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The Sky Is Falling ... Or Is It?

Posted by Donna Maria Coles Johnson on August 11, 2008 at 4:09pm

The federal government is always doing something that affects us. Sometimes, we feel powerless to change these situations -- gas prices is a good example of that. Other times, we know there are things we can do to have an impact, but we are just too busy with other priorities. Then, there are times when we feel like the federal government acts, and the sky is falling.

Gloomy_skies_350

This can happen when a proposed new law threatens to adversely affect how we live our day to day lives. How we generate income. How we feed our children. How we pay our bills. How we build wealth. In these times, we find ourselves mobilized as never before. We know that, if we choose to, we can affect change for the better. We realize that we are not powerless. That we can rise to the occasion, inform ourselves, create a strategy and move forward to implement a change that serves our just cause and alters the course of a nation. The 700+ members of the Indie Beauty Network now find ourselves in such a situation.

I founded IBN in 2000 so that people who discovered the joys of making cosmetics, and who wanted to make a business out of it, would have a place to network, share information and be encouraged. We now add one more layer of purpose to the mission: fight the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 in its current draft form, as it's pending the House Energy & Commerce Committee.

In a former professional life, I worked in the federal and state government advocacy and public policy offices at a Fortune 500 corporation. The experiences I had there have uniquely equipped me to be of service to IBN members on this issue. In the coming days, I will add several posts to this blog, all designed to help you understand how to effectively and efficiently impact public policy on issues of concern to you. While my focus will be on this legislation, you can use my tips and suggestions to guide and direct your efforts in any area.

When a new law threatens to change the status quo, it can feel like the sky is falling. But as Barbie said in one of my daughter's videos, "It's only hopeless if you give up." In this case, we can give up our businesses and let the sky fall, or we can join together with other like-minded Indies in an attempt to adjust the sky to suit well reasoned and just positions on issues that touch our lives.

IBN members are strong. They are tenacious and they are creative. Of course, I already knew that from working with thousands of them over the years. In a member conference call yesterday to discuss issues raised by the draft FDA Globalization Act of 2008 (members enter username and password to listen to audio here if you missed the call), I confirmed IBN members' commitment to take action. To not hold back and cower in the corner. To refuse to let the powers that be control their destiny.

IBN members on the whole have chosen not to let the sky fall. And I am right here with them. Rolling up my sleeves. And honored and humbled to have the opportunity to do so.

Go Indie!

To stay up to date on all the FDA Globalization Act activities, subscribe to Indie Business Blog today.

Jewelry Feature of the Week

Posted by Kamilah Campbell on August 11, 2008 at 4:03pm

Wow…look at that pinky ring. The pinky is always the “left out” finger. Lets face it at some point or another we’ll wear rings on all the other fingers, even the thumb, but never really on the pinky. The Pink Locket has designed that specially pinky ring for the PINK woman. Coral and Turquoise artisan beads embellish this 14kt gold chain ring. Retailing at $53, this is definitely a piece of jewelry you’ll want to have in your collection.By: Kamilah C.The Pink Lockethttp://thepinklocket.com

Take Advantage Of Niche Marketing

Posted by Rhonda Jai on August 11, 2008 at 1:23am

Niche marketing can be very successful if you do everything you can to ensure you are taking full advantage of it. Once you find a hungry niche market you will discover that it was well worth all of your time and efforts. Niche marketing can be fun and extremely profitable in the long run given the right investments. It can be powerful stuff on the Net but when there’s potential to expand demand more broadly, the challenges become greater. Although excellent for just-in-time demands, branding is difficult for the seller.This can be an effective way for authors and illustrators to impact the sales of their books. While it is not advisable to slant a book just to fit a niche, it is smart to consider what non-traditional avenues can be pursued beyond the book trade, book clubs, and gift outlets. Niche marketing can do that....Learn More

BBWO

Posted by ANewMe on August 11, 2008 at 12:48am

Oh wee, my first blog post! I'm so happy to join this blog and meet other black women who are doing things for themselves as Entrepenuers. I too, will become an Entrepeneur and will no longer work the dreaded 9-5 job (in my case, it's 8:30-5) Today is Sunday night and I am dreading tomorrow. Tomorrow starts off a new work week. I guess I should be more grateful though - I am getting money to help pay off my bills. But still, the one thing that keeps me going while I'm at my job is knowing that I won't be there forever. Atleast I'm only going in for 3 days only this week, I'm going back home to NYC (the bronx) on Thursday. I have so many ideas in my mind about what I want to do for my business. I want to start selling things on e-bay and see how that goes. I also want to get into online marketing and adsense. I want to start building websites and help others build websites...soooo many ideas! I just ordered my new computer from Dell and I can't wait to get it! I really needed a new computer. I don't want a new computer, but I need one. I feel like I can't really start doing things though until I pay off my debt. I have student loan debt and credit card debt. I'm more focused on the credit card debt though, because that's something that I can easily wipe out within the upcoming several months. Student loan debt, however, is something that is going to stay with me for the next 15-20yrs. But I know I'll bring in enough income that I won't have to worry about my student loan debt (hehe).One website I'm going to try out is www.therichjerk.com.

