The significant challenges that we face today cannot be resolved by the same level of thinking that created them.

Can you believe Christmas is only 23 days from now? Wow - almost another year under our belts. Where does the time go?

Welcome to new subscribers - please feel free to comment or share ideas in the 'Comments' sections of the channel. We'd love to hear from you. If you'd prefer to contact me directly, please use the link following this introduction.

An internet/online business can truly level the playing field for anyone serious about building a business. It may be an old cliche and a somewhat over-used expression but it fairly represents what can be accomplished if you've set your mind to create and develop an online business. In another ten years or so, people will probably look at you strangely if you don't operate your own business online. :-)

Today's Feature comes to us from Shelley Lowery in Sp^m -- How Much Will it Cost Your Business? It seems that a huge number of people, particularly those who are 'in business', fail to understand the full ramifications of what this deluge of spam is and what it can cost you. To be honest, if I didn't have a great program like MailWasher® Pro to help keep the garbage at bay, I would have completely given up on email a long time ago.

Our Special Feature today is How To Write A Mini-Course written by F. Terrence Markle. If you have any knowledge or experience in a specific area - put together a mini course on that subject. It's a really good way to start to build a list of people interested in what you have to say or offer. It's even better if a product or service you offer ties in with the mini course. And please, don't start pushing your product in your reader's face. Present tools or options later in the course and always present good, reliable information. Terrence does an excellent job of showing you how to set up a successful mini course.

We have a special download for you today so be sure to check Product: Reviews or Services. Today's issue is full of good stuff so I'll let you get started reading it.

Have a great day and keep on smiling.

Lois M. Jeary
Publisher, KIT
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Sp^m -- How Much Will it Cost Your Business?
By Shelley Lowery

According to a recent study conducted by Ferris Research, a market and technology research firm specializing in messaging and collaboration, Sp^m will cost U.S. businesses over $10 billion in 2003.

Sp^m not only clogs our servers and in-boxes, but it also costs us hours and hours of lost time in productivity.

Although the estimated cost of Sp^m focuses mainly on lost productivity, this picture may be much broader than you realize.

Some of the more popular email providers, such as AOL (America Online), Yahoo! and Hotmail, are now utilizing filters to cut down on Sp^m. These filters are dumping Sp^m and/or bulk mailings into a separate location. Although this may cut down on Sp^m in your in-box, these filters are also dumping some legitimate email messages.

What's more, some hosting services not only filter the email messages, but they're also blocking entire hosting companies. For example, the blocking host may have gotten some Sp^m complaints about a few marketers that host with ABC hosting company. (Keep in mind, ABC hosting company may host thousands of sites.) Rather than block the offending marketers, the blocking host decides to blacklist the entire ABC host.

What this means is if you try to contact someone and their hosting company has blacklisted your host, your email will not go through -- it will bounce right back to you.

If you suspect you may not be receiving all of your email, contact your host and ask them if they're using Sp^m filters or have blocked entire hosting companies.

How Much Will Sp^m Cost Your Business?

How much time do you spend sorting through the Sp^m in your email each day? Add it up sometime -- I'll bet you'll find you spend a lot more time than you even realized -- time that could have been spent on your business.

If you're publishing an ezine or sending out any form of opt-in mailings, how many subscribers are actually receiving your mailings? Most-likely, not nearly as many subscribers as you may think. How many lost sales has this cost you?

How many messages, such as information requests, customer support requests, etc., have you not received due to filtering?

How many messages have you replied to that your customers or potential customers have never received due to filtering?

As customer service says a lot about your business practices, how many customers will you lose?

The list goes on and on. But the point is this, Sp^m is costing you dearly.

Protecting Your Email Address

So how can you defend yourself? Well, it depends on which side you're on -- how to protect yourself, and/or how to make sure your messages are getting through.

In order to protect yourself against Sp^m, you first need to understand how your email address is obtained.

There are many unethical businesses online that collect and sell email addresses. They use robots that travel from link to link in search of email addresses. Their customers are led to believe that these email addresses belong to individuals who want to receive mailings. However, much of the time, this isn't the case.

Never purchase a list of email addresses from anyone other than a reputable company. The only company I can recommend is Post Master Direct. http://www.postmasterdirect.com

To protect your email address from these robots, instead of displaying your address on your site, use a feedback form. Not just any type of form, but a form that doesn't display your email address within the hidden form fields. The only form I can recommend is Master Feedback. You can pick up a free copy here: http://willmaster.com/master/feedback/index.shtml

Anytime you're filling out a form online and you're asked to provide your email address, make sure you review the site's "Privacy Policy" to ensure that your email address will not be sold or shared with a third party.

