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Chapter 7: Rolling the game with your stroke

Being able to roll the ball efficiently into the hole once it reaches the green is important, as it will determine the final score for the particular hole played, and this will eventually effect the overall score for the entire game.

Therefore, it would be beneficial to master the art of playing the ball once it reaches the green which would be called putting.

Standardizing the length of the putting back stroke to the roll would give the player a better chance to create more precision in the distance and strike, therefore ensuring a more accurate putt. The player should be able to read all the contributing factors before deciding on the length of the back stroke to be taken and the impact it will create when in contact with the ball.

This distance and the impact in the backstroke the putter takes, can also effect the direction the ball follows and this is especially so, if the putter is not properly squared when actual contact is made.

Other contributing factor that should be factored in, are such as the gradient of the putting green’s surface, the consistency of the green surface, the angle the blades of grass naturally takes, the speed of the green and the type of grassy material that is used to create the surface area. Being able to read all these different factoring elements will

enable the player to make better and more accurate judgments on the putting stroke to apply so that the ball find its mark. While taking into account all of the above factors, the player would then have to learn how to successfully gauge the distance the drawback stroke should make to ensure there is enough momentum on the roll of the ball to sink it into the hole.

Chapter 8: What you need to know about chipping and pitching

Chipping and pitching are two essential parts of the game especially when the ball did not make it to the putting green with the original intended stroke. Therefore in order to have a more complete game, the player would have to be able to handle chipping and pitching strokes adequately and accurately.

The first thing to understand is that in most cases the chipping or pitching are done using specifically designed clubs. These clubs would be the pitching club, the sand and the lobb wedge. These clubs are specifically designed with a sharper angle to enable the stroke to bring forth a sharper angel when coming in contact with the ball.

When trying to use anyone of these clubs, the idea would be to ensure the hands leas the swing and the ball should be placed far back in the stance.

This will allow the descending contact made on the ball, to be more accurate and in a rather scooping motion. The touch or the stroke here should also be softer and gentler when creating the impact on the ball.

This is usually possible to achieve as the ball is already closer to the putting hole, thus needing less force in its trajectory. Ideally the ball should be played in a manner that allows it to roll along smoothly as soon as it makes contact with the surface of the green.

However most players are too controlled in the downward stroke, that they often miss hit the ball rendering its movement to either a few feet short of the hole or way past the hole.

Generally the swing motion is about the same, which would be a well formed pendulum motion that is much shorter in comparison to an actual full out swing, however the stance would be different as the player would have to adopt a more open stance.

Chapter 9: Gaming with your smartphone.

There are quite a few common mistakes that are usually prevalent in most players’ game, and with a little guidance and understanding it is possible to successfully address these faults and make the necessary adjustments to ensure better quality of play.

The following are some of the more common pitfalls of the golf game and how they can be addressed:

An exaggerated twist - this does not in any way contribute positively to the eventual outcome of the swing made. Over twisting will only create the possibility of creating an off balanced swing which will change the direction of the swing thus causing a slice or a pull. It would be better to focus on better posture that will create the ideal pendulum for the perfect execution of a swing.

Missing the putt line - being able to visualize the putting line and making all the necessary adjustment to ensure the line estimated is followed as closely as possible is very important to eventually sinking the putt successfully.

Lack of acceleration - the importance of acceleration of the club through the eventual ball contact cannot be emphasized enough. Most players seem to hesitate on the down swing thus causing the decelerating percentage to be apparent and this eventually affects the overall results of the ball and club contact. This usually creates the scenario where the ball is scooped up high, instead to making a fairly straight trajectory movement. The key to gaining distance would be at the finish of the swing and not on the backswing.

Leg movements - this is another common pitfall of many golfers, as they seem unable to keep a firm and balanced stance position when attempting a backward swing. Once the body moves, the downward swing angle is changed, thus also effectively changing the course of the ball direction.

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Chapter 6: Using the smartphone as a learning tool.

Smartphones are amazing tools, not toys and so many kids are carrying them around on a daily basis. What makes the smart phone such a powerful learning tool is mobility and it allows the parents to encourage anywhere, anytime learning.