Business eBook You have to have....

Posted by LaShanda Henry on August 10, 2008 at 10:40pm

Some many questions, so little time.... Hi guys, this is LaShanda Henry, founder of Black Business Women Online, Multiple Shades of You, and several other successful sites of Color. I just wanted to share some of my latest eBooks for the Online Entrepreneur with you. As my online visibility increases and my web business gets bigger, I receive more questions from aspiring web entrepreneurs about how to get started or how to do what I do. At first I was emailing back folks like crazy, but then I decided to sit down and write down everything I know about working at home, internet marketing, making money online, etc. I'm still writing, but here are the most popular eBooks have written so far: 1. Turn Your Niche Into a Network Learn how to setup your own online web directory, blog, or social network 2. Create Your Own Ningalicous Network Learn how to create and capitalize off of building a social network on Ning.com 3. Internet Marketing - The Big Five Discover my top five list of free and inexpensive marketing strategies that helped me generate more web traffic and build my business online. 4. Easy Ad Builder Handbook Learn how to Sell Adspace Online and Turn those Clicks Into Cash 5. Build Your Black Business Online Web resources and helpful advice for Black Entrepreneurs Online To get any of these eBooks or to view them all you can visit my shop: http://www.e-junkie.com/lhenry

Happy Reading, lhenry

Jolt! For the Week of August 11, 2008 - Business Structure

Posted by Alive Inc & ALIVE Magazine on August 10, 2008 at 10:00pm

I have decided the type of business I want to establish and I have selected my business name. I was told I need to select a business structure, but have no idea where to start. Can you help?-- Tamera, Washington, DCThank you so much for your email. This is an area in which many individuals seek guidance and assistance. When selecting your business structure, you want to weigh the pros and cons of each structure. There are 5 business structures that we will address.Sole ProprietorCorporationPartnershipS-CorporationNon-profitSole ProprietorWhen an individual establishes a sole proprietorship, the individual/owner is typically seen as a contractor or consultant. This is the easiest type of business to establish. As a sole proprietor, you will report your business income and expenses on IRS Form 1040 Schedule C. This type of business is not seen as a separate entity from the owner; therefore, the legal and financial protection is limited for a sole proprietor.CorporationA corporation is an incorporated entity. A corporation does provide a measure of legal and financial protection for the shareholders. Corporations have full discretion over how the profits are distributed or retained. Corporations can have an unlimited number of years with losses. All corporations must have a minimum of one shareholder. You can incorporate a business yourself or hire an incorporation firm or an attorney. You will also need to register your business name. While the fees for this service typically begin at $300, there are also other state fees associated with filing the incorporation. When filing your taxes, you will utilize IRS tax form 1120.PartnershipA partnership is an incorporated entity. To establish a partnership you must have one at least one General Partner who will assume unlimited liability for the business. There must be a minimum of two shareholders for a partnership. All profits and losses are distributed to shareholders. When filing your taxes, you will utilize IRS tax form 1065.S-CorporationAn S-Corporation is similar to a partnership – S-Corporation must have one shareholder, but no more than 100 shareholders. In the event a shareholder provides professional services to the business, the shareholder must be compensated at a reasonable rate separate from the distribution of profits and losses. When filing your taxes, you will utilize IRS tax form 1120S.Non-profit organizationNon-profit entities are corporations established for civic or charitable purposes. Typically, they are exempt from state and federal taxation on its income. Non-profit entities have a great responsibility to report its financial activities to ensure compliance with state and federal laws. When filing your taxes, you will utilize IRS tax form 990.For assistance or more information, please email coach@aliveincorporated.com.Alive Inc. Coachseed. plant. grow.coach@aliveincorporated.comwww.aliveincorporated.comALIVE Magazinewww.alivemagonline.comCopyright © 2008 Alive Incorporated

Zanira’s Quote of the Day – 30 days of positive reinforcement

Posted by Zanira Al-Amin on August 10, 2008 at 6:00pm

Experts say it takes 30 days to change a negative behavior to a positive behavior. With that in mind I will be posting a positive quote of the day for the next 30 days. I hope all of you will find a quote that pushes you forward in your goal towards business success. Stay tuned.......Zanira Says SMILEDay 13"Some people dream of worthy accomplishments, while others stay awake and accomplish them."Zanira Says SMILE

Four Steps to Positive Change

Posted by Sistah Rfuaw Diarra on August 9, 2008 at 8:48pm

Four Steps to Positive ChangeSo here's what Mom and Pop never told us, because Mom and Pop never knew. Here are the four steps to deliberate creation, the four steps that are guaranteed-that's right, guaranteed--to bring into your life whatever is your passion and much, much more. They are guaranteed because they are universal law, the basic principles from which all creation has sprung. Now they are yours, if you want them.Step 1. Identify what you DON'T want.Step 2. From that, identify what you DO want.Step 3. Get into the feeling place of what you want.Step 4. Expect, listen, and allow it to happen.That's it. That's all there is to it. As you get into the swing of this remarkable new journey, things seem to magically change in every area of your life. Worries, concerns, doubts and fears go from a constant ever-present little hum to an uncommon occurrence in a matter of weeks, and you can actually see it and feel it happening every day.Your health turns around. Your bank account fills up. Your relationships do whatever you'd like them to do. Sales close. Promotions happen. Life becomes a daily joy. It's real. You can see it working. And then you know, you genuinely know, the only one at the helm of your ship is you.

