Articles posted on December 4, 2001

As of this writing, I've spent almost four years online, and in that time I've filled out hundreds of online forms at countless business and consumer websites. Maybe it was to register for access to the site, to make a purchase, or just to get some really cool "free stuff.

We have all been hearing the hype about online business--proponents declare that it's the way of the future; detractors claim that it will never replace brick-and-mortar business...which is reality?The truth falls somewhere in the middle: Online business will never replace brick-and-mortar, but an online presence will be integral to the business model of any successful business.

Staying "available" and "in contact" with your clients is an important part of good Customer Service. But sometimes this can be hard to do as we juggle our personal lives along with our business obligations.

When it comes to marketing on the search engines, LookSmart has always been mandatory as far as SageRock is concerned. But now the choice isn't quite as ironclad. The reason is because they have recently increased the cost of their "Express Submit" program from $199 to $299.

Site statistics are the underlying visitor details of your site. They can tell you things like: where a visitor came from, what key phrases people are using to find your site on search engines, how many visitors have come to your site, what pages people looked at the most, what pages people looked at the least and even what web browser people used to get to your site.

Unlike most, my writing has been born from necessity. The necessity to speak to those that won't listen.Keeping a journal, writing letters (but not sending them) is an excellent way to release your hidden anger, frustration and hurt.

Submitting your site to the search engines is a pain, make no mistake. But with a top twenty listing on Webcrawler alone having the capability to bring 50 visitors a day to your pages it's a pain that is worth suffering.

Stress is stealing from you by undermining your health, vitality and well-being. Eighty % of illness and disease is stress related. Two-thirds of all visits to physicians stem from stress. Stress is at the root of problems from anxiety to alcoholism, headaches to hypertension, and irritability to insomnia.

Some education is essential to enlighten you about this form of interactive marketing. Directories aren't Search Engines; they are web sites or information portals which use analysts on staff to review submissions from companies who want to be listed in their Directory.

Remember those Super Bowl and World Cup commercials where you saw talking hand puppets, scantily dressed women, cowboys herding cats and crude lettering on cardboard? Can you actually name one .com company that paid for these millions of dollar/eurodollars for brand awareness ads? Doesn't this type of marketing remind you of a IPO.