Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - Volume 2 Issue 9
Colin Evans, Editor (mailto:
)
In this issue
- From the Editor
- Featured Success Article - What Happens When You Think and Act Big - By Chris Widener
- Featured Online Marketing Article - Cyber Crooks Go "Phishing" - by Jim Edwards
- Motivational Quotes
- Take A Break - A Short History of Medicine...
- Tell Me what You Think
From the Editor - Colin Evans
Hi Everyone 
Welcome to this edition of Cols-A-To-Z.
Ever since I introduced the health article, my unsubscribe rate
has gone up, so I'm not going to run a health article any more.
If I have any health related information I'll bring it up in this
'From the editor' section.
And with that little unpleasantry out of the way, on with the
show...
I never would have thought that it could get so hot this early in
the year in England!
The temperature is up near the thirties where I live. Living in
a little flat with only one window that opens properly makes it
a little uncomfortable.
The weather since I've been in England has been better than the
weather I was experiencing in Zimbabwe, go figure...
On to internet marketing - I found an interesting ebook yesterday
which is about a very different way of getting website traffic.
I will not tell you about it yet, because I haven't tested it and
I won't recommend anything I haven't tried myself.
But it brought home to me the importance of thinking "outside the
box". In internet marketing we tend to blindly follow after one
another, which probably works if you are right behind the leader.
But if you're way back in the queue, by the time you hear about
what the leader is doing, he or she has figured out it doesn't
work anymore and has moved onto something new.
Something that should be pretty obvious to most internet
marketers is that the old methods of website promotion, namely
classified ads, ffa's, safelists, traffic exchanges, exit
exchanges and the like are not very effective at all.
In fact most of them don't work at all.
So what are you supposed to do to get website traffic?
Anything that you have control over, and the one thing you have
direct control of, is your list. Not a general list, but a list
of people interested in a specific topic.
Everything you do on the internet must be geared towards adding
more people to that list.
If you have an online opportunity that you are trying to promote,
stop actively promoting that opportunity, there's hundreds of
people trying to do that and you're competing with them, directly.
Start thinking about a topic you're interested in that you can
share with other like minded people. Put together a lead capture
page, for adding names to a decent autoresponder and promote that
lead capture page.
Use a compelling headline that states a major benefit for joining
your list.
It is a lot easier to get people to join a list than it is to get
them to join any opportunity you might be promoting.
Once people are on a list you get an unlimited number of times to
point out the benefits of joining your opportunity.
"What am I supposed to say to my subscribers?" I hear you
asking...
Anything that makes you appear to be a real, caring person. You
could write three or four lines and then lead into an article
written by somebody else.
Just make sure the article is related to the topic of your list.
A lot of article writers will let you use your affiliate links in
their articles.
You might want to close off your email with a few comments and a
link back to your opportunity.
The sky's the limit, all you gotta do is think outside the box
and you'll start being a lot more successful with your internet
marketing.
Until the next time...
Featured Success Article - What Happens When You Think and Act Big - By Chris Widener
There are a lot of people out there who wish big things would
happen to them. They want the big career, they want the big sales,
they want the big deals. For most of them however, these things
will never be more than a wish. You know, you have heard them, "I
wish that I would." And that is exactly what it is - a wish.
Then there are those who do big things. What is the difference?
What makes them doers rather than wishers?
Is it thinking big? I have heard that before. That is part of it.
But there is more.
Is it acting big - that is, taking big bold actions? That too is
a component.
In fact, the key is to combine thinking big and acting big. And
when you do, you will see all sorts of big things happen. Here
are just a few of the big things that take place when you think
and act big.
~Big Possibilities Arrive~
When you think big, big possibilities arrive on your doorstep.
You begin to see all of the potential and possibilities that
you can live out. First, they do come to people who think big and
take big actions. Secondly, you are able to see the possibilities
better when you think big because now you are looking for them.
