research and tracking click thrus (CTR) and conversions will help you secure your most cost-effective keywords and keyword phrases.

For example, if you pick a long tail keyword such as “find online marketing coach in uk” (use exact match or phrase match), there may not be many searches but when there are, you should find your video comes up high.

Once you find a set of keywords that are fit-for-purpose, make sure your video answers those questions, give visitors solutions to what they were searching for, make things crystal clear. (With the above example, you’d certainly want to introduce yourself as coming from the UK. Make a different video for any other countries you might want to target.)

TIP 4: Have a clear purpose & structure

Your keywords will help make sure you target your video on the right purpose before you start. Keep on topic and provide value – unique value if possible – and the videos will convert much better for you.

Write down a structure – a set of headings – for what you’re going to cover, so you don’t waffle on. Have a script if necessary (but be careful you don’t appear to be reading from it and not looking at the camera, see tip 5!) So be very clear what is the focus for each video and have a list in front you. It really does help you to stay on topic and to present things in a logical flow.

For example, if your video is on the topic of using video to market your business… don’t go too far off on a tangent and start talking about blogging or SEO. If there’s a link (see tip 9), make the point and move on. Those links will provide you ideas for other topics and you can mention in your video that you have another video specifically on that related topic. So in my video about making videos, I would mention about putting your video or a link to it on your blog, and then tell them about my other video on using blogs to market your business.

TIP 5: Look at the camera

The aim here is to connect with your audience, both in the topic you choose and the content but also in your communication style. Remember you are talking to people – real live people. What are their needs and wants, hopes and fears.

With regards to presentation, stick your list of headings right next to the camera. This way, you’ll stay looking in the camera at all times, rather than looking away at a screen on down at your notes. This gives you a far better connection with your audience.

A video made from the heart can come across as far more authentic than a skillful, broadcast-like production. So don’t worry if you’re not up to TV presenter standards. Just be yourself and enjoy the opportunity to reach out to people in a different way than using text copy.

TIP 6: Create a clear call to action

You should create one very clear offer and call to action. It’s very important that people know exactly what to do as a result of watching your video. What is your most wanted response (MWR)? Don’t confuse visitors with lots of options and different offers. Focus on the single most wanted response.

So it might be you want them to visit your website. You can provide your domain link. For example, your can add your web address (URL) as a title on your video, so that’s it’s showing throughout or comes up at the start or at the end. Make sure it’s there for sufficient time for people to write it down or put it in their browser.

Alternatively, you can put your video up next to a sign up box – linked to your email marketing – and you clearly ask them to opt in, more than once. Provide an incentive, such as a free report or further video coaching resources. And clearly say “just put your information in the box on the right… and you’ll get instant access to…”.

TIP 7: Encourage comments on your video

One of the best things about video is that it’s very personal, social medium. So the more you can link into other social activities, the more exposure you’ll get. So if you’re posting your video on YouTube or your blog, make sure you enable comments. Allow visitors to enter comments about your video, add their own tips or advice. The more people that are talking about your video and passing it on, the more buzz you’ll create. Visitors may return to your page to see who has commented since their last comment. There may accumulate a whole list of tips that have been created by your niche community, prompted by your initial video post.

TIP 8: Write articles, forum posts and blog & emails about your video

Write a short article (500 words – like this one) on the same topic as your video. Then create a short blog post that links to your article and/or video. Have a link on your blog to your video, send people watching on your video back to your blog or capture page.

If you have a list of existing contacts and subscribers, send them an email with information about your new video you just posted up. Ask them to pass it on to their contacts and lists. This can help with the viral process and get your video out beyond your own marketing circle of influence. You may have joint venture (JV) partners and could send them a personal email asking for some feedback on your video and if they’d like to make any joint offers or provide a free report. They may even blog about your video or send out an email to their list or include it in their regular newsletter or digest.