Teachers have found creative ways to use smart phones as educational tools. Students can:

Use the camera to take pictures or videos. They could take videos of their lab experiments. This gives students the opportunity to review their experiment and to improve it.

Use the built-in microphone to record interviews. The voice recorder can help the student to remember homework assignments, memorize terms and practice foreign language pronunciation.

Use the browser to perform research. The smartphone provides so much information, which includes science textbooks, which are online. If they have a question they can easily look up the answer by using the internet.

Use the keyboard to jot down their notes anytime, anywhere.

Use Google information to add to class discussions. Google is also accessible by text message. Students could send a message to Google to define a word and receive a list of definitions.

Use it in chemistry classes as it helps out with the periodic table when looking at atomic mass.

Use the smartphone as a calculator in Algebra, Algebra 2 and Geometry, or watch math videos.

Use the phones to do their homework on- the-go and to communicate with teachers.

Use the built in contacts/address function as a vocabulary study list. Students enter the words, in the “notes” section of the contact and enter the definition of the word. They then create a “group” for each separate list, which makes it easy to keep them organized. Students can quiz themselves on the meaning and then tap the word to find the definition.

According to the Campus technology article, smartphones today “have the computing power of a mid-1990’s computer “For such a tiny device, it is a lot of power. As a learning tool the smart phone could be utilized more, because they are here to stay.

Chapter 7: Social media goes mobile with smartphone.

Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are determining new forms of social interaction, dialogue, exchange and collaboration. These sites enable users to swap ideas, to post updates and comments. Social media are helping people to follow breaking news and keep up with friends.

A new report from comScore shows that both Facebook and Twitter users spend more time using these networks on mobile devices than they do on traditional computers or laptops, which leaves no doubt that the future of social networking is mobile. Analysis done by comScore indicates

Facebook and Twitter are among the largest social networks and both brands have developed a growing mobile audience. As more and more people can afford smartphones and mobile broadband, due to lower costs the popularity of social media, particularly Twitter and Facebook has shot up dramatically.

This sets the path for changing the way we live, how we work and how we communicate. The success of a networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, or even Google + is easily determined by its accessibility. If users can’t access a social network via mobile with a half decent experience is doomed for failure.

Increased accessibility to social networks on smart phones could however bring about more stress. A study by a psychologist Richard Balding demonstrated a link between compulsive behaviors and increased smart phone use. According to Balding it is very likely to see an associated increase in stress from social networking, as smartphone use is increasing. He encourages people to take a break from being connected all the time. There could be a risk that stress and tension that builds up from being engaged all the time, could have a negative impact on relationships.

Another side of using the smartphone to access social media is the storing of every personal detail on a single device. With some basic social engineering skills peoples’ dependence on social media can be exploited.

Smartphones are designed for sharing, but be selective with what you choose to share.

Chapter 8: Free Calls with VoIP smartphone apps.

VoIP is an acronym that stands for Voice over-Internet Protocol. This form of technology allows someone to make free or cheap calls using their smartphones, but instead of using the mobile operator network, they place the call over the internet.

The advantage of VoIP technology is that it is cheaper to transmit any calls or text messages via the internet, since transmitting data via the internet is cheaper than to use satellite services or normal phone lines.

This allows VoIP providers to offer previously expensive services at a much cheaper rate than traditional phone operators.

To use VoIP on your smartphone you should have access to internet either by connecting to Wi-Fi network or the data network of the mobile operator. You would need at least a monthly data plan of around 4-5GB, since VoIP technology uses a lot of traffic.

You would also be required to have a mobile VoIP app installed on your phone. There are several specialist companies that have developed software and technology that allows it to be used without expensive hardware. Some of the most popular are:

Skype allows free conversations and texts between users via handsets and personal computers.

Vonage offer VoIP calls to their customers via existing broadband connections, through PC or smartphones.

Rebtel also offer a complete range of VoIP services and in addition they offer a range of apps freely downloadable from their site for Android, Blackberry and iPhone.

To make VoIP calls you would have to register with one of the companies above. After adding your friends or family to your contact list, they would have to install the same provider as you on their phones.