When you were a small thinker you didn't even see the big
possibilities that walked up and hit you on the head. Are you a
big thinker and doer? If you are, you will get more possibilities!
~Big People Help~
I have found firsthand that when you step up to the plate, big
people help. You see, heavy hitters don't waste their time with
people who are trying small things. They work with people who
want to play in the big leagues. I have seen so many big name
people step up to help me, just as big name people helped them
when they were just starting out - and have opened doors for me
I never imagined. Are you thinking big and willing to act on it?
If you are, you will see big people step up to help. For another
article on how others can boost your career, read my article
"Bring On the Boosters" at:
http://www.madeforsuccess.com/ArticleDetail.asp?topic_id=10&art_id=158
~Big Things Happen~
Big things don't happen to small thinkers. When we become people
who think big and take big actions we see big things take place
in our lives. I have found that the bigger I think and the bigger
bites I take, the more big things come along. For example, 10
months ago, I didn't even know the NY Times Best-selling author
who is now writing the foreword to my new book. I thought big,
and acted big and when one of the biggest publishers in the
world called me to write a book, I stepped through that door.
Then weeks later, I got a call saying that one of the foremost
experts in the world in leadership and motivation would write the
foreword to my book - all unsolicited. I didn't ask the publisher
and I didn't ask the author. Believe me, big things just happen
when you are thinking big!
~Big Dollars Come~
In the end, the dollars come to those who do big things. I am
having meetings now talking about dollar figures that I only used
to dream about. What would have happened had I thought small?
Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Instead, by thinking big, and taking
big actions, I have seen big dollars start rolling my way, with
more to come. Do you want big dollars? Then think big - and act
big - then they will come your way.
~Big Contributions Are Made~
Ultimately, my biggest goal is to make a contribution to others.
The fact is that I can't take any money with me when I die, but
I can leave a legacy behind. Big thinkers and doers are the ones
who make big contributions to those around them and leave lasting
legacies. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream all right, and he
made a significant lasting contribution for millions of people.
What would have happened had he not thought big? All of the major
contributions that are made in our world are made by big thinkers.
No one ever accidentally made a huge contribution to society.
They thought big, acted big, and delivered!
I want to challenge you to think big - but first I want to
challenge you to start by thinking "bigger." Just start at a
bigger place than you are right now. You don't have to change
the world right now - you can get to that later. But make it
your commitment to think bigger starting right now. What is a
dream of yours? Now think bigger.
And I want to challenge you to act bigger. What are you doing
right now? Now act bigger. No matter what you are doing now,
do more!
Think bigger, and act bigger - and you will unlock the door to
big things in your life!
Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made
for Success and Extraordinary Leaders, two companies helping individuals and
organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their
lives and achieve their dreams.
Join subscribers in over 100 countries around the
world! Get Chris' FREE weekly Made for Success E-zine by sending a blank email
to
.
Get his FREE daily SuccessQuote™ with action point
by sending a blank email to
.
Get his FREE monthly
Extraordinary Leaders E-zine, one of the world's most widely distributed leadership
newsletters, by sending a blank email to
or visit his
websites at
http://www.madeforsuccess.com
and http://www.extraordinaryleaders.com
Copyright 2002-2004 Made for Success. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Featured Online Marketing Article - Cyber Crooks Go "Phishing" - by Jim Edwards
"Phishing," the latest craze among online evil-doers, has nothing
to do with sitting at the end of a dock on a sunny afternoon
dangling a worm to entice hungry catfish.
But, if you take their bait, this new breed of online con artist
will hook you, reel you in, and take you for every dollar you
have... or worse.
"Phishing" describes a combination of techniques used by cyber
crooks to bait people into giving up sensitive personal data such
as credit card numbers, social security numbers, bank account
numbers, dates of birth and more.
Their techniques work so well that, according to
FraudWatchInternational.com, "phishing" rates as the fastest
growing scam on the Internet.
