Article Generation Software is Not All Good Part I
By Mark Fortimer

The debate as to the pros and cons of article generation software is still alive, even after Google’s published policy on duplicate content. Article marketing is a popular means of driving traffic to your website, and if you are unable to write articles properly, you have three options. You can hire a ghostwriter to write them for you, you can purchase packs of articles on a wide range of niches, or you can use software to generate them.

Article packs come in two kinds. One is compiled from scraped articles: these are articles taken from article directories, complete with author’s resource box, and bundled up into packs of up to several hundred or even thousands. Not only do these bleed relevance from your site due to the authors’ website links, but also there is little if any control over the number of people purchasing these packs, so duplicate content is a serious issue.

The second type of article, either original or private label, where there is no author resource or link, still comes with the problem of duplication unless you rewrite the articles. Purchasing article packs is therefore fraught with danger and could harm your website. Which brings us to article generation software.

The major problem with most of the article generation software available online is that of contextual relevance. Such software tends to use templates into which keywords are put by the software. In the early days the templates were very general, such as in this short passage:

“Information on cat baskets is available all over the INTERNET. The subject of cat baskets is so popular that anybody requiring information can easily obtain it on the NET. Cat baskets WEB sites are very common and if you want more information on cat baskets you can find it on the INFORMATION SUPER-HIGHWAY using the keyword cat baskets in any search engine.”

Want to learn more about it? Download the free ebook, Steps to Article Marketing Success.

Stickiness of your website

Article Title: Outbound Stickiness
Author: John Boulter
Back in the late 1990s, “stickiness” was the big term; how to get web visitors to return to your site – hopefully, again and again. Today, the strategy has evolved into “Outbound Stickiness” – going out and pulling that visitor back in.

Going back in time, there were many sticky techniques including the hosting of tools, calculators, forums/bulletin boards, and of course – my favorite – “favorites”.

“Favorites” pre-dated good search engine results. Back then, you as a site owner would proffer your favorite links. Typically, they related to your industry and gave web visitors the opportunity to explore other related sites. Well, as the search engines of the day improved their results, the favorites section lost its favor.

It became very hard to become an authority site. Many a client of mine back then created a “lounge” or “portal” type of section on their site hoping to be the center of their respective universe. But web surfers soon preferred to get their informational direction from a Yahoo search.

Site stickiness never lost its allure. And now, new techniques have come into play in order to gain that coveted repeat visit. This time it’s an outbound effort. Content is created that travels out from the website to seek out users. It’s driven by RSS (Really Simple Syndication), and it’s used to distribute all kinds of information including news, blogs, and podcasts. We have evolved to Outbound Stickiness.

Currently, most blogs and podcasts revolve around time-sensitive events and writer opinion. However, they are just too darned valuable to be left to those noble endeavors. Businesses, big and small see (or will soon see), RSS and its related content as an opportunity to reach out and touch someone – again and again.

This trend doesn’t bother me in the least. I’ve always gotten educated or stayed current on my industry by subscribing to informative newsletters, magazines, etc., be they of the printed or electronic variety. I even appreciate advertising as an information source in its own right. The difference is that now I have the convenience of having all of my sources being dropped into a central place for pickup. It’s on demand and I like many others are demanding it.

Outbound stickiness is going to include not only news of the day, but education on the tried and true.

In order to be credible, businesses are going to need to educate through these mediums as opposed to simply advertising or branding. If they want to keep you as a subscriber of their feed, value is going to need to be continually delivered. Something easier said than done.

This all presents opportunities and challenges on a variety of levels. First, there is creation of the content. Someone is going to have to acquire and consolidate the content. To get good traction with and grow a subscriber base, recycling someone else’s content will not do the trick for long (sorry, you can’t just steal it from the net).
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Next, not all of us are writers or recording artists. Internal or outsourced resources will need to be hired to actually deliver the information in an effective style and format (e.g. blog writers, podcasters, video podcasters, etc.).

You’ll need information marketers to continually review the information that has been previously published for accuracy and relevancy. Because information created and distributed to the Internet is difficult to eradicate, it won’t be a matter of just deleting old files. New information will need to be created to supersede the old. And the whole cycle will begin again.