As soon as they are registered you are able to make calls in the same way as you would be using traditional means.

Mobile VoIP technology is one of the most useful smartphone features that allows users to make free or at least cheap calls.

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Chapter 7: Receiving is not as easy as you thought

An important part of being able to play the soccer game well and ensuring a comfortable win, lies in the art of mastering the receiving techniques that is a dominant factor of the game. Being able to receive the ball comfortable and then work it to accommodate accurate passes will help the team to have better ball possession percentages throughout the game.

One way of being able to do this is to carefully watch how the professionals go about keeping control of the ball upon gaining possession. Watching how they position themselves to receive the passes will help create a better understanding of the fundamentals of the ball receiving art.

Observing visual displays of these techniques are more impactful, than simply sitting in a room listening to techniques being shown or explained on a board. Studying the more experienced player and how they move is a better option to exercise.

Another way to master the art of receiving the ball is to practice constantly, especially if this area of the game is presenting a challenge to the player. Learning to use different drills that focus mainly on the receiving and handling of the bah would be beneficial.

With a little research, it is possible to find a whole host of drills that will help the player to master the skill of ball receiving adequately and accurately.

One popular way of practicing this, which is often recommended, is by kicking the ball against a wall. This is considered a good drill to use to master the art of receiving, as the trajectory is almost always unreadable. Because of this, the player would have to be more alert and ready, to be able to successfully receive the ball and handle it accordingly.

Chapter 8: Using your head to your advantage

Besides using the feet as the dominant feature in the soccer game, there are some moves that call for the use of the head to create successful goals. The player can master the skill of using the head to direct the ball accurately and consistently into the goal net, thereby successfully scoring a higher number of goals for the team.

The following are some of the formats that can be successfully utilized by the head action in contributing to scoring goals:

When high balls are seen to be approaching, the player can use the head to make contact with the ball in mid flight to redirect in to a specified position where the team mate would be on alert and waiting to receive it. If the header is stuck correctly, it will usually be able to find its target without much obstruction, mainly due to the height its trajectory forms.

Any soccer player who can master the art of using the head to direct the ball in flight into the goal post area would be an asset to the team. This action would take a lot of hours to master as the accuracy levels needed are considered extremely high, yet using this technique most time allows the goals to be scored without much obstruction from the goal keeper. This is especially advantages as the players would limit the time the ball is on the ground, where it’s easier for the opponent to gain control of the ball.

Being able to capitalize on using headers will also help the player gain possession of the ball and redirect it in mid flight. This is also advantageous as the direction of the ball can then be changed in favor of the team. This can turn the pace and direction the game is taking, and is certainly makes for a more exciting outcome.

Chapter 9: A goalkeeper’s role in soccer

The goalkeeper is the one player that has the very difficult role that is solely dedicated to keeping the opposing team from successfully scoring any goals. Being on guard at the goal area, the goal keeper is allowed to use both hands and legs to stop any balls from entering the goal area and thus scoring a point for the opposing team.

Ideally goalkeepers should be well built and agile in movements. Being alert and able to read the body movements of the players is also something goalkeepers are directed to master.

Most goalkeepers stay close to the goal area and depend on the defenders to help is keeping the ball maneuvered by the opposing team from successfully reaching the scoring area.

Ideally the more experienced the goalkeeper the better the skills portrayed, and this usually means they are older than the other members of the team.

Most goalkeepers have a set stance and body position that they adopt when focusing on stopping the ball from getting into the goal post area.

This stance would ideally be, standing with hands at the side with palms facing the anticipated direction the incoming ball is going to take, the feet would be placed as firmly as possible without actually being wider than the width of the shoulders and finally the low positioning of the body in a semi crouched position with the centre of gravity providing a stable stance and weight distribution, the goalkeeper would be ready to stop the ball from finding its target.

Some of the catches the goalkeeper should be trained in executing would be such as the diamond or W catch, the chest catch, the scoop catch, the full extension dive, the cross catch and the high cross catch. With regular practice and experience the talented goalkeeper would have no problems exercising a high level of competency.

