THE GUMSHOE REPORT

Great New Twitter Tool!

2009-06-21T08:53:00.003-05:00

Check out the cool Twitter tool, We Follow. This is a great tool you can use to find out who is on Twitter and their stats as to how many people follow them. This list includes celebrities who have a large following on Twitter.

Go to http://wefollow.com and see what your favorite Celeb. is doing these days.

There are big names such as Ellen Degeneres, Shaq, Martha Stewart, Tony Robbins, Kevin Rose and plenty more. You can also follow media giants such at The New York Times, CNN, Fox News and plenty more giants of the written word.

Spend a few minutes and visit this site, join and it's all full steam ahead from there.

Tweet Penguin

2009-04-24T19:30:00.002-05:00

Image by lonelysandwich via Flickr

Ok, I admit I have been a bit laxidaisy( I hope that is how that word is spelled) and have not been updating my blog. I have been a bit busy offline and have not had time to come by and say HI to myself and my fellow followers.

I found some new information for Twitter. There is a new application for Twitter called TweetPenguins. Cool Beans! Is all I have to say about it. Here are the top forty interest of Tweet Penguins.

364 music
299 marketing
167 social networks
153 social media
153 photography
140 internet
136 internet marketing
121 art
120 travel
116 blogging
110 networking
109 writing
106 twitter
103 social networking
99 politics
97 business
93 health
89 movies
86 reading
82 sports
72 real estate
63 money
63 fashion
62 dogs
55 seo
54 technology
54 design
54 cooking
52 books
47 news
45 mlm
45 food
45 family
44 fishing
42 computers
40 genealogy
38 tech
38 affiliate marketing
37 golf
36 fitness

Now I ask you, how cool is that? Tweet Me on Twitter and TweetDeck.

Where's My Guaranteed Success?

2009-03-28T08:44:00.002-05:00

Image by 1D110 via Flickr

"No-one gets an iron-clad guarantee of success. Certainly, factors like opportunity, luck and timing are important. But the backbone of success is usually found in old-fashioned, basic concepts like hard work, determination, good planning and perseverance."

- Mia Hamm

Does Investing Your Time Guarantee Success?

By Bob Cox

Last week, my wife Karin and I received an e-mail inquiry about one of the goal-setting programs we offer through Early to Rise. The gentlemen indicated that he was at a point where he was looking for a real change, not a temporary fix. He was interested in the program, yet skeptical. He wanted more than a money-back guarantee. He said that he would follow the material to the letter, but was hesitant to invest his time unless we could guarantee that his time wouldn't be wasted - that the program would work specifically for him.

Karin and I talked about how best to reply. Of course, we stand behind our programs. But, as with any product, a blanket guarantee of results is impossible. Yes, we can return his money if he's not satisfied. (ETR has an exceptional money-back guarantee.) But no, we can't return his time.

Our decision was to politely thank the gentleman for his interest.

Taking Action: the Most Important Key to Success

A good program will provide you with the raw materials for achieving your goal - but no one can guarantee that you will actually achieve it.

For instance, an Internet business-building program will give you instructions for setting up a website, starting an e-mail newsletter, and writing sales copy. But the best Internet business-building program in the world won't help you build a million-dollar business unless you put what you learn to work in the real world. You've got to follow those steps for setting up a website and set up a website. You've got to use that copywriting information to write sales copy.

When I started off in insurance sales, I had to invest a lot of time in studying to pass the licensing test. Did having an insurance license automatically guarantee that I would make sales? Of course not. I became a successful insurance salesman because I took action. I marketed myself. I mastered dozens of sales techniques. I learned my product inside and out.

Taking action may be the most important component of success - but it's not the only one. There are three more:

Know What You Want

It is interesting to me that many people spend precious time thinking and talking about what they don't want. Like that fellow who said he didn't want to waste his time on our goal-setting program if we couldn't guarantee it would work for him. Or the people who say they don't want to be broke... or don't want to be overweight... or don't want to lose their jobs... or don't want more stress.

What they should be doing is turning those negative thoughts around and taking a positive approach: telling yourself what you want to do (I want to be fit and trim... I want to create additional income... I want to feel relaxed), not what you don't want to do, you will inspire yourself to take action to achieve the goal.

It starts with forming a specific and detailed plan. This is where visualization is helpful.

If you want to be fit and trim, visualize a new post-weight-loss achievement outfit you are going to buy... or that favorite pair of jeans you want to get back into. In addition, visualize the favorable responses you will get from people when you reach your ideal weight and fitness goal.

If you want to increase your income, visualize how you will feel when you see your bank account balance increase... and what you will do for your family with that money. Would you buy a bigger house? If so, picture exactly where you'll live - the neighborhood, the size and color of the house, etc. A new car? Picture the exact car you'll buy.

Measure Your Results Along the Way

Keeping track of how you are doing with your goal-setting plan helps you determine the effectiveness of your actions.

You may find that you no longer want to pursue a goal you assigned yourself. Or perhaps you want to modify that goal. Maybe you want to keep the goal but you've discovered a more convenient and efficient way to get to the "finish line." Let's say you set a physical fitness and weight-loss goal. And the plan you came up with to achieve that goal was to go to the gym three nights a week. You've been doing that for two months, and you're happy with the results. But now you think there's a good chance you can stay on track by working out at home.

Okay.

