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The project message board allows you to communicate with prospective programmers about your project. The programmer may also want to ask you some questions about the software so that they can bid accordingly, or give advice as to improving your project. It is vital that you read through all messages posted on your project message board. Here is a screen shot of my project message board (see next page) for the Auction SOS! Project. Again, I have blanked out the prices and any private information.

I apologise for the quality of the picture, especially if you have a small monitor! You should be able to make out the text, but its not important if you cant. All I really wanted to show you was a quick screen shot of the message board.

As I said previously, this is a place for you to get to know your programmers. Make sure that you ask them any questions you may have BEFORE you accept any bids. It's no good starting the project and then finding out that the programmer doesn't understand a certain part of your specification. I also find it very helpful to ask for examples of the programmers past projects as this gives you an idea of the quality of the programmer and the sort of projects they have worked on previously. If they have worked on similar projects in the past then there is a good chance they will do a good job with your project.

It's also important to look at the prices you are being quoted by the programmers. You should find that the prices are within a similar region. If you find that one programmer has made a bid with a really high price then it may be worth sending them a message via the project message board asking them if they would consider lowering their price to fall in line with the rest of the bids. This has worked for me on a number of different occasions.

Once you have communicated with the programmers about your project it's time to accept a bid. Use the methods I described above and choose the programmer that you think will provide you with a high quality application within your specified budget. Once you have accepted the bid from a programmer you will each receive the other's contact information. This is the first time in the project that you will be given the programmer's details (everything beforehand needs to have been discussed on the project message board).

In my experience, when a programmer gets your contact details they will send you an email with a brief outline of what they will be doing, how long it will take and which payment method they prefer etc. I can't really give you much advice in this regard as it all depends on how your selected programmer chooses to work. I find it a good idea to ask for “project updates” once a week from your programmer, that way you can keep track of their progress and address any concerns that may arise.

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You want to make the most of the traffic you're getting on your website. So why not ensure that every visitor to your Web site is offered a free subscription to your newsletter within moments of arriving?

At least this way, until your sales process is a converting visitor to customers, you can capture the names and e-mail addresses of these valuable leads! Make certain that your directions are clear. "We offer a free newsletter" vs. "Subscribe to our free newsletter." If you don't provide clear take-action statements, they're going to leave.

Plus, to add a little viral marketing to the mix, include special "pass it on" suggestions at the bottom of every newsletter. This way, readers are encouraged to share articles with close friends and associates, driving more traffic to your Web site and generating even more subscriptions.

You could even post your subscription offer in your signature file when responding to posts in newsgroups and chat rooms.

A compelling newsletter offer paired with a simple "pass it on" strategy like this will not only allow you to squeeze the most value out of every visitor to your Web site, but also give you an opt-in list of targeted leads ready and waiting to purchase from you!

A newsletter should contain valuable information, not just sales copy - otherwise interest will quickly drop off and you'll be getting a number of un-subscriptions.

Worse still, your newsletter will be deleted as soon as it arrives, leaving you with a valueless list that only sucks up your time and resources and does nothing to increase your sales.

One of the successful attributes of a website is to maintain a newsletter by which you can keep in contact with your web visitors in order to maintain a reliable and long term relationship with them through your regular email to those opt-in subscribers. It will help them to remember your website and increase your web traffics in the long term.

The days are long gone where a catchy buzz marketing campaign could be launched and you could just sit back, watch it take off and start raking in the profits.

Users are getting more knowledgeable and opportunities are getting slim. Now you are going to have to use your know-how to make viral marketing campaigns work.

Viral Marketing is all about information and the information has got to be good, timely and relevant. One effect the Internet has had on the world is that it is teaching people how to be effective searchers, as well as, savvy searchers. Information has become a commodity on the Internet much like coffee beans and oranges are in the brick and mortar world.

If one site charges you for the information you are seeking, while another site gives away that information for free, which site will you most likely use? This means that when it comes to your viral marketing campaign, the better the information you distribute to your users, subscribers, and website visitors, the better your chances are for success.

Newsletters are a perfect example of informational marketing. You are giving something of value for nothing. That value could be hard-to-find knowledge or it could be you…yourself.

After all, individuality is something that can never be a commodity. Knowledge is power and if it is free, well then it is free power and that is pretty cool. You have to rely on what you have and what you know to move that marketing virus along.

