This article is for Affiliate Program Managers: Interested in increasing the amount of revenue that each of your affiliates creates for your business? Read on to learn about how to use your existing articles to grow your affiliate program strength.

From an affiliate perspective, there are only a few ‘deal breaker’ type things that I insist any affiliate program that I join must provide me:

One strategy that many newbie affiliate program designers fail to offer is a package of articles that can be reprinted on my website along with my unique affiliate link. Of the tens of thousands of dollars I’ll do this year as an affiliate, you would be shocked at how much of the revenue comes directly from reprinting articles of the affiliate programs I am involved in. This strategy works for me and it can work for you!

Here’s what to do:

Here’s what NOT to do:

Why this type of article marketing is important for affiliate program managers and affiliates:

Articles are like “sales agents” in that they keep selling for you, day after day, year after year. They also help expand your reach as each article gets indexed by the major search engines. Lastly, they give you another reason to send an email to your list members about the articles available.

This is a credibility builder for the affiliate program manager and it’s a “Give” before the “Take” which begins the reciprocation cycle in a positive direction.

Note For Affiliates Who Use Articles To Promote Their Affiliate Programs:

To save you the trouble of sending me an email to ask why EzineArticles.com doesn’t accept articles that promote affiliate programs, there are three reasons:

1) Because we don’t accept articles that are available on a non-exclusive basis (meaning we only want to see original or exclusive licensed content) and…

2) Because affiliate marketers are not our ideal author profile type and…

3) Because most ezine publishers don’t want to reprint articles that pitch an affiliate link. One of the primary purposes of our site is to be a resource for ezine publishers to find supplemental content for their next email newsletter.

With that said, there are plenty of competitor article sites that will allow you to submit your affiliate-link-laced articles, not to mention listing them on your own website.

Bottom line: If you offer an affiliate program to promote your products and services, consider immediately offering a package of articles that your affiliates can add to their website or send to their email newsletter lists to further promote your business.

About The Author:

Christopher M. Knight invites you to submit your best *ORIGINAL* articles for massive exposure to the high-traffic http://EzineArticles.com/ directory. When you submit your articles to EzineArticles.com, your articles will be picked up by ezine publishers who will reprint your articles with your content and links in tact giving you traffic surges to help you increase your sales. To submit your article, setup a membership account today: http://EzineArticles.com/submit/

Copyright 2005 - Christopher M. Knight. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, give author name credit and follow all of the EzineArticles terms of service for Publishers.

Getting your site noticed by the search engines and rewarded with top rankings is most webmasters main goal, however there are a lot of different factors that play into what the search engines are looking for, including Meta tags. So, if you don’t know anything about meta tags but are interested in learning about them so you can use them to possibly increase your rankings, then read the following basic tips regarding meta tags. The more educated you are about what search engines are looking for, the better you will be able to respond and rise in the rankings.

Basic #1 - Information

When it comes to your Meta tags you want them to contain key information about your website as well as your top keywords. Make sure they keywords are in the title as well as in the body of the text. The point of this is when someone searches for particular keywords that are in your Meta tag, this information will be displayed on the search page giving searchers a bit of in depth information about your site which they can use to make a more informed decision about whether your site is worth visiting.

Basic #2 - Description

Make sure you write a description about your page using specific information and keywords, but keep it short and sweet. That way, when your keywords are searched for this description will be displayed.

Basic #3 - Search Engines

Some search engines support Meta tags while others do not. So, you will need to keep this in mind when you are trying to get your website in as many search engine directories as possible. Make sure you write Meta tags for certain search engines and then use other tactics for the search engines that do not support Meta tags.

Basic #4 - Outdated

Meta tags are not used by many search engines any more and some people even believe that in just a short amount of time Meta tags will have no relevance whatsoever. However, for the time being they still can play a part in your rankings and traffic in some SE’s so until the time comes where Meta tags are completely extinct, you should still use them to your benefit.

While Meta tags might be going out the window with other forms of older, outdated technology, you should still optimize your web page with Meta tags until that time has arrived simply because it will take you almost no time at all to create a meta tag and it could have a serious impact on your search results with the smaller search engines. However, do not listen to the hype that Meta tags are the answer to increasing your traffic overnight as this is simply not the case.