What Kind of Life Are You Attracting?

Posted by Sistah Rfuaw Diarra on August 9, 2008 at 8:47pm

What Kind of Life Are You Attracting?The Law of Attraction says that what we direct our emotions to will be pulled into our lives.Way back in the thirties a couple of guys in the Orient were attempting to prove that thoughts were real things, and that different kinds of thoughts create different kinds of vibration. So they decided to see if they could actually photograph vibrations of thought. And by golly they did, right through steel walls, an experiment that's been replicated many times since. (See From Enigma to Science, by George W. Meek, Samuel Weiser Inc. 1977.)But they also proved something else perhaps even more important. They found that the more emotion the thinker/sender charged his thoughts with, the clearer the picture turned out to be! These fellows were possibly the first to prove that there is magnetic energy attached to our thought, and that thought is propelled by our emotions. What they missed, though, is that because the vibrational waves (emotions) we send out are magnetically charged, we are literally walking magnets, constantly pulling back into our world anything that just happens to be playing on the same frequency or wavelength.For instance, when we're feeling up, filling with joy and gratitude, our emotions are sending out high frequency vibrations that will magnetize only good stuff back to us, meaning anything with the same high vibratory frequency that matches what we're sending out. Like attracts like.On the other hand, when we're experiencing anything that joy isn't, such as fear, worry, guilt, or even mild concern, those emotions are sending out low-frequency vibrations. Since low frequencies are every bit as magnetic as high frequencies, they're going to attract only cruddy stuff back to us, meaning anything of that same low frequency that will cause us to feel (and vibrate) as [badly] as what we're sending out. We may be flesh and blood, but first and foremost we are energy-magnetic energy at that. Which makes us living, breathing magnets.Crazy as that may sound, it's high time we woke up to the fact that we are electromagnetic beings tripping around with this mind-boggling capacity to magnetize into our lives whatever in the world we desire by controlling the feelings that come from our thoughts.But because we exist on this planet in a predominantly low frequency field of energy born of over six billion people who are vibrating more feelings of stress and fearfulness than joy, we involuntarily take in those vibrations and react to them. Which means that until we consciously learn to override the pervasive low frequencies in which we exist, we will keep recycling unpleasant outcomes into our lives day after tiresome day. Just like swimming in salt water, if we don't wash the residue off, sooner or later it's going to make us mighty uncomfortable.So, once again: Our feelings go out from us in electromagnetic waves. Whatever frequency goes out will automatically attract its identical frequency, thus causing things to happen-good or bad-by finding their matching vibrations. Like attracts like; it's a classic rule of physics.The more we think about something with even feeble emotion, the bigger and more powerful that something becomes in our life, regardless of whether it's the lack of what we want, or the thing itself.If we say, "I want perfect health," and think emotionally about perfect health all the time, we'll either have it now or it will be on its way. But if we say, "I don't want sickness," and think emotionally about that often enough, we're opting for ill health because our focus is on the sickness.If we think a lot about wanting a new house and can feel ourselves in it, it's on its way. But if we're constantly saying, "I don't want to live in this place any more," we'll be sticking around for a while.If we think emotionally about something long enough, whether it's something we want or something we don't want, it's going to be coming into our world, like it or not.What comes to us has nothing to do with what we're doing physically, or how worthy we are, or how good we are, or what our nonexistent destiny may be. It has only to do with how we are vibrating! Which means feeling. Which means attracting. Period!