Only YOU can determine the most effective way to use your time. But you won't be able to do that if YOU don't measure and monitor your progress along the way.

Make Constant Improvements

The Japanese principle known as "kaizen" (which means continuous improvement) can be applied to all aspects of life. But it is perhaps best known for the way it's been applied to business.

Some scholars think kaizen is what enabled Japan to go from defeat in World War II to being one of the world's strongest economies. What the Japanese did was commit to continuously improving their manufacturing industries to be more efficient, cost-effective, and productive. The idea was that everything could always be done better.

This is exactly what we here at ETR want for you! We want you to believe that you can always find new and better ways to achieve your goals. If an action is working and bringing the desired results - do it more often. If an action is not working or throwing you off track - do it less often. (Or eliminate it altogether.)

The beauty of goal setting is that it is all about YOU and what you want to achieve. You choose... you act... you monitor your actions... you celebrate and continue refining your actions.

Each one of us is very different, yet we are all alike in that we are success-seekers on a life journey that is just that - a journey to success. You want guarantees? I can guarantee that you won't have success unless you are proactive in using the four simple success components I outlined for you today.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

Added New Links At My Freebie Site

2009-03-23T09:59:00.004-05:00

Image by Seth W. via Flickr

I have been a bit busy lately adding and subtracting links at my Free Stuff site. There are some mind blowing free marketing tools listed. You can get free magazine subscriptions as well. Check out Joyce Sanders Desk and click the free stuff tab to see what you can get for free on the internet. I will be adding more as I gather information.
Here is the link: http://joycesanders.webs.com/freestuff.htm

I am going to be adding some ways to make money with free memberships to Paid To Click (PTC) and Paid To Read (PTR) sites. The most of the sites are BeenPaid certified. Almost all of them have the BeenPaid.com Diamond Seal of approval. If you wonder what it takes to get their seal of approval just click on the link and you will find out it is not as easy as it seems. There is more to it than applying. They also have a list of banned programs and approved programs. Their forum is very good where the members can report if or not a site has been paying. It's great for placing links to the sites that have paid you and getting new signups. So cruise on over th BeenPaid and do not get dooped again by internet scam criminals.

Anyways, back to the main subject, my Free Stuff sites. You can receive a Free Credit Consultation by my friends Carla Carey and Sharmaine Murchison. There are links to Free Color Schemer that help you decide what type of scheme is the best for you site. Check out Vincent Beazels' Free Quote on Alternative Energy. I will be adding more links as I find interesting subjects. If you need free coupons , rebates, free trial offers. I have also included links to Free online games, articles, banner makers and loads more free stuff.

Click on over and join my Free Stuff site for weekly updates. That is free too. Also, I have some very cool free to view videos for you enjoyment. They include Beautiful Rockets and Fireworks, Proud To Be An American and Aerosmith- I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing. Enjoy and have a wonderful life.

Eat My Dust! At Least Try To Keep Up!

2009-03-05T18:13:00.005-06:00

Make a mad dash and try to keep up as CMU7 continues to improve and blast into the future! Trailblazing is what the site does best and I hope everyone will be able to keep up as the site makes another giant step forward and introduces newer and better tools for successful marketing. Trailblazing is what the owner, Steve (beef) Sloan does best and he is not done yet by the smallest bit of imagination.

Community Marketing University is at it again! They are in the process of creating even more marketing tools. The site is converting from being mainly a social network site to a site more concerned with marketing and promoting tools that a marketer can use to establish their own success. These valuable tools can be utilized to promote the creative talents of an individual to obtain Block-busting bottom line results.

Community Marketing University (cmu7), a highly acclaimed site, and is on The Red-Eye Express for big time marketers. It is fueling the future of the internet in a unique rewarding manner. The tools currently available are free ads. for members and paid ads for non-members. There are power tools such as the community library, on site blogs, Live Chat and other tools of success.

CMU7 is on the "Red-eye Express" for all the big marketers. They are joining up with CMU7 and getting the full benefit package to promote their offers! This site is THE place to get to before the prices goes up! Cross the threshold of your success and the keys to your future today.
Join Free Today and Start your Journey to Success!
And Get All This and More FREE!

* Autoresponders
* Blog's
* Community Forum
* Conference Rooms
* Short URL's
* E-Books
* Virtual Office
* Step by Step Instructions
* Live Training
* Live Interviews with The Experts.
* Learn from experts as well as others just like you.
* 4x7 Matrix
* Much, Much, More!

Earn while you Learn...JOIN FREE! CMU7 pays free members.
Marketing Success,

Joyce (roadcat) Sanders

p.s. You can get even more with the upgrade monthly Elite membership of $19.97 OR go V.I.P. for $39.97.

VIDEO BLOGGING

2009-03-03T12:56:00.002-06:00

Image by robotography via Flickr

The Pros and Cons of Video Blogging

Video blogging has a lot of advantages over text-based blogging, and it is little wonder that this new
technology is catching on all over the globe. Video
blogs very effectively grab the attention of web surfers,
and people are much more likely to become excited
about the dynamic content of a video blog than they are
likely to find a written posting very thrilling. The more
enthusiastic viewers are about a site, the quicker the
word of mouth spreads, and the more traffic the site will
get.