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Chapter 11 Celebrities with Non-Celebrities

There are plenty of stories out there about celebrities spending lots of time with non-celebrities. Sometimes they are just friends and other times it is a romantic element between them. There are also those that end up married even though one of them isn’t a celebrity. It is interesting to explore some of these connections, and they can help you to gain confidence that anything is possible when you want to get to know a celebrity personally!

Jerry Seinfeld & Jessica Seinfeld

Many people are familiar with the comedian Jerry Seinfeld. His wife Jessica has been in his life since 1999. She was actually going through a divorce when the couple met. They were friends and she enjoyed the fact that he could make her laugh.

At the time, she was a public relations consultant for Tommy Hilfiger. Their friendship continued into a romance and they were married in 2000. They continue to have a happy marriage and they have three children.

Some people don’t realize that she isn’t a celebrity though because she does have a couple of businesses in place. She started a business in 2001 called Baby Buggy. The idea was to offer good quality used baby items to other moms through social service programs. It is an excellent public service that has also expanded to now offer maternity clothing for pregnant women.

Matt Damon & Luciana Barroso

When handsome and nice guy Matt Damon walked into a bar where Luciana Barroso was a bartender, neither one of them could have imagined it was going to be a long term romance, marriage, and family in their future. Damon was in Miami at the time working on a film.

She has a child from a previous relationship and as a couple they also have three more children. The couple seem very happy together and Damon admits that as soon as he started talking to her, he knew that he wanted to get to know her better. She didn’t treat him like a spoiled celebrity but offered him a kind smile and was very down to Earth.

Patrick Dempsey and Jillian Fink

It was just another day working in her salon for Jillian Fink when gorgeous actor Patrick Dempsey walked in and asked for a haircut. He loved the cut and continued to go to her shop from time to time to have it done again. Both of them were in relationships with others so it was 3 years later when they actually went out on a date.

They have been married since 1999 and have 3 children. He credits the marriage working due to Fink and how she carries herself. In spite of the fact that he does have many female fans, she gets a laugh out of it rather than being jealous over it.

Julia Roberts and Danny Moder

When most people think of Julia Roberts, they think of Pretty Woman. They feel like she can have any superstar she wants. Over the years, she was linked to many leading men. Among them are Jason Patric and Keifer Sutherland. Yet the one that got her heart, and her hand in marriage is a cameraman by the name of Danny Moder.

The couple met in 2000 and married two years later. They have three children together including a set of twins. Roberts often comments in her interviews about how happy she is with this man and as a mom. She enjoys the way he shares his feelings with her and is a hands on dad.

Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell

Paul McCartney has been through some hard times when it comes to romance and marriage. His last divorce from Heather Mills cost him $46 million! However, that didn’t result in him giving up on finding his happily ever after. Barbara Walters is well known for her skills as a reporter, but she is also quite the matchmaker!

She introduced the pair at a dinner party she hosted. Shevell is actually her niece. The couple hit it off well that night and dated for four years before they tied the knot. Shevell is a cancer survivor and also previously divorced so she relishes every moment of being with such a remarkable guy by her side.

Reese Witherspoon & Jim Toth

The first marriage for Witherspoon was with another actor, Ryan Philippe. After many years together and two children, they went their separate ways. Next, she was linked with hot actor Jake Gyllenhaal. These high profile matches though didn’t work well for her.

Witherspoon is now married to a non-celebrity, Jim Toth. He is a talent agent. They actually met at a party when a drunk man approached Witherspoon. Toth went over and apologized for the behavior of his friend.

She was impressed that he was so polite and that he did what he could at that point to take care of his drunken friend. At the same time, he wanted to make sure she wasn’t being bothered.

Vince Vaughn and Kayla Weber

Actor Vince Vaughn has had his time in the spotlight with models and actresses. Among them is the lovely Jennifer Aniston. However, when he met Kayla Weber through a mutual friend in 2008 he knew she was right for him. She is a real estate agent. He told Ellen that she makes him laugh and he is thrilled to be married to her and the father of her child.