Allow Good Things Into Your Life

Posted by Sistah Rfuaw Diarra on August 9, 2008 at 8:46pm

Allow Good Things Into Your LifeBy using positive affirmations, we can build confidence and get what we want out of life.By Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.DEveryone gets off track from time to time – it’s normal and a consequence of living in a complex, stressful world. Attract abundance and maintain a good mental equivalent by raising your vibration. Raising your vibration means giving loving attention, or energy, to what you want. We get faster results by attuning to an idea of what we want and then allowing it to come into our lives, because we are already in a state of thankfulness that it is here. That is another reason we write affirmations in the present moment: there really isn’t any other time in our lives that is important. Live in the now, thank in the now, love in the now, and allow prosperity to happen in the now, knowing it is already present.When we concentrate on the effects of the world, rather than our supply, we lower our vibrational quality, making it much harder to demonstrate what we want. You’ve heard the concept of alignment and finding “center” from many spiritual teachers, achieved by chanting, prayer, meditation, chakra balancing, even martial arts or exercise. Those activities help raise your vibrational quality by helping you to identify or resonate with the true self, so that goodness can manifest. Essentially, you are attuning to your God-force. That is why in affirmations, we focus on the “I am” within us and align our vibrational quality with that of our God/Goddess energy.We do a pretty job of cultivating our own negative programming and often bring to the table a lot of negative assumptions about money and abundance that lower our vibration. You might recognize these.·It was never meant for me to have money.· I’m poor but clean (or good, pure, happy, content).· If I want to lead a spiritual life and be closer to God, it means I must have to give everything up. I’ll be like Christ (or Buddha, Rumi, Mohammed, Mother Teresa) because not having any material wealth means I am purer (or righteous, religious, going to get a better afterlife).· You can live a pure life only without material items.· I don’t want to learn about how money works – I’ll just let ______________do it.· I just want to spend money.· I only care about large sums of money. Why should I pick up a penny off the sidewalk?· It’s not worth my time, so I’ll just do a mediocre (or lousy) job.This shows overall disrespect for your true supply when it’s giving you an opportunity. Choose not to do the job instead!· Prosperity means I have to take something away from someone else.· I can’t enjoy wealth because I feel guilty.· I will never be able to afford that.You are building a “can’t afford” consciousness. You will bring more events and things into your life that you cannot afford.· I can’t imagine having a million dollars – I wouldn’t know what to do with it.· If I had a million dollars, I’d give it all away.·If I become wealthy, why should I be generous? I struggled so long, I’m going to let everyone else know how it feels not to have anything.· People who have money are wealthy snobs.· Being rich is selfish. You can have too much money.· Rich people consume all the world’s natural resources. I love the earth too much to be rich.· Money represents temptation and evil.· I don’t deserve what I really want.· I don’t want this deal not to work out.If you’re constantly worried about lack, you’ll attract it.· I just want to be rich.This one is particularly self-defeating, because you’ll spend your energy on getting the money without any focus on how to do it.You won’t be able to demonstrate the law of being with this type of mental muck. Start affirming that you are a prosperity magnet because you possess the boundless wealth of the universe without exception. Spend time raising your vibration. Say that you attract all good things today, not tomorrow or next week. Love yourself, praise your abilities in the present moment, and build feelings of confidence.· I am a prosperous, intelligent, capable individual who can do anything.· I deserve health, wealth, love, and happiness in my life. I thank the universe for my opportunities.· I pay my bills with love and joy…Come on, you can do this one!· I love that I have the ability to pay this bill, and I rejoice in the goods and services I have received as a result of this bill.· I see the abundance in the universe everywhere I go. I see it in myself.· I am a loving individual, who is part of unlimited creation; therefore, I am unlimited in what I can do.· I am my divine self and I choose to demonstrate my highest good. I prosper everywhere I go because I love life.· I am an open channel to receive my abundance from the universe. I am open to new opportunities.Remain open to the possibility that the universe is infinitely more creative than you in choosing the channel for abundance to flow through. If you outline exactly how you want to receive your good, you are definitely giving the idea some clarity. But be flexible. Devising a mental equivalent to own the winning lottery ticket might be a way to manifest abundance, but you are limiting the avenues by which good can come to you. Likewise, it’s great to visualize opening the front door to discover a huge basketful of money, but it is more likely that the universe will present prosperity through people and opportunities. Be attentive and keep your options open.Maintain high vibrational quality by practicing verbal harmlessness. Always extend loving thoughts to those around us. What you see in others is what you will see in yourself, and you’ll reproduce that vibration in your immediate environment. You are attracting that which you are, or think you are. If you are attuning to the highest vision of your true self, how can you go wrong? There are also two words you need to eradicate from your vocabulary: hate and try. Hate, because you can’t have hate as part of your mindset even if you are talking about the corned beef sandwich you had for lunch. Try, because if you say you will try something, it implies that you aren’t going to do it now, only sometime in the future.Learn to set a mental equivalent of gentleness and generosity and act with poise, grace, loving-kindness, ease, and serenity. You’ll be surprised how little practice you will need until you permanently internalize those peaceful qualities within and find others possessing those qualities who are part of your everyday experience.Practicing verbal harmlessness also applies to what you say about you. Nothing lowers your vibration quicker than self-criticism. Whatever you say about yourself applies to everyone because we’re the same soul substance – and what you see in a mirror is what you will see in every person in your life. If I say I am weak, poor, or broke, I am saying you are too, because we are the same substance. Further, if I say I am stupid, I have just called the Divine stupid – not empowered thinking! By putting yourself down, you are conditioning your mind to believe it, which means you are focusing on lack in yourself. How can the infinite self lack? Become conscious of the spirit within you as your infinite supply. Know that you are composed of perfect soul material. Keep your affirmations in the present tense, be positive, stop using hate and try, stop self-criticism, and know that you are already wonderfully rich.