Of course, there are plenty of disadvantages to video
blogging as well. Hosting a v-blog requires quite a bit
of server space, which can make it difficult to get
started. It takes more time to process and upload a video file than it does to dash off a quick bit of text, which means that running and updating a video blog can be quite a bit of work. In addition, web surfers sometimes grow frustrated with the slow loading times of the files on many video blogs. Whether you opt for a video blog or not depends on what kind of subject matter you want to cover, and how much time you can devote to video blogging. Before you decide to pursue a video blog, consider if there is an easier way for you to get your message across.

What Do Searchers Want?

2009-02-23T19:59:00.002-06:00

Image by inju via Flickr

As searchers, we all have frustrations when we search. That’s why Yahoo conducted a study to better understand our search behavior. In this video, Larry Cornett of Yahoo tells us about their study as well as what they found out.

The company went around to 6 different U.S. cities and surveyed 150 Web users. The 3 continuing themes from their research were:

1. Information overload
2. Text overload
3. Impersonal experience

As Larry explains, the average Web user does not care how many million results the search engines return. Even though it means a lot to the search engines, the average user doesn’t even look past the first page.

The same idea is true with text overload. It takes a lot of work for the user to sort through all the text. As users, we want relevant information and want it quickly. The study also found that we desire a personal experience as we search. Larry explains that since we use the engine every day, it should know our habits.

To read more of this article go to : http://videos.webpronews.com/2009/02/20/smx-west-what-searchers-want/

To place this video on your web site, copy/paste
the following code into your HTML file:

More WebProNews Videos

**** I found this to be a very informative article and the video is excellent. Great interview!

HowTwitter Affects Digg

2009-02-21T12:41:00.003-06:00

Image via CrunchBase

How Twitter Affects Digg

Friday, February 20th, 2009

by CHRIS TROTTIER, Guest Blogger

For both current and former Digg members, there has been a marked trend towards establishing a presence on Twitter. Some experienced “Diggers,” a commonly used term for those that use Digg, argue that a Digg account is no longer complete without a Twitter account.

This has become especially true since the last algorithm change on Digg. Users are now limited to 200 diggs per day. Go over the limit, and Digg sends an “itchy trigger finger” warning and prevents the user from digging further for some hours. This is intended to elevate the quality of each digg. No digg can be impulsive; the idea is that the user must truly believe the content is diggable.

Twitter, on the other hand, can be impulsive. You can retweet your friends’ stuff as many times as you like. In fact, there’s a level of participation on Twitter that is just not possible on Digg.

Former Digg user Zaibatsu offers an interesting case study on how Twitter can help a Digg user.

Zaibatsu: A Case Study

“One thing I didn’t want to do, after being banned, was give Digg more pageviews,” Zaibatsu told me over the phone. “Back in June, I started my Twitter account and that quickly snowballed into 35,000 followers. My influence has been greater on Twitter than it ever was on Digg. In fact, I’ve been influencing content on Digg through my Twitter account.”

At the time Digg banned Zaibatsu, he was the #3 ranked Digger with over 10,000 fans. At one time, he was “front-paging,” (a fairly self-explanatory term used by Diggers to denote when an item submitted by a particular user appears on Digg’s coveted front page), as many as 10 times a day. But last year, there was a spate of power-user bannings, and Zaibatsu was one of them.

Most power-users would start a new, incognito account. Zaibatsu was fed up with Digg, though, and he sought a new social media home. He was attracted to Twitter because it offered him what Digg could not.

“On Digg, I would have to wait sometimes 24 hours before the story I wanted to share could get seen,” Zaibatsu explained. “Some good stories got buried. On Twitter, if I like something, I can share it with more than 35,000 people instantly.”

Zaibatsu also pointed out Twitter’s advantage over another tool commonly used by Diggers. Twitter, he believes, trumps IM. “Whenever I log into my Gtalk account, I instantly get 40 messages from people — and I have to respond to them all individually. On Twitter, if someone responds to one of my tweets, I don’t always have to give a personalized response because people understand it’s Twitter.”

The Twitter Advantage on Digg

Obviously, many people on Twitter are also active on Digg. How can Twitter help these people?

One way is by providing limitless opportunities to connect. Under the Digg shout system, you can shout to only 200 people at once — and then have to wait 15 minutes before the next shout. Even then, most Diggers don’t like it when you shout more than three times a day. Overusing the shout system can quickly turn a good story into one that is buried. In fact, most experienced Diggers use shouts with caution. But on Twitter, a tweet reaches all that user’s followers. They, in turn, may retweet an item to all their followers. Many Twitterers are also casual Digg users; if they like a story on Twitter, they might also want to digg it.

Additionally, as Zaibatsu found, there’s a level of social interaction on Twitter that is non-existent on Digg. To interact with a fellow Digger, the only recourse is to use comments or shouts, neither of which are conducive to establishing real relationships. Twitter, on the other hand, allows you to reply publicly and privately to someone by using replies or direct messages, and to do so in a way that does not distract from content.

Another great advantage to Twitter is that there are fewer limitations on what can be posted. For instance, users promoting sales of any kind on Digg is against their policy. If a Digger submits a sales link to a bizarre item on eBay, it could result in a ban.

On Twitter, where marketers and entrpreneurs abound, such links are not a big deal, and may even be appreciated. If a Digger really wants to share something that might violate the Digg TOS, Twitter could be a good alternative.