Ewan McGregor and Eve Mavrakis

The romance between Ewan McGregor and Eve Mavrakis began in 1995. He had eyes for this designer but she was dating someone else. He went on to date a few celebrities including Scarlet Johansson and Nicole Kidman. Then in 1997 when he found out that Mavrakis was single, they started dating.

The couple has two biological children and they have two more adopted children. The couple tend to be very private about their family life. However, he has been noted in interviews as saying this lady is the very best part of his life.

Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman

This young woman is more than just another pretty face. She also enrolled in classes at the University of Pennsylvania. This is where Elizabeth Banks met Max Handelman. The pair dated all through their four years of college. Then they got married in 2003. She is still an actress and he is an investment banker.

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Chapter 11 General Survival Skills

You will need some general survival skills in order to help you get through such a crisis situation. Use this chapter as a checklist to help you get thinks in order. If you don’t feel confident that you have the right skills for general survival, you need to make it a priority to develop them. Any weak link in your plan can result in you not making it.

Plan for Anything to Happen

There are plenty of “what ifs” to consider when it comes to the end of the world. With that in mind, you really need to be prepared for anything. In reality, it doesn’t matter if it is a chemical warfare situation or an alien invasion. You need to have a plan that is solid and that you can follow through with no matter what.

That also means you have more than just a Plan A to work with. Think about the variables along the way. For example, in a previous chapter we covered transportation. Location, circumstances, and even time of the year can all influence what you decide to go with.

Get vour Supplies Ready

Don’t say that someday you will get your supplies ready. Make it a top priority so that you can have peace of mind that you do have everything ready to go in order to get results if you need them. In a previous chapter you will find a list of all the essential items you should have on hand. If you have others you would like to add, that is fine, but don’t leave out any of the listed essentials.

Rationing Supplies

Your overall plan should include how to ration your supplies. Since you have no idea how long you will need to depend in them, you need to make sure food and water isn’t being wasted. The long stretch of time without things to do can get the best of people. It can also make them reach for food or water when they really aren’t hungry or thirsty.

They may be doing this out of survival mode, and they need to train their mind to be sensible about it. A schedule of what will be consumed, how much will be consumed, and how food will be prepared is important. This also prevents people from fighting over supplies.

Don’t skip meals or go without water through in order to save it. You are going to need to keep your immune system as healthy as possible. You can’t do that if you aren’t giving your body what it needs.

Rotate and Inventory Supplies at Regular Intervals

From time to time, you need to rotate your inventory of supplies. This is very important with food and with batteries. Make sure items you have such as flashlights and radios work properly. You can consume the food items and use the batteries in your home or business. As a rule of thumb, don’t remove anything from your supplies until you have a replacement for it.

Keep an inventory of your supplies so that you always know what you should have. It is also recommended to keep items in different locations. For example, don’t store all of your food and water in one area of the basement. If there is a problem such as structural damage, you may not be able to access that part of your home. Those supplies would be completely off limits to you.

Communicate your Plan of Action with all Parties Involved

You can’t be the only one that knows of the plan of action you have for an end of the world scenario. Those that will be with you need to know what their role will be. In a future chapter, we will cover creating alliances and the dynamics that creates for your overall survival.

However, what will you do if there is imminent danger and your kids are at school, you are at work, and your spouse is running errands? A plan of action that ensures everyone can get into contact with each other and get to the meeting spot is important. The last thing you need is the stress of not knowing if someone you love and care about is okay or not.

Trust vour Gut

You are going to have to make some life altering decisions, and you can’t be second guessing yourself. Trust your gut instincts and do what you must to survive. This can include taking actions you normally would never be engaged in during the normal course of your life as you know it today. Make decisions based on the information you have in front of you because time may not be a commodity you have lots of.

Basic First Aid

Access to efficient medical care can be difficult during a time of crisis. Learning basic first aid can help you to take care of your needs and those of your family during an emergency situation. A fully stocked first aid kit as previously mentioned is crucial. However, those items aren’t going to be much good to you if you don’t really know how to use them.

Believe you can do it

This is the time for you to fully believe in yourself 100%. Your survival depends on you taking risks, being brave, and going the distance. If you aren’t confident that you can do it, you are putting yourself and those around you in a dangerous situation. Focus on the best outcome you want from any given situation, not on the worst case possibility.