Michael Turner reveals his foolproof way to increase website traffic in his free 7 part mini-series. Grab it free right now at http://www.powertraffictactics.com/

An untapped online business resource–outside of your basic Yahoo and Ebay, among others–is setting up your own auction sales venue.

Since most families have items in their home that have outlived their usefulness, they can get started at online auctions for mere pennies.

And, most selling online at auctions does not have start-up or membership fees. There is a nominal fee per item listed and a percentage commission on each sale. Still, you come out ahead.

With this minimum investment, many are flocking to auction sites to gain additional income to get their families and selves through the seemingly ever present economic downturn.

Besides the low financial risk, individuals see auctions as one of the select few online vehicles where scams are not associated, or not as prevalent as with most online business opportunities. Plus, a majority have ongoing fees which you must absorb; auctions do not.

As with most home business opportunities, to be successful at online auctions also takes time to learn the ropes. Many auction sites do much of the work for you, providing standard formats for the sellers to insert data. Sites further assist in communications between buyer and seller as well as additional support.

Perhaps the toughest part is finding the right products to sell. Don’t think for a moment that Uncle Charlies’ false teeth in a jar that you’ve preciously held onto for years will fetch thousands of dollars, although nowadays you never know. Irregardless, with sites such as Ebay with over a thousand categories, that remedies that headache!

With over 30 years of media experience plus background in special events, fundraising, development, grant writing and administration plus Internet marketing, Walt Pfarr is now writing his own e-course, ebook and soon will publish the PfarrOut ezine newsletter. He and his wife, Joann, reside in Oklahoma and he may be reached at walterpfarr@lycos.com

Many online business owners and marketers use a variety of tools to make their business successful. Good strategies include maintaining a web site, publishing an ezine, joining affiliate programs, advertising on other people’s ezines, and much, much more. As any good Internet “guru” will tell you, getting your name and product “out there” is the most important part of your success. So, the general rule is: Use as many strategies as possible.

What I suggest is that you take this rule one step further. What I think works best is combining as many of the strategies together, as possible. In other words, when you can, build your own network, using the tools you already have in place. And I’m using the word network, as it relates to networking your online systems — not in the sense of a prospect or client network, though I have some tips on that, near the end of this article.

So, let’s break down this concept. Suppose you have a web site that promotes a product or service. You probably have a sales letter, some testimonials and a merchant account, so people can buy your product. Now, what I would suggest next, if you don’t already have it, is your own ezine (online magazine, operated by an e-mail autoresponder).

You get visitors to subscribe to your ezine, using a pop-up or another type of FREE subscription form on your web site. Now, you add them to your autoresponder list, which is how you send them your weekly ezine. The ezine offers great information but also promotes your business.

Mark Barnes is an investment real estate and real estate finance expert. Get his free mortgage finance course at http://www.winningthemortgagegame.com and also learn how to gain financial independence through proper real estate investment strategies. He also runs several successful ezines. Mark is also the author of the new novel, The League, a shocking, sports-related conspiracy. Learn more about his suspense thriller at http://www.sportsnovels.com

Do you know what your computer is doing while you are away? You may be amazed at all of the things that your computer can pick up on a daily basis. First came viruses, and that was a huge threat for many years. We heard about such infections as the Love Bug virus, Doomsday virus, and many more. Most of these could do serious damage to your system. Today, one of the biggest threats to your computer is spyware. What began as an advertising gimmick has begun to spiral out of control. Many companies have begun to abuse the technology.

The concept was simple; create a little program that allows marketers’ access to their customers buying habits. Many major media houses began to get greedy and added more to their spyware programs. A typical spyware program today will continually update your habits and activities and send it back to the home base. While they don’t take sensitive information like credit card numbers or bank accounts, they do prove to be a major threat to computer performance. Each spyware program uses your computer as a live server. Imagine the delays you would experience if you had ten or twenty of these programs at the same time. Your computer would slow down considerably!

