No they are not ready for sale yet but Google have really branched out now. Can you imaging the time that you will save but it could also be very annoying. I think it would take time to get used to wearing them. I think it could also be a distraction – let me know what you think.
Over the last couple of weeks Google has released some major changes but that is just the beginning. There are a lot more changes coming in the next week.
They have had changes to Panda as well as refreshing their algorithm several times during March.
If you list your business address in Google Places, this can now have a devastating effect on your business. What was accepted before, Google now will not accept and this alone can drop your business listing.
The results for the business could be very bad. If you start sliding in ranking you will potentially have less people visiting your site and that equates to less customers. No one would want to lose their position on the front page in the number one position.
Google have started de-indexing some of the major blog networks. This does not sound like good news. Most of their changes are due by the end of the month.
Google touched on the way they viewed backlinks when Panda came out but now they are again saying that there will be changing their total strategy regarding backlinks.
It is difficult to keep up with all their changes but I have been invited to a webinar where some of these changes are going to be explained.
We all need to know the changes that Google are implementing so that we can take advantage and not start dropping in our rating. It is my intention next blog to tell you all about the webinar and how you can take advantage and increase your ranking and potentially get more traffic. So if you are an internet marketer, make sure that you read my blog next week and see what the changes are.
To YOUR success
Sue McDonald
If you did not realize the power of social media then watch this video.
KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.
The WordPress dashboard for most blogs is underutilized. There are so many features available that most users never bother with.
There are two areas that I would like to take a closer look at today. The first one is “Publish.”
The top row says”"Save Draft”and “Preview.” These are really self explanatory. You can save your draft and then preview it.
If you go down to Visibility: Public and click on Edit there are three categories that appear. The first is public and most people would want their blogs to be seen by the public. Here you can also make the post sticky which means it will always stay on the front page. The second in the drop down box is Password protected.This allows you to protect your post from everyone viewing it and you have to create a password. Only the people you give this password to will be able to visit it. The third drop down box is “Private”and if you click on the radio button here, you blog will not be visual.
Now a feature that I use a lot is the “Publish.” When you click on “edit” you will find that the date and time appears and you can change the date to schedule your posts to a later date. This is very good if you are going on holidays but still want to publish content while you are away. You can set it so your blogs to appear on the date and time you have chosen.
The next section that most people do not use is the “Screen Options” at the top right hand corner.
Did you realize that you can totally change your screen layout to four columns? There are some people that will have up to four columns.You can un-tick some of these features. If you do not want to see “Quick Press”because you never use it, just un-tick it. This can change the appearance of what you will see on your screen. It is up to you.
So go and have a look at what you can do. Remember you cannot break WordPress.
To YOUR success
Sue McDonald
What is SOPA?
Well the basic idea of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is to stop pirate sites selling counterfeit physical products like fake watches, designer clothes, electronics etc. This bill is currently with the US congress and, if passed, would allow the US Government to add certain sites to a blacklist and this would prevent access to anyone in the US to these sites. It will not only have ramifications in the US but potentially world wide.
The intention of such a bill is good but if passed it could be a disaster.
We all know that there is theft and fake goods on the internet and it has to be stopped but the majority think that this bill would cause sites to be shut down that should not be shut down.
If anyone is advertising a fake product, their site would be shut down, even if they were not aware the product was not the genuine article.
The payment processors that accept these payments would also be closed down.
This bill could also affect copyright both the written word, graphics and photographs. This could result in many sites being closed down because they have copied some graphics or used someone’s photos.
If the US starts closing down foreign sites you can imagine that there would be some form of retribution. Other countries from around the world would retaliate. This could be an internet disaster.
The pirates, if blocked, would just find new methods to distribute their goods. They would not just go away. They would be losing millions. Can you imagine if there are people selling fake goods on ebay?