People Skills

If you are going to be a leader in a crusade to survive, you have to show people you can be trusted. You have to be kind, direct, and you have to be able to delegate responsibilities. Effectively being able to communicate with others is very important if you going to get them to want to follow you. A positive attitude, showing you care, and being fair will draw people to you like a magnet.

You can’t force them to follow your directions. They may resent that they have to do what you say in order to share your food, water, and shelter. This can create internal disruptions that will weaken the overall ability to survive. With that in mind, be very selective about who you work with and who you protect with an end of the world scenario.

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Chapter 8 The Future of Drones

Drones seem to be here to stay, not just a passing trend. As mentioned the regulations are changing for them to be used commercially. They are used widely by the military and they are also used by private people. The demand for them will likely increase in the future.

Fail Safe Issue

Drones continue to be very advanced. Who has the ownership rights to drones that end up in private locations? Recently, a man in Denver realized his drone had drifted away. So he put up fliers around town so that anyone who may spot it can let him know.

The value of the drone is $2,000 plus another $400 for the camera installed on it. All he is left with is the transmitter. This was also what brought to the attention of consumers that there can be some glitches in the technology for drones. When the fail safe button is pushed, the drone is supposed to return to the takeoff spot.

That is why this man, who had lost sight of his drown by that point, pushed the fail safe. Then he went back to the launch area, expecting it to be there. It wasn’t, and he assumed it soon would be. However, it never happened and he feels like the company owes him an explanation.

He isn’t the only one with such a complaint though. There are numerous forums and reviews online about this very issue. This means it is a problem with the drones, not with the user.

With this negative publicity out there, manufacturers of drones have no choice but to make some better designs and to get them tested. They don’t want sales of these devices to slow down due to people worrying about their investment getting away from them and there is nothing they can do about it.

Noise

There have been complaints about the noise drones create. They are quite loud and that can be disruptive to those around them. People have complained about them to their local officials, to state representatives, and even to the Federal government. As a result, we will likely see noise reduction as part of the future for drones.

Commercial Use

We touched on this in a previous chapter, but it is worth addressing here too. The future of drones is likely going to really grow in the commercial sector in the coming years. This is due to the fact that the FFA regulations that ban them from such use right now will be either modified or lifted.

Price

It is anticipated that the price tag associated with drones will decrease around 2015. If that is true, then there will likely be more of them in use. For some consumers, it is that current cost that prevents them from making the investment.

Facebook may Buy Titan Aerospace

The number of people that are familiar with the social media site, Facebook, grows all the time. They are in negations to buy Titan Aerospace with a price tag of $60 million. Why would they have such an interest? It is believed it would allow them to give people access to Facebook even where there isn’t any internet access.

The buyout would then move into the next phase which is creating about 11,000 aerial drones. The model could be the popular Solara 60 which can hold up to 250 pounds. They are solar charged and they can remain at an altitude of about 65,000 feet for a period of up to 5 years.

CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, believes the use of drones could be the way to break down the walls for internet access in countries where they haven’t been able to. He also feels that this could create up to 140 million new jobs and also get more than 160 million people to end a life of poverty that they are currently experiencing.

Protecting the Boarders

Illegal immigration from other continues into the US continues to be a serious problem. The conditions for many of those immigrants are terrible too. They often hide in the heat and they don’t get enough food or water on the journey. Those that do make it into the USA can create a stir due to the immigration laws.

Drones are used along with manpower to protect the boarders located to the North, South, and Southeast of the US. While there have been some pilot programs in place, a few of the drones have actually crashed. This means that some improvements will need to be done if this resource is going to be a reliable method of keeping illegals from crossing the border.

Projections

According the FAA, there will be smaller drones that become part of the airspace in the USA. By 2017, it is estimated that these micro drones will be everywhere. There may be as many as 20,000 of them by that point in time.

There are about 56 different government agencies that use drones. There are 63 active drone sites where they can be used. This doesn’t include the 6 testing locations that were mentioned in a previous chapter. There are plenty of experts that believe the 21 Century is going to be the era of drones rather than manned aircraft. It will change the world responds on many levels.