A credence of mine (that I obtained from somewhere now unknown), is “if you can’t get out of it – get into it”. Let me tell you – you can’t get out of this one.

If you don’t already have a strategy to deliver some Outbound Stickiness, get it going now. It’s just not for news-junkie/conservative/liberal/techie/egocentrics anymore.

My recommendation is to publish by series. If you sell paint, do a series of 5 blog entries, podcasts, etc., on color. Next, do a series on prep and application. Next, on design trends. You get the idea.

By publishing to a series you escape the pressure of continually coming up with and extending your subject. Also, if you need a break, take it between series’. Then you won’t look like you just jumped on the bandwagon, ran out of ideas, and fell off.

Additionally, mix time-specific information and opinion with tried and true educational content.

Good luck with it all! For some of you it will be liberating, for others it’s fingers on a chalkboard (by the way, we’re going to need to come up with a new idiom for that one – who uses chalk boards anymore. Any suggestions – email me).

If you want some advice or have any comments – email me at jboulter@bastioninternet.com or visit us at www.bastioninternet.com. We’re a web marketing firm located in Southern California and are happy to help.


About The Author: John Boulter, President, Bastion Internet, Inc. http://www.BastionInternet.com is an Internet Marketing Firm helping clients drive and convert more website traffic.

Have You Heard? Families That Play Together Stay Together

Take a chance! When you tell the family that it's games night at your home, the kids might think you've come unhinged, but make it non-optional and make sure you make it fun! Take it from me, I've done it and it works. Everyone joins in either as a player or a spectator when we played games on XBox. The house is filled with laughter and cheering and it's nice to see everyone having a good time. Playing games is ageless and there is virtually no generation gap.

Plan for one night a week where everyone will be home. If you don't have one night where everyone will be there, you need to juggle things around so you have at the very least one night where the entire family is home.

Then there's board games to consider. You could play everything from Monopoly to Snakes and Ladders depending upon the ages of the children. You could set up themes to play a game for example a Hawaiian theme. Have pineapples and things like that, everyone wears leis. Each person could talk about what they know or as questions about Hawaii. Use your imagination. You know what your family likes.

The game itself doesn't have to relate to the theme; just the atmosphere and conversation. You could be playing Yatzee, Life, Clue, Sorry, Snakes and Ladders, Don't Spill the Beans or Uno. It doesn't matter which game you're playing. You could incorporate your theme into various intervals throughout the game. Each time someone lands on a red square everyone must take a bite of pineapple. Spin a ten and all must eat a macadamia nut! If you select the Go to Jail card, it's your turn to do the Hula dance. Get the idea?

At the end of each game night, discuss next week's theme. Family members can take turns choosing the theme and the accompanying snacks and décor. If it's too much for one person to coordinate or if children are younger, these tasks can be delegated. Your three year old can decide she wants a clown theme complete with balloons and everyone will wear clown make-up. Your 6th grader made opt for an art theme and paint or draw the decorations.

If you want to keep it simple without the extras, that's okay too. You're sure to be a hit with games and their favorite snacks. Everyone will want to come back again and again.

This should be an inexpensive night. You can pick up new games at thrift stores and garage sales for $1.00. Most decorations you may already have around the house or can be picked up at the same places you're getting second hand games or even the dollar store.

Make it fun. Your children won't remember and thank you for all the hours you put in a work, but they will always cherish the family time together. The family that plays together stays together. Have fun!


About The Author: Sintilia Miecevole, Administrator of http://www.fnnygame.com provides information from game, funny games and game accessories to online games, XBox and more. Be sure to visit soon for further information.
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About Affiliate Programs

Overview Of An Affiliate Marketing Program
By Sandra Stammberger

An affiliate marketing program is a revenue-sharing marketing
strategy where a merchant pays their affiliates a commission
for referring business to their website. The webmaster signs up
as an affiliate in the affiliate marketing program and gets a
login id. He then collects information about the marketing
material for the affiliate marketing program and uses it on his
web site as banners, ad- links and search boxes. If a visitor to
the website is interested in one of the affiliate marketing
program links then he clicks the referred link and purchases
the product. The marketer identifies that the particular sale
has been through the affiliate marketing program, and he pays
the affiliate his commission. By having an affiliate marketing
program the owner does not pay for expensive advertising but
pays when a sale, lead or subscription action occurs.