This relates to tip 8 in many ways. It’s about linking different marketing on a single, focused topic and ultimately setting up many different entry routes into your marketing or sales funnel, using the linkages and relationships you have already built up.

TIP 9: Make linkages with other content, social sites

Use the social sites to jump start the viral effect. One of the mistakes newbie marketing make is they spend a lot of time creating videos, or writing articles and blog posts, even twittering and don’t make enough linkages between these. Yet they often don’t unleash the true power of social marketing and they totally lose out on getting more leads out of their efforts.

Creating links between other marketing you’re doing helps with the viral effect, and you’ll get more leads than just the sum from the individual components – they work in synergy. So you need to link to and embed your video into social media sites, like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. Integrate icons for sharing tools, like Digg, StumbleUpon etc to allow visitors to pass your link onto to their contacts.

Make those integrations really work and the momentum will really build up on your marketing activities.

TIP 10: Use time twice by re-purposing and repackaging your videos

Finally, following on from tips 8 & 9… put your videos on a DVD or CD and give it away for free in exchange for their contact details or other call to action (see tip 6). If you create 10 videos on different marketing topics, you would have a neat series of using internet strategies to market your business. For example, one video would be on using videos to market your business. A second might focus on using twitter, another on article marketing, using blogs, pay-per-click, and so on.

You can use your 10 video series in different ways. You can offer a ‘boot camp’ via email; subscribers receive an email explanation with a link to your video and/or full article each day or week. You could create a microcontinuity programme over 10 or more weeks; subscribers pay a monthly fee to get their package each week. You might simply create a webpage with links to the full set of videos on your opt-in thank you page.

How about creating a physical DVD product as a “free plus shipping” offer for subscribing members or as a ClickBank product for affiliates to market. You’d need to create or buy some attractive graphics. You could even include an upgrade for the set of associated articles you have written. People like to get a physical product in the post. You can follow up subscribers whose addresses you have with postcard marketing, sendoutcards.com/jayd for a free gift account, and start bringing in offline methods to complement your online marketing.

To summarise… your video marketing checklist: Short – Focused – Clear offer – Complemented – Linked – Viral – Repurposed

Social Shopping – A New Phenomenon Is Taking Over The World

With an ever increasing work load and busier lifestyles it is getting harder and harder to book a day out with the girls shopping, many of us are buying our fashion from the comfort of our own homes and literally shopping on our own. This can be lonely and hard work as how do you know what suits you? How do you know if it is a good buy or not without your best buying buddy with you? Here we would go through the definition of social shopping and why we should be using it:

What Is Social Shopping?
Wikipedia tell us ‘There are various ways for stores to use social shopping features. Some websites offer a combination of comparison shopping with social features. Others combine physical stores and social features, for example, allowing customers to share finds and deals from physical retailers through the phone and website and interact with users that have similar shopping interests’ Social shopping incorporates social networking and shopping, bringing them both together making shopping more social and concentrates on the sharing aspect of these networks.

Why Should I Be Using Social Shopping Sites?
Social shopping has many benefits, not only are you part of a designated female shopping community but you may also make lots of new friends and communicate with your existing ones through your finds. Social shopping sites can motivate you to participate in many different ways; some ask you to share on Facebook and twitter accounts but offer no reward for doing this other than the social reward of sharing and making new friends through recommending the best buys that you find. Some sites offer rewards for sharing products such as, if a specific product gets a lot of ‘likes’ discounts are offered and you can literally get big discounts by sharing with your new and existing friends. This encourages shoppers to share certain products for the benefit of both retailer and shopper. Other sites encourage the buyer or potential buyer to photo share the products, this enables the buyer to get comments on whether it will suit them or not and if it is a good price. This also enables other shoppers to find products without so much searching making it easier to literally share your finds.