Protecting Your In-box

To protect your in-box, you can use a Sp^m filtering software program. Although there are several available online, the best one I've found is Mail Washer. This program will enable you to view all the email on your server without actually downloading it into your email program. Once you've reviewed your messages, you can create filters and bounce the Sp^m messages back to the sender. Although you can pick up the program free, consider supporting the developer and register the software for a small fee. http://www.mailwasher.net

Avoiding the Sp^m Filters

If you're sending out a mailing to an opt-in list, there are a few steps you can take to make sure your message won't trip the Sp^m filters:

1) Avoid using trigger words, such as Sp^m, fr*e, r*move, etc. Although the list is far too broad to list here, you can learn more by reading the following articles:

Sp^m Filters Run-Amuck by Timothy A. Gross
http://www.iprofitsystems.com/articles/spamfilters.html

CLIP & SAVE guide to avoiding sp^m filters by Debbie Weil
http://www.imakenews.com/wordbiz/e_article000094161.cfm

2) Avoid using JavaScript within your messages.

3) Avoid using "bad" words.

If you'd like to ensure your messages are getting through, consider opening email accounts with the popular providers. You can send your mailings to these accounts and monitor their reception. If your mailings land in the dump, you can make some adjustments or even contact the company.

If you would like to test your outgoing email messages to ensure they won't trigger a Sp^m filter, Ken Evoy offers a great service called Sp^mCheck. This free service will enable you to send a copy of your publication, or any email message, to a specific address and it will return a report of possible words that will trigger the Sp^m filters.

Send your publication including the subject and body to: mailto:spamcheck-websource@sitesell.net

Conclusion

The Sp^m problem continues to get progressively worse. Although there isn't a simple solution to the problem, the information provided in this article should assist you in not only avoiding Sp^m, but also avoiding the filters for your legitimate mailings.

It's really a shame we're even in this position. However, we cannot allow Sp^m to continue to infiltrate our businesses. We must take the necessary steps to ensure our success.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery 2003. All Rights Reserved

About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of several successful ebooks including Web Design Mastery - An in-depth guide to professional web design. Ebook Starter - A Complete Ebook Design Kit, and eZines: A Complete Guide to Publishing for Profit. Subscribe to Etips and receive a free copy of her highly acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net

Hackers, Fraud and Trust Online
The latest release from eMasters ...

In "Hackers, Fraud, and Trust Online", Aaron Turpen will reveal quick and easy security techniques you can use (that are commonly overlooked by webmasters not in the know) to stop cyber-criminals BEFORE they rip you off. Aaron will also show you simple steps you can take to increase website safety and gain customer confidence.

Here's what you'll find:

Chapter 1: Hacker Prevention Techniques
Chapter 2: Simple Steps For Fraud Prevention and Gaining User Trust
Chapter 3: Preventing Fraud on Your Website
Chapter 4: Resources for Hacker and Fraud Prevention

You can download your copy here.

When will transformation begin? It starts at the moment you decide to change. That's why it's so vital for you to stop for a moment and come face to face with one aspect of your life that needs drastic action immediately.
- Neil Eskelin

People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit. Most people succeed because they are determined to.
- George E. Allen, 1832-1907, Publisher and Author

The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money.
- Bernard Meltzer

Do you use mini-courses in your online marketing? If not then maybe you should! Mini-courses are an important part of Internet marketing. A mini-course is a tool that enables you to provide valuable content to your subscribers and promote your own or affiliate products at the same time.

A mini-course is fr*ee information on a specific topic. It is normally distributed as multiple articles in email format over a defined period of time. The mini-course also goes by the name eCourse, free report or autoresponder course.

Before attempting to write your mini-course, identify a “niche market” that has a unique need for information. A niche market is a small segment of the total general market. It is a group of individuals with a common interest that have specific wants and needs. Individuals in a niche market may also have a common problem that needs a solution.

Creating a mini-course is similar to creating an ebook but on a smaller scale. You need to select a “killer” topic that is of interest to your niche market and satisfies a want or need or solves a problem.

There is an unlimited amount of information that can be used in a mini-course. The key is to know what information to use. What information do most people want? Individuals look for informational products that satisfy their most important wants or needs. This includes information on: how to do something, money, time, work, health, self-improvement, entertainment, hobbies and s*ex.

How can you find your killer topic?

* Listen to your customers. Look for problems they are experiencing when they communicate with you.
* Conduct a survey of your customers and the visitors to your website and ask for comments.
* Join niche discussion boards and chat rooms. What items are discussed on a repeating basis?
* Subscribe to article announcement lists in your niche and identify the key topics being published.

Next, look for common issues or problems in the information you have collected. Can you solve any of them? If not, locate an expert that can help you.