So where do these spyware programs come from? You can get infected from a variety of sources. Some are downloaded to give you access to different features such as net searches, coupons, or tips online. Some are bundled with legitimate program downloads. Others are installed without your permission. It doesn’t matter where they come from, because most computers will have spyware at one point or another.

The trick is to figure out how to get rid of it. There are many programs on the market today that can help with these pesky little programs. Many anti-spyware programs are bundled with virus protection for a total solution. Others can be purchased separately. There is also a wide assortment of free anti-spyware software that you can choose from as well. Some of these are actually spyware in disguise, so it is important to do your homework beforehand. If you are using a windows based system, Microsoft has come out with an anti-spyware program that is free for download via their website.

There are also many websites online designed to detect spyware programs. It takes only a few minutes to scan your system, and you can then take care of any problems that you come across.

Deciding to crack down on spyware is a personal decision. Some individuals could care less about them, while others find them to be a terrible nuisance. Your own thoughts and feelings will come into play when you decide your course of action. Some will scan their computer once a month to rid themselves of possible infections, while others will scan their systems daily for spyware infections. Whichever you choose, make sure to find a reputable program that will give you the best results possible. Good luck!

Adam Short is freelance writer and creator of http://www.adware-control.info - a site providing the latest news and facts about adware.

Podcasting has all the ingredients to become a major technology trend. Podcasting has started with little fanfare but has the potential to become a giant wave due to a number of factors going for it. The word Podcast might have been roughly derived from iPod and broadcast (it sure sounds like that to me so don’t hit me if I am wrong! ).

The process works pretty much like radio except that the broadcast is done via mobile devices and the power of content delivery via the internet. This new form of broadcasting of information opens up tremendous opportunities for dispersion of information, entertainment and news.

Podcasting is a fairly new technology and people are building up refined applications to use this medium effectively. Advantages of Podcasting are making the proposition attractive enough for major companies to consider it a serious communication mode. RSS 2.0 is the chosen form for podcasts and newer versions of this feed system are expected soon.

Inherent advantages of podcasts are:

No need to invest in a new piece of hardware: Podcasts are easily available to all users of iPod and similar mobile .The sheer size of the iPod cult if I can call it that, is increasing at a scorching pace. All a user needs to do is choose the subscriptions which he or she would like to subscribe to and download the programmes.

New lease of live to radio programmes: Radio programmes have been revived by the new generation of podcasters. A number of old radio programmes which have had a mass following in their hey days are now being evaluated to be cast via podcasts. A huge chunk of high quality content becomes available thanks to this revival.

Can advertisers be far away? Advertisers have the ability to identify new advertising opportunities at the slightest whiff and Podcasting forums are already working hard to get the advertising industry hand in glove with the Podcasting community. Influx of advertising dollars will lend more credibility to Podcasting and this medium will be taken more seriously as well.

On demand broadcast: Podcasters and listeners rule this medium by offering a high level on-demand listening. You can use this service at the time when you want to, pretty much like video on demand but has greater success due to the low demand of bandwidth. This is probably one of the biggest advantage of Podcasting and might be the core reason for it to success phenomenally.

Your own Podcast studio and very little investment: So who are podcasters? A podcaster can be anyone who has access to the internet, a decent computer and some software knowledge. Podcasting requires very little investment by way of hardware and software. This advantage of Podcasting can thus be done by almost anyone who has an interest in it and has some content to share with the rest of the world,

Creativity is highly rewarded in the podcaster’s world: Content is king and high quality creative content is instantaneously rewarded by the Podcasting community which can be measured by the number of subscribers. Thus it is quite easy to gain overnight success if the content of the broadcast is unique and exciting.

Podcasting thus has number of benefits both the for the community within and without. A unique mass media which does not cost a lot to distribute and develop content for. Like all new technologies, the technology will have some teething issues but the force promoting it should be good enough to get the technology roaring with success in the very near future.