Fill that newsletter up with great information…always exceed expectations. Viral marketing is more “grassroots” now than it has ever been before. Hook onto a feeling like prestige or drive with something like a contest or a giveaway.

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History is now understood to be more than memoriing names and dates. While being able to recall the details of great people and events is important, the enjoyment of history is enhanced by engaging in activities and experiencing history as a "story well told".

Original sources and literature are real experiences. Reading the actual words that changed the course of history, and stories that focus on the details of time and place help children know that history is about real people in real places who made real choices that had some real consequences, and that they could have made different choices.

Less can mean more. "A well-formed mind is better than a well-stuffed mind", says an old proverb. Trying to learn the entire history of the world is not only impossible, it feels too hard and reduces our enthusiasm for history. In-depth study of a few important events gives us a chance to understand the many sides of a story. We can always add new facts.

History is hands-on work. Learning history is best done in the same way we learn to use a new language, or to play basketball: we do it as well as read about it. Doing history means asking questions about historical events and characters; searching our towns for signs of its history; talking with others about current events and issues; writing our own stories about the past.

There is no final word on history. There are good storytellers and less good storytellers. And there are many stories. But very rarely does any one storyteller "get it right", or one story say it all. A good student of history will always look for other points of view, knowing that our understanding of history changes over time.

Your children do well to ask "So what?" Much that we take for granted is not so obvious to our children. We should invite them to clear up doubts they have about the reasons for remembering certain things, getting facts right, and collecting and judging evidence. At each step, asking "so what?" helps to explain what is important and worth knowing, and to take the next step with confidence.

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61 Find a strategic business partner. Look for some- one who has the same objective as you. You can trade leads, share marketing information, sell package deals, etc. You can find them in search engines, e-zines, message boards, newspapers, yellow pages, magazines and offline gatherings.

62 Brand your name and business. You can easily do this by just writing articles and submitting them to e-zines or web sites for republishing. You can also write free e-books, reports, books, print magazine articles, autoresponder courses, mini sites, etc.

63 Start an auction on your web site. The type of auction could be related to the theme of your site. You'll draw traffic from auctioneers and bidders. You could sell your products at the auction or you could display your product ads around the auction area.

64 Remember to take a little time out of your day or week to brainstorm. New ideas are usually the difference between success and failure. Just get rid of all your interruptions, sit back and relax. Try to imagine new products you could create or marketing campaigns you could try.

65 Model other successful businesses or people. I'm not saying copy them outright, but practice some of the same habits that have helped them succeed. For example, if you see a successful business person always eating healthy foods, you should try to do the same thing.

66 Take risks to improve your business. Sometimes businesses don't want to advertise unless it's free, sometimes you have to spend money to get results. Just be smart, test and know your risks before you fully take them. Make sure that you can cope and handle the consequences.

67 Ask people online to review your web site. You can use the comments you get to improve your web site or you may turn the reviewer into a customer. Just get the reviewer's permission to publish his or her comments. For example, the reviewer may say, “This is the most informative web site I've ever seen.”

68 Outsource part of your workload. You'll save on most employee costs. You could outsource your secretarial work, accounting, marketing, etc. For example, if you would like to have more time to to promote your business, you could outsource your bookkeeping and accounting.

69 Combine a product and service together in a package deal. It could increase your sales. If you're selling a book, offer an hour of consulting with it. Other benefits would be having another business promoting the product as well. You will be spending less on marketing and you'll create a profitable re- lationship.

70 Create a free e-book directory on a specific topic at your web site. People will visit your web site to read the free e-books and may see your product ad. You could also give away you own e-books with your ad included. You can just have people submit their e-books to your directory via e-mail or web site form.

71 Build up the number of people who join your free affiliate program quickly by temporarily offering your product for free to the people who sign up. You could always end it after you have a 1000 or so affiliates. Those 1000 affiliates should refer enough people to make up for your loss.

72 Please your complaining customers. You can refund their money, give them a discount, give them a free gift, solve the problem quickly, etc. For example, you could say, "I understand how you must feel, so I'm giving you a complete refund." Another example would be, "I’ve been in your shoes before. I'm going to give you a 50% discount on your next purchase."