Identify creative and useful solutions to the issues or problems. Develop an outline to be used as a guide in writing your mini-course. Perform the necessary research to obtain the information you need for the mini-course. Present your information in a manner that satisfies the wants and needs or solves the common problem of your niche market.

You need to have a killer title to grab the interest of your visitors. Select a title that compels your visitor to want to see your report. You want your visitor to request the report, download it, read it and purchase your product offerings.

All of your work in creating the mini-course is of no use if nobody reads it. You want a title that reaches out and pulls the individual into downloading your course. Instead of using a title like “My Report on Golf” use something like “How to Take Strokes Off Your Golf Game.” Which title is more likely to grab the interest of the high handicap golfer?

Once you have the attention of your audience you want to be able to keep them. The opening paragraph must excite your reader and make them want to know more. Use an opening sentence that pulls them into your report like “Everything you ever wanted to know about improving your golf game and more!” Your opening paragraph also needs to define the main objective that will be presented in your mini-course.

The course content is the most critical part of your mini-course. Make certain your information is presented in an organized and meaningful manner. Content can be presented to your readers in many different writing formats.

Some of the most common formats include:

* How-to-do-something tutorial
* List of ways or tips to accomplish a desired objective
* Interview of one or more experts regarding your topic
* Narrative discussion of the issues at hand.

Whatever format you select, it must be easy to read and understand. Do not use difficult words or long sentences and paragraphs. Write in a straight forward manner. Let your personality show in your writing. People that are comfortable with your writing are more likely to buy from you.

Be careful in promoting your own products or affiliate products in the mini course. The products and services promoted need to relate to the content you are providing. Blend the product or service promotions into your content so that it supports the content. Find ways to weave your product or affiliate program information into your content in a low-key manner.

Avoid outright blatant advertising except in the top sponsor, bottom sponsor and other designated areas of your articles. Blatant advertising in the wrong section will be a quick turn-off. Your mini-course will be viewed as a sales letter and probably not read. Keep your audience in focus. They are reading your mini course primarily for the valuable content you promised to deliver in the beginning.

The last segment of your mini-course needs to provide a conclusion or closing section. Pull together what you have presented in the course and present your findings. It should satisfy the original objective of your course or provide a solution to the stated problem. Finalize the mini-course with words of value to your readers. Direct your readers to utilize the information you provided. Instill in them the desire to get involved and follow through with your conclusions or implement your solutions.

Organize the information into article segments of roughly 700 to 1,500 words per segment. Keep the length of the mini-course in the range of 3 to 8 segments. Try to avoid information overload and unnecessary padding in your articles. Determine the distribution cycle of the articles. In general, one segment should be delivered each day or every 2 days. Personally, I prefer once every 2 days to avoid overloading the recipient with too much information if they don’t check their e-mail on a daily basis.

The best way to distribute your mini-course is by autoresponder. Set up the autoresponder to automatically distribute your articles according to your defined time schedule.

Use the mini-course to promote yourself, your business and your products. It is fr*ee advertising. You can use the following methods to promote your mini-course:

* Include in the resource box of an article you wrote
* Include in your newsletter
* Include in your signature file
* Provide as a fr*ee bonus on the purchase of your product
* Place in an advertisement
* Provide as a promotional tool for your affiliates to use.

In conclusion, your mini-course should deliver valuable content to your audience with the side benefit of promoting your ezine and products. Create your mini course with a clear picture of the wants and needs of your audience. You have wasted your time and effort if the report has little or no value to your readers. Produce a quality mini-course and both you and your subscribers will benefit.

Best of success in your online business activities.

Copyright © 2003 F. Terrence Markle – All Rights Reserved Get the FR*EE 8-Day Internet Business Mini-Course at: http://www.QuikSystems.com/WMC/FreeBizCourse.htm

Earlier this week I was helping a friend determine whether a business opportunity he was considering was viable or not. While looking into the usual sources as part of our 'due diligence', he came across a site called http://www.ripoffreport.com which is a new one to me. It does appear to have lots of helpful information including reports against companies who have used fraudulent means to obtain money from their customers. Add it to your bookmarks - it can't hurt.

If you're looking to see who owns a particular domain, you can always check for details here for specific information.

How to Recover Lost Data From Your Computer

Here's an article that will give you some tips on how to recover lost and deleted files from your computer.

Caution: For very important files and if you are not sure what to do, please consult an expert that deals with this kind of problems.

http://www.resource-a-day.net/resources/data/ How To Recover Lost Data From Your Computer

Mining Gold

Legal Stuff ...

We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within KIT.

And, although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this newsletter does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles.

Be responsible! Always do your own Due Diligence before responding to any offer.