In summary, if you Digg, you should open a Twitter account (if you haven’t already done so). Twitter provides a greater level of social participation than Digg. Using Twitter, Diggers are able to reach a new and different audience. Twitter also allows users to share content with an audience immediately, and the number of times a user can share quality content is not limited.

Some, like Zaibatsu, may even discover they are more influential on Twitter than on Digg.

Christopher Trottier (aka atomicpoet on Digg) enjoys unique videos, and takes joy spreading them virally.

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This is a republication of this article that was given to me on Twtitter today. It is placed here for informational purpose only. I did not write this article. I believe it has some very useful information for those that follow Twitter.

Twitter for Profit Blogging

2009-02-20T07:47:00.003-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

I found this fascinating quote today:

Twitter says, “Twitter is a service for friends, family and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing”?Twitter for Profit Blogging, Feb 2009

You should read the whole article.

I especially like the ability to micro blog with Twitter. I have found some other very helpful tools that I have associated with Twitter.

TweeterDeck is one of the most exciting desktop tools available for use with Twitter. All you have to do is download it to your desktop and you sign in via the desktop screen and get busy tweeting to your followers. It is http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta It IS in beta testing but it works like a marketing charm.

Another super promoting tool I found was TweetLater. What a fantastic mind blowing idea! I knew it was bound to show up sooner or later for Twitter but sooner is definitely the best. TweetLater automates your Tweets and sends them out according to the schedule you set.

Set up your alerts and track keywords in your public stream. Increase your productivity with this tool.

http://www.tweetlater.com

Off to look for more Twitter gadgets.

Work at Home Success

2009-02-05T09:57:00.010-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

How do you get from point A to point B in marketing? I found a very interesting article about this. Wanted to share it with all of my marketing and work at home subscribers in hopes it will help you to do a better job of what you want to do. Success sometimes seems fickle and distant. It makes a work at home job elusive and seem unattainable.

Are we to go quietly into that good night because we are not presented with good sustainable information? Are we to remain the proverbial "needle in a haystack?" I certainly hope not considering the shape of the wealth mongers economy which seems to have helped THEM more than anyone else. Now we cry after the burn? It seems so.

Below is an awesome Easy-To-Follow article that will give any marketer a competitive edge. It is literally a word smiths' medicine for the soul. Apply these principles to everyday life and you will succeed.

====================================================================

Blast Through 5 Roadblocks to Success

By Bob Cox

Following a proven goal-setting system can help you
specify your objectives, measure your progress, and
stay focused. But what do you do when you encounter
roadblocks along the way? Today, I'm going to tell you
exactly what I do to push through, jump over, toss aside,
or take a detour away from five of my personal
roadblocks in order to stay on track.

Roadblock #1: Perfectionism

Striving to be perfect was always my biggest challenge.
My business associates and partners loved giving me
projects because I would pull out all the stops and
become completely devoted to getting it done... and
done right.

It didn't matter to me how much time or energy I had to
spend - my pride demanded perfection.

What I finally learned was:

* My perception of perfection was usually more than
what was expected.

* The last 10 percent of a project - the time it takes to
get things "perfect" - takes just as long to complete as
the first 90 percent.

* Project goals change all the time. So it's better to
come within 90 percent of my idea of perfection and
save a little time for the inevitable changes.

For example, I used to design Group Health Plan
documents for self-insured accounts. I would toil for
hours on end, double-check with the client on her vision,
and present the "perfect" document... only to hear
something like this:

"Great job, Bob! But there's a different direction we want
to go in regarding certain areas of the benefit design."

It didn't matter that I had listened and incorporated
exactly what the client said she wanted. It didn't matter
that I had researched a mountain of data to figure out
how I could achieve her initial vision. The project wasn't
complete, and more work needed to be done.

Bottom line: Stay in motion. Aim for good, push through
the modifications that arise, and then... aim for better
and repeat the process until the desired results are
achieved.

Roadblock #2: Failure to Compromise

This is a roadblock to my success that still creeps up on
me, though it doesn't happen as often as it used to.
I was a real know-it-all. A jerk. I had little patience for
anyone who didn't want to do everything my way. But
this attitude only served to alienate others. And often
those were people who could have helped me on
important projects.

Now when I'm working with someone who wants
to do a project in a way that's different
from the way I would do it, I ask myself:

* Is this legal?

* Will this is in some fashion move my goal forward?

* Can I honor this request?

If I can answer YES... then I've taken an appropriate
detour around this roadblock. That detour - known as
compromise - really comes in handy. And it doesn't
work only at the office. It works really well at home.
(Just ask my wife, Karin.)

Roadblock #3: Lack of Listening Skills

I can become easily distracted if the person I'm listening
to is taking a long time to make a point. But when I
remind myself to use active listening skills, I am able to
toss aside this roadblock.

Through the years, I have developed the following tips to
help me do that:

* Your ears are for hearing... your mind is for listening.
* Listen for ideas and central themes (even take notes).
* Don't interrupt. Wait your turn to speak.
* Circle any points in your notes that you want to
emphasize when it's your turn.
* Judge content... not delivery.

Roadblock #4: Reluctance to Ask Others for Help and Ideas

I used to think it was a sign of weakness to ask for help
on a project. I was wrong. It only slowed me down in
achieving my goals... and created an unnecessary
roadblock.