Social Shopping Is The Best Way To Shop!
You can not only make new friends through social shopping but you can also speak to the sellers in real time, ask them questions about the products and sizing and get the best descriptions before you decide to buy. You are able to ask your friends about the products that you find and ask their opinions; it is just like shopping with your girlfriends! So, why are you shopping alone? Interactive shopping is the future of shopping for everyone!

Which Social Shopping Site Should I Be Using?
There are a few social shopping sites now up and running and no doubt as this phenomena really gains momentum then there will be many more. In my investigations I have found sites such as Pinterest where you are able to post pictures of your shopping finds very enjoyable but as you are unable to buy the fashion it seems to be lacking in this feature. ShopSimple on the other hand is similar to Pinterest where you can post your fashion finds but not only that, you can buy them too! You can create separate folders for your finds in your profile and even create them for others! You are able to comment, hashtag products, save (which is similar the Facebook ‘like’ button), add them to your collections and make whole outfits for you and your friends to share using this one site. This site is a highly addictive social shopping site which not only lets you post your fashion finds but let’s you share your products and post them to your Facebook and twitter accounts as well as your Pinterest walls! You can follow and be followed similar to Twitter and share your fashion with millions of others! This is the hottest social shopping site right now, so why are you still shopping alone?

Niche Marketing in Real Estate Marketing Online

What is a niche?A niche is a target audience or target market or an area of specialization where you can provide your services in the best manner because you are more knowledgeable in that market.A niche can be geographical. You may choose to provide your real estate expertise in one city or if you are a real estate agent in a large city, your niche may be a certain geographical boundary in that city. Some agents specialize in farm properties. Some agents specialize in second homes and investment properties. Some agents focus on 1031 tax deferred exchanges. Real estate agents who speak other languages may find themselves providing services to buyers and sellers who speak those languages. Whatever type of niche you have, it is extremely important to focus your attention on your target audience when in comes to real estate marketing online.Niche marketing does not mean you have to limit your marketing efforts in just one local area. It is also important to combine national with regional and local exposure. For instance, if you are specializing in the second home market, it is important to combine local and regional marketing with national marketing when it comes to real estate marketing online. If your niche is in the second home market, the buyer or seller for a second home may come from any city in the country.Many buyers and sellers of second homes consider different cities in different states before they decide where next to purchase a second home or investment property. They like to search online to conduct their research to find out about the different cities they are considering. They also look for real estate agents online who can provide them with additional information on the cities of their interest.If you market your real estate business online outside of your local area of service, you are already several notches ahead of your competition because you will reach your target audiences right in their spots before they even start looking for a real estate agent else where. Their perception of your professional practice will also improve because you are giving them a glimpse of the kind of approach you have when it comes to conducting your business.The biggest drawback in utilizing real estate marketing online nationally is the issue of budget. If you are an independent contractor (and most real estate agents are), chances are that you will pay for the marketing of your own profession, and most online publications will charge a handsome fee to include your real estate business online nationally. However, if you do your research, you will find some online publications that will charge decent rates to include your real estate business online nationally.Understanding that it is not necessarily the amount of any online traffic that is important but getting the online traffic from your target audience is what really counts. You will get less general online traffic when you direct your focus to a targeted audience, but you are reaching the audience that will listen to your message. This is the audience that is more likely to respond to your message. Of course, just like any other type of marketing, real estate marketing online is still a numbers’ game, and you are more likely to experience a higher success rate when you reach your target audience online.How do you reach your target audience with real estate marketing online?Advertise your real estate business in specialized online publications. If you would like to reach the audience for the second home market, advertise online on a second home Internet directory or second home Internet magazine. If you would like to reach the market online for 1031 tax deferred exchanges, advertise in an online or Internet magazine that specializes in real estate investing and 1031 tax deferred exchanges.Know the function of the search engines in real estate marketing online. A huge majority of online searches are done through search engines. Using search engines is really a wonderful way to reach your target audience because your target market is the one coming to you instead of you going to them. For instance if they put “buying a second home directory” as their search parameter, they are very specific about finding a directory that specializes in the second home market.Advertise in an online publication that ranks in the top 10 of Google, MSN, and Yahoo when using the key words of the search parameters that your target audience is most likely going to use because these major search engines are the tools that your target audience will most likely utilize to conduct searches online in order to reach you. The real estate online or Internet publications that display in the top 10 of the search results in major search engines in a defined niche are the ones which are most likely to be visited by the people who are looking for that specific business or service and that is the online publication where you would like your business to be seen.