You Are Unlimited

Posted by Shelby on August 9, 2008 at 7:11pm

It is one thing someone tells you that you can have anything you want, and all you have to do is believe in yourself. It’s an entirely different thing to experience what you believe. I want to share with you a term called Energy Blocks. These are obstacles that everyone faces at one time or another. There’s really no way around it. However, you can identify them and overcome them when they pop-up in your life.Gremlin-Your inner critic that tells you, in one way or another, that you are not good enoughAssumption-An expectation that, because something has happened in the past, it will happen againInterpretation- An opinion or judgment that you can create about an event, situation, person, or experience and believe it to be trueLimiting Beliefs- Something that you accept about life, about yourself, about your world, or about the people in it, that limits you in some wayOften many of us do not realize that ‘ourselves’ are our biggest ‘blocker’ of attracting the things we dream and aspire for every day. For example, love, prosperity, change and growth. In other words, a good relationship with a good man or woman, a nice job or successful career, change from the same environment or from meeting the same type of people and having the same old results. Lastly, growth for ourselves through our true beliefs and passion from within.Review the definition of the fourth energy blocker- Limiting Beliefs. Let me help you understand and trust that you CAN overcome those beliefs that you are afraid of letting go. Those exact limitations are what prevent you from being the best person you can be, and attracting the best love you deserve. The world is really your creation within you. Imagine for a moment if you committed to fulfilling your hopes and dreams, and buried the limiting beliefs in your life... you could have exactly what you want including the relationship you want.“Obstacles are those frightening things you see when you take your eye off the target.” –Curt CarlsonJoin: HeIsTheRIGHTOne.ning.comPeace Is Love...Love Is Infinite...Shelby HillDating/Relationship Empowerment Coach

Zanira’s Quote of the Day – 30 days of positive reinforcement

Posted by Zanira Al-Amin on August 9, 2008 at 6:00pm

Experts say it takes 30 days to change a negative behavior to a positive behavior. With that in mind I will be posting a positive quote of the day for the next 30 days. I hope all of you will find a quote that pushes you forward in your goal towards business success. Stay tuned.......Zanira Says SMILEDay 12"Excellence can be attained if you....Care more than others think is wise.Risk more than others think is safe.Dream more than others think is practical.Expect more than others think is possible."Zanira Says SMILE

Fashion Show Alert

Posted by Lipstick Killers Collection on August 9, 2008 at 12:25am

Please view the new photos for the latest runway items for sale. Please contact privately for pricing via email biggyrlclothing@yahoo.com. Thanks and have a fabulous weekend everyone!Fashion Show 8.2.2008 Dhylles and Devoe Ent. Models in Brooklyn NY

DON'T BE A WALKING BILLBOARD!

Posted by THE BADDEST BAG™ on August 9, 2008 at 12:00am

Okay this is not a lecture... but, it is my opinion of style and class!Question... why do some people choose to be a walking billboard for designers? Okay... let's change that question. Why do some people choose to be a FREE walking billboard for designers?Did you know that the most classic and chic pieces of fashion does not have the designers name or logo plastered all over it? Not only is the designer's name/logo not visible, but the classier items are considered couture, while the billboards (oops, I mean logo filled items) are considered trendy. Fashion is about proving that you have style and class with or without someone elses name to validate your level of style.The next time you pick up that logo painted item... ask yourself, "Did the designer make this item because it's hot? or, Did they design it so I and many others can donate advertisment to a million dollar corporation?Until next time,Don't forget to wear your most important accessory... a smile!Nicci Butler

You're Here! - Now What?

Posted by Christine on August 8, 2008 at 11:40pm

I have had the distinct pleasure of seeing this grow by over a thousand members in the space of only a few months. In looking throughmy blog posts I noticed that I posted an article about ‘creating relationshipsonline’ and how important it is do so, especially if yours is a strictly onlinebusiness.

Because the group has grown so much in such a short time, I wanted to reiterate some of the points that I wrote about in the blog post.Perhaps this is the first online group that you have joined or you’re an oldonline veteran (like me, lol). Either way, we can all still gain something fromeach other, but only if you’re willing to get in and participate.

Many people join online groups, create a page in this group and expect the dollars to roll in, because of course, your product or service isso irresistible that all you have to do is “be” and folks will come to you. I’mreally sorry to burst your bubble, but, sor-ry – it just ain’t so. You have towork much harder at creating relationships online because you do not have theforce of your physical presence (in person/on phone) to back up your salespitch.

I would like to provide you with a few pointers to find and foster relationships (read network) online.