It's better to have a "suggestion box" mindset. In other
words, to be willing to ask for and receive help,
including alternate ideas and solutions, from all those
involved. I often ask for input even from people who are
not involved.

You will be surprised at how many good ideas other
people have.

And don't forget to thank them. By developing this
success habit, you will have lots of extra resources to
draw on whenever you're stuck on a problem.

Roadblock #5: Not Understanding the Team Concept

Here is where my know-it-all attitude would set up
another roadblock for me. You see, whenever I was
involved in a project... I always wanted to be the team
leader.

I finally recognized that there are people who are better
than I am (go figure!) to lead particular types of projects.

It was a tough truth to swallow. But once I accepted it, it
made a big difference.

Case in point: The safety meetings I attend for one of
my insurance clients. In the old days, I would insist on
being the presenter. After all, safety was my business,
and I was an expert in claim-related safety issues. But
the new Bob lets another guy, Kenny, chair these
meetings.

Kenny is clearly more qualified than I to do this - and he
does an amazing job. He has over 20 years in that
particular industry, which gives him an edge (over me)
in knowing how to talk to the managers and relate to the
manager mindset.

I urge you to jump over this roadblock by letting
someone else lead when the opportunity presents itself.

Let another team member head the project, let your
spouse call the shots for your next dinner party, or let
your joint venture partner negotiate an important contract.
When you do, you'll realize how much you can
learn by taking on the role of his or her assistant.

In addition to the above, you may have roadblocks of
your own that you encounter on a regular basis. Here's
a simple three-step process to help you navigate
through them and keep yourself on the path to success.

1. List three of your personal roadblocks to success.
BE HONEST. It's difficult to admit your "shortcomings"
or "issues," but that's the only way this technique will
help you.

2. Write two or three paragraphs about why these
roadblocks are a problem for you and how they are
inhibiting your success.

3. List at least three ways to push through, jump over,
toss aside, or take a detour away from these
roadblocks that keep holding you back from achieving
your goals.

[Ed. Note: You can turn your dreams into reality just by
implementing a few simple techniques. Success mentor
Bob Cox has dozens of powerful strategies that can
help you accomplish your longest-held goals. Discover
how to get his proven advice and time-tested
goal-setting program right here.]

=================================================================

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise,
a free newsletter dedicated to making money,
improving health and secrets to success.

For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

Click Your Way To Luxury

2009-01-05T07:45:00.006-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

Find anything for Less!!

Know what you want but do not know where to find it?
Well, here is your clue so go get it for the price you want to pay.
Shop online stores for the lowest prices at http://www.mysimon.com and http://www.dealtime.com.

If you are looking for trendy outfits try Classiccloseouts.com.
This bargain store provides the hottest brands and styles at 85% off retail.

Love the sweet taste of chocolate?
How about some imported gourmet chocolate from around the world
at prices so low you can enjoy a piece every time you need a sweet indulgence.
Well, click on over to Chocolatesource.com and indulge your sweet tooth.

Check out this great store for expensive fragrances at drugstore prices.
Enjoy the fragrances of Elizabeth Arden and other well known
brands such as Elizabeth Taylor's Diamond and Emeralds at Imaginationperfumery.com.

Pamper yourself with department store quality lotions, bath gels, and get a freebie with your purchase. Live in luxury at Yves-rocher.com. They have up to 400 promotional on-line and beauty products a month. Yves Rocher is the world leader in botanical products.

According to BargainOutfitters.com they claim to have " the best bargains on earth". It is worth you time to browse this store for everything from jewelery to linens. They have genuine pearl necklaces, bracelet and earring sets, men and women's clothing, household items and camping items. Prices range from half retail price to less than half price. This is one great store to browse.

Another great place to shop is probably better known among internet shoppers and is one of the best-known closeout sites online. Overstock.com can stock your home with top-of-the-line electronic, appliances, bedding, cordless phones, vacuums and just about anything else your heart desires for a fraction of the
original price.

Smartbargains stocks a bit of everything. It is the bargain shopper's dream store. Some of their best deals can be found on furnishings and gifts. So check it out for for great bargains for birthdays and holiday. It is a great site to shop for yourself as well . They stock everything from name brand furniture to fashionable clothing, bed and bath bargains, home and kitchen, shoes, watches, men and women's jewelry and clothing. It worth a click to check this store out. You can save up to 70% at SmartBargains.com

If you simply want to learn how to save money so you can afford to shop at these store there is an excellent e-book course I provide. Learn how to live better and spend less. The Living On A Dime series provides all the information you need to save money and live like royalty for less.

Save To Live In Luxury: http://www.cmu7.com/su/0q/

Another great place to find affordable E-books is at the library of Community Marketing University. The E-book subjects range from How To's for marketing and advertising you sites to autoresponders, Complete Guides to mortgages, scripts and cooking. You can choose from hundreds of titles.
Find it here: http://www.cmu7.com/estore

Have a great day and remember you can make money by saving money. You CAN control your life and expenditures. You CAN live better by spending less!

Saving Money by Knowing When To Shop

2008-11-22T14:27:00.008-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

After working in retail for many years I know it is a fact that they markup and markdown merchandise depending on demand and what time fo year it is. Often merchandise is marked down because the company has decided not to carry the product anymore. There is nothing wrong with the product the company simply decided they were not going to carry it anymore. You can get excellent buys if you keep shop clearance isle. It is a well known fact that the major discount stores change their seasonal items at least four to six times a year. They also do a "major overhaul" of their standard modules at least once a year. If a certain department tends to be very changeable the store will completely redo the modules more often. This is how the discount store move the large amount of merchandise that they do.