Here's the basic pattern for a "phishing" scam...
You receive a very official email that appears to originate from
a legitimate source, such as a bank, eBay, PayPal, a major
retailer, or some other well known entity.
In the email it tells you that something bad is about to happen
unless you act quickly.
Typically it tells you that your account is about to get closed,
that someone appears to have stolen your identity, or even that
someone opened a fraudulent account using your name.
In order to help straighten everything out, you need to click a
link in the email and provide some basic account information so
they can verify your identity and then give you additional
details so you can help get everything cleared up.
Once you give up your information... it's all over but the
crying!
After getting your information, these cyber-bandits can empty
your bank accounts, deplete your PayPal accounts, run up your
credit card balances, open new credit accounts, assume your
identity and much worse.
An especially disturbing new variation of this scam specifically
targets online business owners and affiliate marketers.
In this con, the scammer's email informs you that they've just
sent $1,219.43 (or a similar big but believable amount) in
affiliate commissions to you via PayPal.
They need you to log into your PayPal account to verify receipt
of the money and then email them back to confirm you got it.
Since you're so excited at the possibility of an unexpected pay
day, you click the link to go to PayPal, log in, and BANG! They
have your PayPal login information and can empty your account.
This new "phishing" style scam works extremely well for 2 basic
reasons.
First, by exploiting your sense of urgency created by fear or
greed, crooks get you to click the link and give them your
information without thinking.
Second, the scammers use a variety of cloaking and spoofing
techniques to make their emails and websites appear totally
legitimate, making it extremely hard to spot a fake website,
especially when they've first whipped you into an emotional
frenzy.
The good news, however, is that you can protect yourself
relatively easily against this type of cyber-crime with basic
software and common sense.
Most of these scams get delivered to you via Spam (unsolicited
email), so a good spam blocker will cut down on many of them
even making it to your inbox.
If you receive an email that looks legitimate and you want to
respond, Stop - Wait - Think!
Verify all phone numbers with a physical phone book or online
phone directory like www.Verizon.com or www.ATT.com/directory/
before calling.
Look for spelling and grammatical errors that make it look like
someone who doesn't speak English or your native language very
well wrote it.
Never click the link provided in the email, but go directly to
the website by typing in the main address of the site yourself
(example: www.paypal.com or www.ebay.com).
Forward the email to the main email address of the website
(example: support@paypal.com) or call the customer service
number on the main website you typed in yourself and ask if
it is in fact legitimate.
Above all remember this:
Your bank, credit card company, PayPal, eBay and anyone else you
deal with online already knows your account number, username,
password or any other account specific information.
They don't need to email you for ANY reason to ask you to confirm
your information -- so NEVER respond to email requests for your
account or personal details.
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use fr-e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate links...
Need MORE TRAFFIC to your website or affiliate links?
"Turn Words Into Traffic" reveals the secrets for driving Thousands of NEW visitors to your website or affiliate links... without spending a dime on advertising!
Click Here => http://www.turnwordsintotraffic.com
Motivational Quotes
We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or
the pain of regret or disappointment.
- Jim Rohn
A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
crowd.
- James Crook
Take A Break - A Short History of Medicine...
"Doctor, I have an ear ache."
2000 B.C. - "Here, eat this root."
1000 B.C. - "That root is heathen, say this prayer."
1850 A.D. - "That prayer is superstition, drink this potion."
1940 A.D. - "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill."
1985 A.D. - "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic."
2004 A.D. - "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root!"
Tell Me What You Think
I would love to hear what you think of this issue of the "Cols-A-To-Z" Newsletter.
And of course, if you have any suggestions for upcoming issues that you'd like to
share with me, please send those, too!
Just e-mail me at:
To subscribe to my "Cols-A-To-Z" Newsletter, go to the following URL:
http://www.cols-a-to-z.com/join.html
Written by Colin Evans
Editor, Cols-A-To-Z.com
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