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Search engine optimization is certainly a buzz-phrase these days. It includes any effort to make a site more visible in search engines including content development, keyword usage and other elements. For affiliate marketers, one of the primary means of SEO flows naturally from pay-per-click advertising.

The more traffic a site gets, the more search engines will regard it as a good site. This means that all the traffic generated from the pay-per-click campaign feeds in to the search engine optimization effort.

Some affiliate marketers spend a great deal of time on other SEO efforts and some do not.

It's really up to the individual marketer. Some successful affiliate marketers rely entirely on the traffic their paid advertising drives to the site for their SEO and get good results from doing so.

Remember that good content is a major part of SEO today and that keywords and other meta-tag dependent methods have diminished in importance.

One thing to avoid is any sort of attempt to "trick" a search engine. A common example of this is putting text which is the same color as is the background on a page in an effort to "stuff" keywords. Search engines catch on to this, and other tricks, very fast. Once they do, count on the site being eliminated from the index. Read the various policies of the search engines and follow them to the letter. Provided that there's good content on one's site, expect to be rewarded with good placement after the site has been around long enough to attract a decent amount of traffic.

Email Lists

For many affiliate marketers, email lists constitute their second-most important form of marketing, behind pay-per-click advertising. Getting a good list and properly managing it are imperative concerns in making a successful affiliate marketing site.

Offering a newsletter to visitors is a great way to build a list. The best spot in which to place the sign-up link is usually the upper right-hand side of the page. This tends to make it very visible and not easily confused with the navigation which is typically at the top or left-hand side of the page. If one's content is good, clients will likely find some potential value in signing up for the newsletter.

Once one has their list together, be sure not to saturate the subscribers with advertisements. There is probably nothing less attractive than this pitfall and it has the effect of making the marketer come off as if they were spamming their clients which is definitely something to be avoided.

Send out newsletters with relevant, interesting and timely information. This is akin to writing a blog in which the goal is to actually offer something of value to the customer rather than to simply try to entice them to buy a one product or another. When subscribers get used to informative and interesting newsletters from an email list, they'll be much more likely to take any sales pitches that they receive from the marketer that much more seriously. The marketer's credibility, again, comes into play.

One's email list is one of the most important marketing tools available. This list should be maintained and kept free of erroneous addresses and any clients who unsubscribe should be immediately removed from the list and receive no other contact via email other than a confirmation letter. To do otherwise risks running afoul of the spam policies of the ISPs.

Remember that one can use one's newsletter as a way of building up to a new product. One could have interesting articles regarding a particular topic that directly relates to a new product that one is about to begin marketing. This is a good way to build interest without over-pitching anything to subscribers.

There is something to be said for keeping in contact with the list members, especially if one wants to make a sales pitch. Generally, it's very bad form to email nothing out to the list members and then to suddenly hit them with an advertisement. In most cases, such an advertisement will be simply ignored and many of the list members may simply opt-out of the list based on feeling like they’re being offered nothing from their membership aside from the occasional sales pitch. If, for some reason, it's impossible to send out regular emails to one's list for a period of time, be certain to send out a few non-sales oriented newsletters before approaching the list members with a new product pitch.

The Site and its Content

While blogs have been credited with changing the face of media and this is, to a large degree, entirely true, they have also changed the definition of a website. It is possible and even advisable to develop an entire affiliate site around a blog model.

There are numerous blogging technologies available which are easy to install and setup on a web server. They provide a very easy means of updating content and can automatically display any given number of past posts and information. Management of the content and making sure it is of high-quality is key. It's also important that one not misuse their digital real estate.

Articles and Content

The articles contained on the blog, as is the case with the newsletter, should not be solely directed toward offering sales pitches. There should be interesting content included. This means that one must either be able to write themselves or that they must contract the service out. There are free methods of getting content, some of which have already been described, but these must be used intelligently.

If one is writing their own content, be certain that it is related to the topic of the website. If one sells dating site memberships and treadmills, for instance, content related to one or the other should probably not be made to coexist on the same site. A good axiom is "Make a theme park, not a mall."