So what can be done? If you live in the US, you should contact your Senators and Representatives and tell them to vote against SOPA . When you contact them explain the damage that this could do to the business online. Advise them that you agree with the goal but not with the legislation. Always give your name and where you live as this will let them know that you are one of their constituents. You can either phone or write and make a stand against SOPA. Every US citizen must be heard – do not leave it to a small minority but become part of the majority.
If you want to read what Wikipedia has to say- read it here.
To YOUR success
Sue McDonald
Now this is completely different from what I normally write but I wanted to tell you about my grandson. He taught himself how to do this and is now regarded very highly. He is following his passion and he is having a great deal of success.
At the age of 12, he decided he would approach people to sponsor him as a surf photographer – bold move for 12 but that is the same age that Steve Jobs contacted Dave Packard. He is sponsored by a body board company. His mother bought him his first camera and within his first month, he was having his pictures published in surfing magazines.
http://blog.bodyboarders.com.au/2010/06/28/photographer-profile-jye-mcdonald/
This is him at age 13 after he had been doing surf photography for a year. The link to Flickr does not work because he removed his photos from there because, all though they were supposed to be under copyright, people were using them.
In August this year, his sponsor company took him to Western Australia to shoot in Esperance and the Margaret River.
http://jyemcdonaldphotos.blogspot.com/
He has certainly changed to a surfer boy now. If you click in the middle of the photos it will take it to full screen.
Last month, he had 4 photos published in a French surfing magazine and was paid for this. Each photo could sell at the moment for up to $200. When his photos are published, he is always paid and he is getting more and more published. He is on school holidays now but plans to go back to school next year.
We missed seeing him for Christmas day because he was contacted by a surfing magazine to do an all day shoot on the Gold Coast. The reason is, we are experiencing waves of 20 feet and more and they wanted some great shots. Some of the beaches have been closed. He is still only paid for the photos that they buy from him.
Jye now has his name embedded in the photos to stop people from using them. So what started as a desire has become a great passion for him. Instead of having to work at KFC or McDonalds to earn some money, he goes surfing and takes his camera.
Well done Jye!
To YOUR success
Sue McDonald
“So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young”
We all recognize the words from the John Lennon classic – ” Happy Christmas.”
How profound are these words – line two is especially important. Let me ask you that question – “What have you done?”
There are so many people who started 2011 with so many goals and plans and have they achieved what they wanted to do? I know the answer before anyone says anything. Not everyone reaches the goals that they set for themselves in their New Year’s resolutions. The reason is very easy – sometimes life just takes an unexpected turn.
Some of the things that could have happened that have changed you entire life include marriage, divorce, loss of a job, death of a relative or close friend or the birth of a child. All of these can be very stressful and can often turn your life in a different direction. There are many other occurrences that can change your life but often any of these changes can be only temporary.
So this year when you are thinking of your New Year’s resolutions – keep them practical and achievable. What ever it is you want, if you can believe that it is achievable and you are prepared to work, the Universe will work with you and SUCCESS can be yours.
Use affirmations and visualizations to achieve what you want. This must be a habit that you get into. See it in your mind and feel it . Belief and persistence are the two major cornerstones to success. Even if some crisis befalls you, try and remain positive and as soon as you have sorted it out, get back on track.
So I would like to add two quotes from Henry Ford.
“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”
and
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
There is no such thing as failure only obstacles, in our way, that we must overcome.
To YOUR success
Sue McDonald
I just wanted to let you hear the music of Chooka Parker. This young guy went on a talent quest in Australia and every time he sat at the piano he played an original work that he composed as he went – raw pure talent. He is 17, lives on the family farm and playing music is his passion.
Just proof once again that if you have a passion you should embrace it. It is the easiest way to success.
I just wanted to share this with you because I think it is beautiful, both the music and the videograhpy.
I have just completed a three day seminar here on the Gold Coast that was all about networking. Nothing like being in your own city and be able to go home each night.