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Tips on When to Buy Appliances, Computers, TVs & Other Products

I just came across a list on shopsmartmag.org that shows the best times to buy various products. Here’s a summary:

- Appliances: December and January are good months to shop. December because of the holidays being a distraction and people not thinking about appliance shopping, and January because that’s when a lot of stores offer sales. They say that May and June are good times to buy refrigerators because that’s about the time when the new models arrive so the appliance stores have to get rid of the old ones.

- Cell Phone Service: They suggest waiting until your current service plan is about to end before shopping around. This makes sense, as you have a lot more leverage at that point, since you can walk away if your current provider doesn’t offer you a good deal. From my experience, all of these companies really want your business so you should be able to get a good deal if you threaten to walk away.

- Computers: The best time to buy because of likely sales is in July before the back-to-school rush or in December. I just bought a computer through Dell (a refurbished machine) and got a really good deal. With refurbished models, I don’t think the timing matters as much, but I could be wrong. Anyone else know if it matters what time of year you buy refurbished?

- Digital Cameras: They say to shop in February and April (anyone know why??).

- Furniture: Apparently a lot of furniture sellers get new inventory in the spring, so February is a good time to shop.

- Houses and Condos: Given the way the housing market is today, I’m not sure what the best suggestions are, but they suggest February before the spring home-buying season begins.

- Jewelry: Supposed to look for bargains all of the time, as jewelry is often marked up a lot, though stay away from jewelry purchases around the December holidays and right before Valentine’s Day.

- New Cars: I think I’ve seen similar tips on TipHero.com. They suggest buying at the end of the year around November and December (guess you get the end of the year push by the sales people and the cold weather months probably keep a lot of people away). They also suggest buying at the end of the month, as sales people are looking to hit their month-end quotas. And end-of-summer is a good time as the new models are coming in so they want to get rid of the old ones/last year’s models.

- TVs: They suggest shopping after the December holidays (early January) when there are big sales, or after the Super Bowl when there aren’t as many people hunting for a TV. I’ve found good deals after the holidays but had never thought about buying after the Super Bowl. I’m surprised at how many people shop/buy a TV right before the game.

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submitted by TipHero reader: Barry31 09/16/2008 12:34 PM

I want to thank TipHero Barry for a fine article which he has allowed me to republish. Thanks, Barry

CMU7's NEW STORE

2008-11-21T11:43:00.005-06:00

My favorite "hangout" Community Marketing University (CMU7) has now opened it own store. We are in the business of offering marketing tools and teaching marketers how to use these online tools. You can save on membership fees with out Re-Grand Opening sale. We make money online by helping others to help themselves. We have a superb online library available to all members. Our newest addition to the site is our online store containing e-books ranging from Bread Recipes to Blogging Templates. We welcome you to stop by and visit our store. While you are there might as well consider joining our marketing team at CMU7.

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2008-11-04T18:19:00.005-06:00

Get Free Ebooks with Project Gutenberg
I was recently watching a marvelous PBS documentary on Benjamin Franklin. They mentioned that he wrote an autobiography that takes the form of writing to his son about his life and all the things he learned.

I immediately decided to purchase the autobiography from Amazon which cost me roughly $9. I only discovered a little while later that I could have downloaded a free ebook of Franklin's autobiography from Project Gutenberg.

Project Gutenberg is a website where volunteers digitize books that are not under copyright and are in the public domain. They place these digital ebooks on their website where the public can download them free of charge or read them online.

They include classic works by top authors including William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Jane Austin, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, and many more.

The site includes not just books, but sheet music, speeches by presidents, and other forms of material.

If you're looking for a classic book whose copyright has expired there's a good chance you can find it on Project Gutenberg's website. For the United States, all books published prior to 1923 are in the public domain. Works published between 1929 and 1964 may or may not be in the public domain according to Wikipedia. Search for "Wipedia Copyright" for more details about what fall under public domain.

I wish I had known about Project Gutenberg a few days ago because it could have saved me $9.
For more Money-Saving Tips -- Sign up for our Free Newsletter
submitted by TipHero reader: Ray 06/04/2008 9:58 PM

Saving money is saving money any way you want to add it up!
"A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned." ~ Benjamin Franklin

Need more be said when it comes to saving money these days? If we saved a dollar a day that would total up to $365 a year in a normal calendar year. That is a pretty good start for a savings account. If this is invested in a savings account at the bank it will draw interest and increase your wealth yearly. This would provide for a good retirement fund or college fund.

We can all do this if we put y our minds to it. It is all mind over matter.

http://www.cmu7.com/su/0q/ ==> for more information on cutting corners and saving your retirement.

2008-10-30T12:31:00.007-05:00

We saved money, time and energy when I was young. Money was hard to come by with a fifty cents a week allowance, time all melted into one and the electric was only used to keep the lights and television up and running. We lived good, happy and learned how to save. Saving in the early 1960's was the national past time. It seems everyone participated and was proud of saving anything they could. The adult population had survived The Great Depression and the kids were accustomed to phrase like "a penny saved is a penny earned" and "waste not want not". Children were encouraged to save from the time they hit the floor running. My family must have been poor and did not know it. It was all irrelevant to a kid growing up on gravel roads and home gardens. Mama could have give lessons to the great economic experts of today.