Form a relationship based on what you can give, rather than what you can get.
A lot of people have the attitude "I'm not going to do anything for anyone ifthere's nothing in it for me." We all remember our high schoolliterature, right? "No man is an island". Although you may not beworking side by side with other entrepreneurs/business women, we are allconnected in one way or another. Now I'm not saying talk up someoneelse's product over your own, but there's no harm in giving out the name of asistapreneur who you know can help someone. For example, someone postedon this board about needing a lawyer. I replied that one of the sisterson the board was a representative for Pre-Paid Legal Services - hopefullythese two sisters were able to connect and both benefit from my"introduction".
Don't wait for people to come to you
Cruise around BBWO and get the lay of the land. Run a search for yourkeywords or check out a few profiles at random. Leave a comment (yourcalling card) on profiles that interest you. For example, as a naturalbath and body maker, I looked for other bath and body makers. Then Ilooked for holistic/natural practitioners, then I looked for natural haircare. As I ran this search, I found a few sisters who shared my samevision or with whom I could connect with on another level. Reach out,leave a comment!
Personalize your approach
Please, please, do not leave a generic comment on 20 profiles. "I've gota great automated business that will generate multiple streams of incomethrough affiliate marketing." You've heard it, I've heard it, we've allheard it. Take the time to come up with something original, likeactually reading the person's profile and asking a question about what theydo.
Read the boards.
LaShanda has said this all ready but I'll say it again. Read! Iwas fortunate enough to be interviewed by a lovely lady from Canada AND Ilearned about a trend called New Urbanism. How? If I can't doanything else, I read the front page of BBWO from top to bottom at least threetimes a week. Even if I don't post, I check the newsfeed. Sistersare asking for advice, for information, for guest bloggers, samples for goodybags, article content - there's plenty going on.
Be professional
Maybe I'm a prude, but nothing turns me off more than foul language on abusiness board. If I'm on a personal board, hey, I know that anythingpretty much goes. But when I'm reading your blog post request for guestbloggers which used profanity, I'm not sure I want to be associated with yoursite. Save the profanity for your friends, please! You never knowhow people will react to your choice of language.

For more pointers on finding your way around BBWO, see LaShanda's post andmy original post on this topic.

CeeCee Woolard
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new signups receive $3.00. Use code HAPPY2006

Zanira’s Quote of the Day – 30 days of positive reinforcement

Posted by Zanira Al-Amin on August 8, 2008 at 6:00pm

Experts say it takes 30 days to change a negative behavior to a positive behavior. With that in mind I will be posting a positive quote of the day for the next 30 days. I hope all of you will find a quote that pushes you forward in your goal towards business success. Stay tuned.......Zanira Says SMILEDay 11"You become successful by helping others become successful."Zanira Says SMILE

10 Reasons to Read the Bible/Qu'ran Daily

Posted by Zanira Al-Amin on August 7, 2008 at 6:21pm

10 REASONS TO READ THE BIBLE/QUR’AN DAILY1. To be rid of anxiety and have peace. (Ps. 119:165)2. To set things right when life is out of control. (Ps. 19:7-8)3. To have direction and know God’s will (Ps. 119:105)4. To experience healing and deliverance (Ps.107:20)5. To have strength, comfort, and hope (Ps. 119:28, 50, 114)6. To shape yourself and your life correctly (Ps.119:11)7. To build faith (Rom.10:17)8. To understand God’s power (John 1:3)9. To have more life in this life (Ps. 119:101-102)10. To understand God’s love for you (John 1:3)Regular feeding on God’s Word satisfies the hunger of our soul and keeps us from emotional depletion and spiritual starvation. It also keeps us in the center of God’s will.Zanira Says SMILE