There are numerous benefits that an affiliate marketing program
has to a marketer. Affiliate marketing programs have become one
of the easiest way to advertise the products in the market. An
agreement is formed between the website owner or affiliate and
the merchant. The website owner allows the merchant to promote
his product through his site and the merchant pays the
affiliate commission for the sales generated through these
sites via the affiliate marketing program. Affiliate marketing
programs are a cost effective medium to provide brand
awareness. It also provides a wider market for the merchant.
The marketer gets a chance to identify new markets which he
might not have thought of without the affiliate marketing
program. Affiliate marketing programs have beaten the
traditional advertising techniques by giving maximum exposure
world wide. The affiliates can introduce the products and
services to the niche markets which have been neglected and
thus boost the business of the marketer.

There is affiliate marketing program software called Affiliate
Network Pro which enables a person to start his own affiliate
program. There are many features including multi-language,
instant payment module, affiliate directory,, sales reports,
anti fraud blocking, email messages and reminders etc.
Financial affiliate marketing programs are also available which
provide facilities such as auto loans, debt recovery and
settlement programs, and the best converting payday loans.

Affiliate marketing programs are not just for customers, but it
also provides a strategy for development of business to business
partners. Here the merchant and the affiliate become partners.
If a person owns a website, sells his products through the
site, and if he pays other website owners, or bloggers for
sending customers to his site, then he becomes the marketer. If
you have a website and direct surfers to various merchants for
services and products through blogs, or e-mail links then you
become the affiliate. There are several merchants who are
affiliates too. They have their own affiliate marketing
program, receive traffic from other affiliates and they also
direct traffic to other merchants in return for commission.

About the Author: Sandra Stammmberger is the owner of Marketers
Insider News. An information portal for online marketers. For
more information on MLM, affiliate programs, and Seo visit her
site at http://www.marketersinsidernews.com

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Counters: The Imprtance Of Tracking Your Visitors

Counters: The Importance Of Tracking Your Visitors

By Tim Querrey

When trying to optimize your website, you will need to gather all the information about the few visitors that you now have. This will help you make improvements to your site and increase your traffic. One of the best ways to gather this statistical data is through the use of a counter.



Some of you may not know that dropping a counter onto each page of your website will not only show you the number of hits to that page, but also logs tidbits of important information too.



The following is a list of some of the data that is collected from a stat-counter.



Screen Resolution:



Knowing the screen resolution tells you how the majority of visitors view your web pages. For example: If your design is based around 800 x 600 screen resolution, and the majority of you visitors use a 1024 x 768 resolution, you may want to redesign your layout.



Keyword:



If a visitor was directed to your site by a search engine, then knowing the search term used will help in optimizing your page around important keywords relevant to you sites topic.



Length Of Visit:



This is important that if everyone is showing up to your site, but doesn't seem to stay, then check for slow loading of you page or some other reason that might turn away visitors.



Enter-Page/ Exit-Page



If your visitors are leaving from the same page they first come to, then you will need to figure out why they are not visiting other pages. Maybe the links to the other pages are hidden by are toomuch clutter, too small or non-descriptive.



Returning Visitors:



This will help you determine which pages your visitors find important. You can then concentrate more effort on those topics.



There are many more tidbits of statistical data a stat-counter can provide, and best of all you can get them for free. Theses services are provided for the benefit of building back links, and in hopes to sell you upgrades.



If you think that a counter looks tacky, you have the option to make it invisible. This will still enable you to collect important statistical data without your visitors seeing the counter itself.



Conclusion:



So if your serious about getting more traffic, you must first learn all you can from the traffic you already have, and a free stat-counter is one of the best places to start.



About the Author: Visit the authors informational site about Home Based Businesses