See how the Penny Pinchin' Mama does it!!

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Saving coupons and coke bottles was a legitimate way for kids to make money. My brother and I cut coupons out of the magazines, took them to Bob & Stoney's ( our favorite grocery store) and Mr. Bob gave us money for them even though Mama did not buy the products. Mr. Bob figured someone bought the product so all was fine in the land of coupon for money exchange. I can't remember the exchange rate for coke bottles as that was mainly brother's enterprise. But brother made enough money to supply the needs of a young pre-teen boy.

One way of saving too was to buy Pop-Cola. Now this was a sweet cola bottled only in Hope, Arkansas. The delectable syrupy taste cooled your throat and satisfied your sweet tooth. Drinking Pop-Cola was one of the most delicious experiences a person could miss. The sodas were popular in the south. If you have never drank a Pop-Cola with peanuts dumped in to give it a sweet and salty taste you haven't lived! But back to saving by drinking Pop-Cola. See, we learned early that most of the caps had a "get one free" stamped underneath. This was an excellent marketing and promotional ploy by the bottling company. Not only did kids love this, they could probably get a coke for a friend this way, but adult loved it too. Buy one get one free always works to tantalize the consumer.

We are on the edge of another financial crunch. Saving money is at an all time low of -1%. This is beginning to sound like a great depression that would put the Depression of 29 look like a Sunday picnic! We can learn how to save and build money for retirement or those financial whoas by going back to the lessons learned first hand a couple of generations back. We should not sit idly by thinking our financial situation will take care of itself if we just give it time. It will not. Overcoming financial troubles has to be a commitment not to be thrown aside so we can become larger consumers. We must learn to live on less. Do for ourselves and stand on our own two feet if our great country is going to survive. It is not to late but it's getting scary!

See how to save at the market, how to dig yourself out of debt and become financially sound.

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“16 Ways to Save $100: Simple, Sensible Ways to Save Money”

2008-10-22T13:04:00.006-05:00

Reader's Digest's "16 Ways to Save $100"

I recently came across an article by Reader’s Digest titled “16 Ways to Save $100: Simple, Sensible Ways to Save Money”. While I doubt that most people will be able to take advantage of all 16 on the list, acting on just one or a few can bring about meaningful savings – and in a lot of cases, much more than $100 of savings over the course of a year.

Reader’s Digest provides an overview for their list:

As the government and Federal Reserve campaign to head off a recession, many families are working hard to save money and reduce debt. Credit-card debts and other loans hang over us like a sword. By saving modest amounts, however, you can reap big rewards over time. And that doesn't require clipping coupons and washing out used coffee filters.

The first item on the list describes savings that a Potomac, MD resident was able to find by getting a free home-energy audit from his utility company. He was spending $250/month on electricity at home:

[Mickey] Greenblatt learned that simple things such as running his dishwasher at night rather than during the day could cut his bill by 40 percent.

Cutting his monthly bill by 40% amounts to $100 in savings per month, or $1,200 per year. Not bad.

The second item on the list offers ways to reduce your car insurance rates:

You can save substantially by increasing the deductibles on the comprehensive and collision portions of your policy. According to the Insurance Information Institute, raising collision deductibles from $200 to $500 could reduce your collision and comprehensive coverage by 15-30 percent. Squeeze out additional savings by asking about every possible discount, such as for carpooling, air bags, annual mileage below 10,000 miles -- even for teenage drivers with grade averages above a B.

And the third item on the list suggests challenging your property taxes, a subject we wrote about recently: How to Get Your Property Taxes Reduced.

The 16 ways are listed below, but be sure to read the full Reader's Digest article, as they provide helpful details next to each tip.

1. Plug into bargain electricity.
2. Hit the brakes on automobile-insurance rates.
3. Challenge your property tax.
4. Shop for a bargain bank.
5. Remedy pricey prescriptions.
6. Pay off your plastic.
7. Say no to car extras.
8. Take a longer waiting period for disability insurance.
9. Cancel mortgage insurance.
10. Explore DRIPs.
11. Buy straight from the Treasury.
12. Clean out your closet.
13. Skip the service contract.
14. Flex your company's flexible spending account.
15. Buy in bulk.
16. Rethink your vacations.

For more money saving tips like this, sign up for our free newsletter.

Photo credit: bdjsb7

http://www.cmu7.com/su/0q/

2008-10-20T20:52:00.004-05:00

Live Better, Spend Less!

I think the cool fall weather has made me lazy. It is such a calming season as we quietly ease into winter here in Arkansas. The winters are usually mild here in the south central part of the U.S. It tends to go something like this, Spring, Summer, Fall, Late Fall and back to Spring. The cold bone chilling weather associated with winter in the northern hemisphere normally does not effect Arkansas. I have seen occasionally temperatures down to zero but not often and it does not last long. Winter here is more of a roller coaster ride of splotches of a few days of cold slipped in between mild to cool temperatures.

Right now, in late October, the outside critters scurry for somewhere to make winter quarters while the cats lurk in ditches hunting prey to satisfy long remembered instincts. And so we simple humans slip around in reality
trying to figure out what to do next whether it be for better or worse.