FaceBook Developers Fund - $25k to $250k Free Grants

Posted by Jim Neusom on August 7, 2008 at 5:23pm

Greetings Family,(Contact Information At The Bottom Of The Page)It's your friendly neighborhood "Digital Drummer" again...smileAs a Digital Drummer, I pass messages of interest and concern from one website to another....like the drummers of old Africa. I picked up on the story below from the BDPA (www.bdpa.org) social networking group on CollectiveX (see http://bdpa.collectivex.com/)I like to write articles/posts on the opportunities created by, and barriers broken by the advent of technology (see http://www.blackwebportal.com/wire/AuthorContent.cfm?PartnerID=57). Social Networking is a new online phenomenon that is doing exactly that.Most everybody has a social network profile somewhere in cyberspace (Facebook, MySpace, BlackPlanet). As I've written the past, some think social networking is...for kids, dating, or just a plain old time trap. But the truth is people are making real money.Entrepreneurs and software developers are creating thousands of applications and widgets every day. If you read my Blog on "Opportunities Available For Black Developers" you read about a 17 year old girl that took $10 and turned it into $70,000 a month by creating free web page profiles on MySpace.As I've often said, the time of excuses is past (victim theology). We have no one but ourselves to blame, for the current state of Black content online. The Internet is full of free software and content development tools. All we have to do is use them, and promote the end product amongst ourselves.Blacks are the originators of American pop culture. Now is the time for us to stop accepting the crumbs off the table and begin to enjoy the full fruits of our labor from this cornucopia of opportunity we call the Internet.Along those lines, I strongly recommend that if you're into social networking, you begin to look at developing applications and widgets that reflect your culture, interests, and creativity. FaceBook (like other Dot.com entities) is offering you a helping hand. The FaceBook Developers Fund is a great way to generate start-up money to fund your dreams.Remember, We Must Share The Knowledge (Network)... To Share The Dollars!!!***************(Advertisement)*********************Need some great ideas for corporate or personal gift-giving?Then go to City Lights Software(http://www.citylightssoftware.com )and see some of the most unique afrocentric gifts available online!We Deliver ONLINE - Direct To Your Desktop for just $14.95Please take the time to purchase one our afrocentric screen savers TODAY!Don't Just Talk the Talk...Let Your Dollars Walk the WalkIf you have any problems with purchasing online contact me direct at sales@citylightssoftware.com or call (213) 944-4176******************************************************The FaceBook Developers Fundhttp://developers.facebook.com/fbFund.phpTHE FACEBOOK DEVELOPER COMPETITIONWe are thrilled to announce our first fbFund competition and look forward to reviewing the applications you’ve been working on. We’ve launched the competition to create a fun, exciting, and new opportunity to get your application funding, exposure (to Facebook execs and potential investors), mentorship, and marketing.WHAT IS FACEBOOK OFFERING?Funding: Receive $25k to $250k non-recourse grantsMentorship: Learn best practices and receive valuable feedback from Facebook engineers and other fbFund developers. Get immeasurable benefits that come with introductions to potential investors.Marketing: Receive press attention at f8 and Facebook Developer events. You'll be prominently featured on our Developer website.Nearly $2 million in grants to be awarded to great social applications built on the Facebook platformHOW IT WORKS (Competition Format)Nearly $2 million in non-recourse grants will be distributed between two rounds of the competition:Round I: Identifying talentSubmissions reviewed by Investors, Facebook fbFund Team, Advisory Committee. We will award $25k grants to our top 25 apps.Open for submission: 8/4Due on: 8/29Winners announced: 9/22Round II: Developers Defining Social SubmissionsWe will award $250k grants to our top 5. Only winners of Round I can apply for Round II.Open for submission: 9/22Due: 10/24Winners Announced: 11/24FOR MORE INFORMATIONVisit their website at http://developers.facebook.com/fbFund.php***************(Advertisement)*********************Looking For More Exposure, Want To Help A Good Cause, Need Money???Come on over to www.freshfaces2u.com and register to win $10,000 dollars CASH!At Fresh Faces2u it's NOT about how you look...But Who You Are!Join us in our mission to change the image of women in the mediaSign Up Today At Fresh Faces2u.com***************************************************This Online Journal was brought to you by InterServe Networks. Feel Free To Forward To Your Network Of Online FriendsWe Practice Responsible E-Commerce Marketing and Privacy Policies. We do not indulge in or encourage Spamming. We never send unsolicited emails. You are receiving this message as part of our opt-in subscriber mailing list or you are a member of an affiliated newsgroup.For comments or suggestions please contact us at the following;Jim Neusom (jneusom@yahoo.com)Executive Director/PublisherInterServe Networks/City Lights Software, Inc.www.citylightssoftware.comwww.freshfaces2u.comwww.myspace.com/jimneusomwww.myspace.com/freshfaces2uTo subscribe to our opt-in mailing list simply send an email to; The_City_Lights_Reporter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ( on Myspace go to http://blog.myspace.com/jimneusom )