Self Employment Jobs: Is It For You?

Are you searching for real self employment jobs? If you go through advertisements and forums, self employment opportunities may not seem to be as inadequate as some people argue. The routine is simple. You get work, earn money and take pleasure in what you do. This is self employment.Finding the Right Jobs – It may not be difficult after all
What can make self employment rewarding? You stay at home, you are in charge and you proceed at your time. What are the downsides? You have to prove to your clients that you are the best and you can give the best output or else, you lose the job.The key factor is that you have to enjoy what you because it gives you the greatest satisfaction. If you try to ask different people what the perfect self employment job is, you will probably get varying responses. Everyone has different abilities, preferences and moods. One person will be good in medical transcription while another who knows several languages can work as translator. The Virtual assistant business is a fast growing industry so this is another good prospect while online writing is also a lucrative freelance activity. The bottom line is there are various opportunities and all you need to do is to focus on a particular field, become an expert and you have a regular source of revenue.Online sources abound. You have to be persevering in searching for the job that fits your qualifications. Do research via the internet and check out free websites that provide a listing of self employment opportunities without any fees or membership requirements. All you need to do is conduct keyword searches that will ultimately give way these sites. Ignore those who ask for money as this can possibly be dubious. There are also online and printed classified ads for local and global prospects.The pay-for-posts sites are not also advisable as first-hand sources especially for those who lack the finances. Certain sites do not provide complete information and ask interested applicants to bid on projects.Some Pointers in Job Hunting
Always be ready with an updated self employment profile with the appropriate covering letter to make it easy for you to respond to self employment work. Learn how to follow up properly with your prospective clients or employers and clients who respond favorably.However, remember that self employment is not for everybody. You have no boss but you have clients to whom you are responsible. You alone are responsible for everything to include your success or failure. Thus, you need to cope, balance and outsource as well.If you are looking at the possibility of selling merchandise, it may be better to try the product out or even concept before investing or selling. It is very difficult to let of hard-earned money and just let it go to waste without the promise of any returns on investment. Start small! It is not wise to let go of a big capital outlay when you have not tested the market yet. Be a prudent entrepreneur.

Cheap Health And Fitness Equipment

Most health and fitness conscious people are constantly on the lookout for cheap health and fitness equipment because most health and fitness equipments are quite expensive. However, there are ways and means of finding cheap health and fitness equipment irrespective of your budget.Here are some useful tips to find cheap health and fitness equipments:1. You can browse through the internet for the best deal, save time, as well as save on money since no middle men are involved in the transaction. You can even approach individuals and non-commercial sellers directly through the Internet and get really good deals.2. There are numerous companies that provide refurbished or reconditioned fitness equipment at a relatively low price. You can browse for such companies on the Internet. Many of these companies also offer free shipping.3. You can find reasonably good health and fitness equipment at garage sales. So, it is advisable to find out which garage sales are happening in your neighborhood. This can be done through the local newspaper or pamphlet advertisements. You should visit the garage sale because you never know when you can find some superior quality fitness equipment worth buying at a very cheap rate.4. You can visit Walmart and have a look at the various health and fitness equipment on display, which are available at really low prices at Walmart.5. You can even visit a secondhand store such as Play It Again Sports store which specialize in buying and selling used as well as new exercise equipments.6. Regularly check the classified ads in your local newspaper and look for advertisements regarding sale of used health and fitness equipments and you may end up striking a very great deal.