I think often of the old house I was raised in by my grandparents. As I get older I find myself believing more as they believed and living more "close to the belt" as they did. Sometimes I want to erect a monument to them and their hardy work ethics. They believed: If you don't work your don't eat. So it should be I believe.
They loved each other for 58 years until my Grandfather passed away. He lacked two weeks being 88.

What continues to attract me most to their ideology was their ability to make something out of nothing. They found money where there seemingly was none. They worked hard and paid as they went. That is how they always lived. Credit was foreign to them, yet they aways seemed to have what they needed.

I recently ran across a series of Ebooks that I know they would have been proud to read. Living On A Dime is exactly what they always did. Happiness was always theirs because they owed very little, paid as they went and owned their lives. It think people would be much happier if they would get back to these points of life.

So let's all learn how to Live Better and Spend Less! Let's learn how to Live On A Dime! We should learn how to save money, get rid of credit and become happy.

Here is a series of Ebooks that I know will help each and everyone do exactly that.

Living On A Dime!!
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2008-08-26T10:53:00.002-05:00

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!
Janet Legere, top marketer and Proud VIP Member of CMU7,
will return for another guest appearance at Community Marketing University.

Janet is a successful marketer and blogger.

**Her CMU7 Blog Link:
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Her Personal Blog,
http://www.mywealthyblog.com/

**Set time aside now to attend the conference for
marketing tips from this highly appreciated marketer.

CMU7 WELCOMES Janet Lagere and expects a full member
attendance for the conference! Learn to Earn!

WHEN: THURSDAY, AUGUST 28
WHERE: COMMUNITY MARKETING UNIVERSITY
TIME: 8 PM. EASTERN (USA TIME)
LINK TO CONFERENCE:
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TIME ZONE CONVERTER:
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2008-08-16T14:19:00.003-05:00

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2008-08-16T13:32:00.008-05:00

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Screw Labor Day? Tyson Drops Labor Day For Eid al-Fitr - The Political Jungle: Moonbats Beware

2008-08-03T09:17:00.000-05:00

Screw Labor Day? Tyson Drops Labor Day For Eid al-Fitr - The Political Jungle: Moonbats Beware

2008-06-03T08:58:00.001-05:00

Random Acts of Kindness

Do you believe in "random acts of kindness"? If so; what are the requirements? Should there be a return on a random act of kindness? These are all little thoughts running through my head today.
I definitely believe in "random acts of kindness". I also believe these acts of kindness should be done automatically as an integral part of our personalities. However, some people do these acts of kindness only because they expect a return on their investment of their time or money. Everything to them is about money whether it be loaning money to friends or family or donating to charities. These acts of kindness should be done from the heart and not from a financial point of view. We should be willing to do acts of kindness without expecting a "return on our investment".

I think there are other ways of doing acts of kindness including taking care of friends who have hit upon times or taking in abandoned animals. All are considered acts of kindness if they are done from the heart, automatically, without expectations of return. I think if you do something expecting a return then it is not a random act of kindness. Sometimes the smallest gesture can reap the largest rewards. Often, a small helping hand up for friend, family or other animals can unknowingly reap the greatest returns. I have taken in everything from abandoned animals ( my favorite act of kindness) to abandoned people.

Once my best friend was gazing out the living room window as a Ruby Throated hummingbird banged himself into the window. It was a loud "Thud" as he had a head on collision in the late morning when the shadows are near twelve o'clock and the double paned windows present the inside of a house as dark. My friend was distressed over the tiny birds accident. Immediately an investigation followed as my friend dashed out the back door an found the unconscience bird laying on it's back barely blinking it's eyes.

A curious Mockingbird had already found the hummers and was standing guard over his back yard friend.

My friend takes a planting trowl, scoops the tiny hummingbird and places him on the brick ledge. The tiny little guy continues to blinks his eye a little faster as he regains conscience. He stares at my friend who is standing by hoping for the best. After a few minutes the Ruby Throated Hummingbird does one last blink, raises it's head as if saying "thank you." The little bird sits on the ledge, begins to to flap his wings with a loug buzz that sounds like a tiny motor and soars off to the apple tree.
I consider this one of the nicest "random acts of kindness" as the hummingbird could have been left to his own fate. With no help given he mostly likely would have made it but he might not have. Another animal might have found it first and devoured it for lunch. That theory will not be proven as my friend, out of the kindness of his own heart and concern for the tiniest of God's creatures, did a random act of kindness for a hummingbird on a hot summer morning.

roadcat

2008-05-22T20:28:00.001-05:00

Promote! Promote! Promote!

We all know how important promotion is to a business. There are many different ways to promote such as business cards, flyer's, the telephone and lastly internet promoting. A whole host of business's that use to be strictly an offline brick and mortar business now also have online buinesses.

There are also businesses that promoting is their sole business. Companies like BlueStar Management promotes musicians online and offline. They promote rock & roll, gospel, jazz,blues and country&Western. It is one of the top notch promotional companies on the internet today. The owner, Sue Dietrich, is a very agreeable hard working woman ready to reach for the stars to promote a client.

I have been wearing a hole in my shoes trying to keep up with this jazzy woman with a southern spin. She is one hard working lady that will do her upmost to help her clients get the best deals in the business.

Check out the site and see what I am talking about:
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Check out one of her clients pages at:
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