Online Advertising Tips

Posted by Kamilah Campbell on August 7, 2008 at 4:38pm

This is an older article I found on Etsy, but it is still very relevant and informative. Enjoy!~Kamilah C.The Pink Lockethttp://thepinklocket.com_________________________________________________________________________A DIY-Friendly Guide to Advertising Online (Part One)Story by exboyfriendPublished on October 10, 2007 in How-To Photo by DragonflyCraftsMeredith Keller is an artist for Ex-Boyfriend and the founder of IShopIndie.com, an advertising co-op for indepedent designers. She has extensive experience running internet advertising and promotional campaigns on the internet for Ex-Boyfriend and IShopIndie.com. She has served as a consultant to other internet businesses on how to promote online. She has recently launched a service that is dedicated to co-op based promotion for independent online retailers.CPM, ROI... WTF?!Muddling your way through the online advertising world can be tricky business. It's got a lingo all its own and requires finesse to make the most of your advertising dollars. In the following article, we're going to discuss the most common ways internet advertising is sold and the benefits and drawbacks of those models.CPM advertising — CPM stands for cost per mile. In English, it means the amount you will pay for every 1,000 impressions. (An impression means your ad has been viewed.) So, if a website says their advertising is $10/CPM, and you spend $500, your ad will receive 50,000 impressions. Is this a great deal? Well, maybe, but it depends on what you are comparing it to.The average banner ad campaign typically results in a click-through rate of less than 1%, so you are probably going to get 500 or fewer people visiting your site in the above example. You may see an above-average click-through rate depending on several factors, though. Consider the placement of the ad; is it going to be highly visible to site visitors? Is the ad a terrific match for the site you are going to advertise on? Maybe you sell yarn; a good match would be to advertise on a website for knitters. If you've got an especially eye-catching, fantastic ad, it might perform exceptionally well on that site and you might see an above-average click-through rate and above-average conversions (“conversions” is a fancy way of saying sales).CPC advertising — Cost per click advertising means you only pay when your ad is clicked on. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? Maybe, maybe not. Google Adwords is one of the biggest providers of CPC advertising, and they have a huge audience to offer you.One issue with CPC advertising is poor click quality can burn up your budget with no sales to show for it. If you've selected popular keywords, you might be paying $1-$2 per click and getting lots of people on your site, but they're just coming to browse with no intention of making a purchase. This can easily burn up a small budget with nothing to show for it. If you have a large budget, the losses you will be taking from this type of visitor behavior might be acceptable, but if you're strapped for cash, this might not be the best deal for you.The other major issue with CPC advertising is click fraud. Generally, the way CPC works is that content providers (bloggers, website owners, etc.) have a relationship with CPC providers like Google. The arrangement is that the content provider, such as a blogger, will run ads for a company like Google and the content provider gets paid when people click from their site to yours. Unscrupulous "content providers" have come up with elaborate ways to foil Google's system so that they get paid and you get nothing. You'll know this is happening when you check out your site's web statistics and you see in your list of referrer sites like freecheapvacationsnow191.ws. If you go check out the site, you'll see it actually has nothing on it but adword campaigns and pop up ads. This site didn't deliver you a potential customer at all; it's a site owner who is manipulating Google's ad serving software for profit at your expense. You could spend all day blocking these fraudulent sites, but that will be an ongoing job for you. You could also block Google's content network, but this means you are keeping your ad out of sight from a potentially large audience. There's no right or wrong approach to dealing with this problem. It's something you will have to determine how to address on based on your own unique marketing campaign, budget and products.CPC advertising is probably most compatible with products people actively seek out, rather than products people purchase on impulse. A CPC campaign would be great if, for example, you were an internet retailer selling used replacement car parts. Generally people who need a alternator don't just see an ad for "alternators" and think "I'd love to have one of those." Typically, customers for a company like that will seek out that company's products when the need arises. So for a company like that, having their link pop up when people search "used alternator" on Google would be ideal. If you sell something that's more of a luxury or novelty item, you might be better off with another form of advertising.Flat Rate Advertising — Many content providers have a flat rate that they charge to advertise with them for a set amount of time. For example, a blog might charge you $100/week or $300/month. The nice thing about this model is that content providers who sell their advertising this way often make discounted pricing available to advertisers who commit to several months of advertising at once.Evaluating flat rate advertising can be tricky, because this form of advertising can be a stellar deal or a huge waste of money.To evaluate this kind of opportunity, you will want to know about the site's average number of page views and unique visitors. Keep in mind that the average click-through rate is less than 1%, so if a site wants $500/month and they get 1200 unique visitors per day, on average you are probably only going to see about 360 visits from this ad. You might wind up with a better click-through rate if the site is particularly well-suited for marketing your products or if the site includes a newsletter mention or an advertorial (an editorial write-up advertising your product or service, paid for by you) with the deal.The next thing you want to consider is click quality. Click quality refers to how great these clicks are going to be for you. Are these click-throughs likely to result in conversions for you? If you are selling expensive items and you advertise on a site whose readers have an average household income of $30,000/year, you might see lots of click-throughs but no sales because the audience just can't afford your products. To evaluate click quality, you will want to ask the advertising venue for a media kit. This media kit should tell you some statistical information about their audience. This information may include gender, race, geographic location, and/or average household income. All of this data can indicate the kind of click quality you can expect. Many venues that offer flat rate advertising allow you to buy a short-term ad at a somewhat inflated price. Meaning they may charge $300/month, but they will let you try an ad for $100 for one week. If you are unsure about the ad venue you're considering, this is a great way to test the waters.Further Resources:BlogAds — A marketplace for blog advertising. Offers self-service ad purchases, flexible terms and sites that are appropriate for a variety of budgets.Google Adwords — The leading provider of cost-per-click advertising.Federated Media — CPM based advertising available for a variety of blogs.I Shop Indie — The author's co-operative internet advertising for indie designers.Merkell.net — The author's service dedicated to co-op based promotion for independent online retailers.

Be Prepared

Posted by DawnKA on August 7, 2008 at 4:08pm

Whose motto was Be Prepared? Who knew that this motto would be effective for the rest of my life. As a young girl, I was a part of the Girls Scout and that was our motto. These two simple yet powerful words have made an impact in all areas of my life. Being prepared is something that is necessary to handle sudden changes, challenges and everyday issues.We are now offering training workshops to various businesses. Our initial target audience was to the health care facilities. The workshops are targeted to improve relations with the internal and external clients as this makes a marked difference in the success of one’s business.In sharing the growth and development at a networking event, I was asked to present the workshop for a corporate company. I accepted the opportunity as it occurred to me that the training would be beneficial for anyone in business. It was well received and now we are receiving more requests that are outside of the market we thought would best benefit from our service. Now we are traveling to cities/towns across the country.This is to encourage you to not only network but be ready to adjust to the requests that may assist you in the growth of your business. Remember you should always Be Prepared!

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.