The seminar was organized by Brett McFall and this was a line up of the guess speakers. They had flown in from the UK, USA and Canada. The price of admission to the seminar was a donation to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Terry, Bindy and Robert came down to receive the cheque for $40,000
It is a great cause and it surprised all of us when Terry said, that to run the Animal Hospital with a permanent staff of 20 and a volunteer staff of 90, costs them $2,500,000 per year. There is no help from the Government so it is totally run through the amount the public is prepared to donate.
So if you believe in this cause you could also give and help the animals.
Rich Waterman
Andy Sacker
Jim and Emily Graham
Sean Roach
Brittany Lynch
The Lyttle Sisters
Tom Hua
Suzanne Carlyle and Hayley Wilson
Matt and Amanda Clarkson
Steven Essa
Dr Mike Woo-Ming and Koz
Matt and Liz Radd
The subject matter was very varied from social media to buying and selling on ebay but nearly every speaker there assured us that just a few short years ago most of them had attended a similar seminar. It was reassuring to hear that and realize how far some of them had come in a few short years. They all agreed that they took ACTION.
Just wandering around in the breaks and talking to fellow attendees, I wondered if people really accepted the commitment to work needed to get their own business up and running. After all isn’t that what we all want here – we are after a successful business. Some of the comments made me realize that there were people who had no idea – just looking for the “push button” method. I didn’t want to be the one to shatter their dreams.
Some people forget that this is a business – not just a website but a business and you have to be prepared to work in your business.
There were people who had never done anything online while others were seasoned pros.
Brett opened the proceedings and he had some great information. One question he posed was “What if it doesn’t work?” But then counteract that with “What if it does? “
So now I am back and I am ready to work to achieve all that I want to achieve. If it is to me, it is up to me.
To YOUR success
Sue
If you are finding some of the tasks that you have to do are consuming all of your available time, you may want to outsource some of these tasks. To employ these people is relatively easy. The majority of these people will have a rate of pay that is much lower than if you live in the US or UK.
There are several sites where you can get work done and it is handy to know where they are. Some of these sites employ people from all over the world so you must know how to find the right person.
Most of these sites will show the rating of the people they employ. The ratings have been put there by people who have employed these people for various tasks previously.
How do you know if you are employing the right person? I have included some ideas and questions you may ask them. As I said, a lot of these people live and work where English is not their first language.
If you feel that they are capable and might be able to do the work, I would suggest that you interview by email first. Most of the companies that employ these freelancers will not allow you to deal with the person directly. You have to go through the company to get your answers – bit like a chat room.
Some of the questions you may ask:
Do you speak and write English fluently?
How long have you been doing this type of work?
What are your primary skills?
How many hours a week can you work for me?
If the company does not have a set method to pay them, for example credit card or paypal, ask how you pay them. If you cannot pay, using either of these methods, you will find that all other methods can become expensive.
So you think that you have found someone who may be right for you – give them a test. You could easily ask them to go and look at your blog or site and write a paragraph that explains what your blog or site is all about. This will give you a good indication as to their comprehension ability. If you want them to write articles or blogs for you, you need to know that they have a good command of the English language and their grammar is correct.
If they pass that test, you can then interview them on skype. Again you have to know what to ask questions. Here are a few suggestions:
What is your administrative background?
How many clients are you currently working with?
What kind of work have you undertaken in the past six months?
May I contact your recent clients for references?
What hours do you normally work?
What are your rates?
What do your rates cover and not covers?
Are you willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement?
These are some of the sites were you can find these workers.
ODesk –http://www.odesk.com
Scriptlance –: https://www.scriptlance.com/
Guru – http://www.guru.com/
Vworker: http://www.vWorker.com
Fiverr: http://fiverr.com (if you are thinking of getting something done on fiverr - make sure you use the star top rated seller people.)
Start the person on one task to see that they can do it. It is advisable to create a video to tell and show them exactly what you expect them to do. You cannot expect them to know exactly what you want unless you instruct them. This is the beginning of you starting your own team.
If the person does not work out, you may have to tell them they are no longer required. Be well aware of your rights as each site is different. Always read their terms of service.