Matt Bacak, The Powerful Promoter and Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz
radio show host, became a “#1 Best Selling Author” in just a few short hours. He has helped a number of clients target his specialty, opt-in email direct marketing systems. The Powerful Promoter is not only a sought-after internet marketer but has also marketed for some of the world’s top experts whose reputations would shrivel if their followers ever found out someone else coached them on their online marketing strategies.

For more information, visit Bacak’s site at http://www.powerfulpromoter.com or sign up for his Powerful Promoting
Tips at http://www.promotingtips.com

EBay is a great part or full time business. An Ebay Business can be used as a way to promote your Online Home Based Business. An Ebay Business is a great resource for your Brick and Mortar Store Front. Here are 7 ways anyone can benefit from owning and Operating an Ebay Business

1 - Promote Other Business

Many people with online or offline Businesses sell on Ebay. Ebay is one of the most Popular web pages on the Internet. By having frequent EBay auctions you can build traffic to your online or offline brick and Mortar Store.

2 - Get Family Involved

What a great way to get your spouse and children involved in your business. Is there a great Copy writer or web Design Guru in your family put them to work. Teach your children the value of the Dollar and give them valuable life skills by involving them in your E-Bay Business

3 - Earn an Extra Income

You can earn few extra dollars on Ebay for that Dream Vacation, Luxary Car Payment or even just fun money. However You can also earn a very comfortable living on Ebay the choice is yours.

4 - Build a Spam Free E-Mail List

Everyone who buys from you on Ebay has to supply you their E-mail Address. Since you now have an established business relationship with them, any E-Mail you send them is not SPAM, until they request removal from your list.

5 - Brand Yourself

What better way to brand your name and company name then on one of the most popular and reputable web sites in the world.

6 - Establish Your Credibility

Ebay Positive feedback tells the world you kept your promise and it is safe to do business with you. Ebay Positive feedback are often the best testimonials you will ever receive.

7 - Clearance Sales

Do you own a store. Sell your overstock, off season or damaged and returned items on Ebay. Thinking of having a Garage sale, why not sell some or all of those garaged Sale items on E-Bay instead!

About The Author:
Mike Makler has been Marketing Online Since 2001 When he Built
an Organization of over 100,000 Members

Get Mike’s Newsletter:
http://ewguru.com/newsletter

More Articles by Mike:
http://ewguru.com/tips

Permission Based E_Mail Marketing Methods
http://ewguru.com/hbiz/amazingoffer.html

Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler the Coolest Guy in the Universe

Every day, more and more people start surfing the Web. If you’re not sure what to do to capitalize on the explosive growth of the Internet, then thousands of potential website visitors are slipping through your fingers. Here is an ingenious way to start generating thousands and thousands of visitors to your website in as little as a few weeks.

What is the best way to drive traffic to your website (or blog)? By exploiting the the greatest form of advertising (word of mouth).

On the Internet, this can be from several different sources, such as link exchanges and affiliate marketing.

For our situation, let’s use link exchanges. How can they be used in a creative way to generate boatloads of targeted traffic?

The answer is simple: Use the power of viral/network marketing and link exchanges to skyrocket your traffic exponentially! It is important to be careful not to link to websites with different themes, as it could damage your Google page ranking. For example, if you own a gardening site, it is ill-advised to link to an Internet marketing site.

The key is to link to quality websites. If you are turned off by a certain website, then you are certainly not required to link to them. The last thing you want to do is damage your credibility. Also, I prohibit anyone with a hateful, offensive, or obscene website from participating in this backward link exchange program.

Consider the following diagram:

1A

2A 2B

3A 3B 3C 3D

Say you add your website URL to position 3D below, and each time this article is passed on by someone else, more and more websites link to you. Each time this article is passed on, your URL moves one position to the left (if it is in position 3A, it would move up to position 2B, and if it was in position 1A, it would be removed).

If 100 people visit your website and decide to participate in this “backward” link exchange program, and each person shares it with 100 people who choose to do the same, by the time your URL is in position 3C you will already have 10,100 websites linking to you. I’m not even going to try to calculate how many incoming links you will have by the time your website URL is in position 1A.

I can’t guarantee how much success you will have using this incoming link technique; how well you do is dependent upon how many people read this article on your website.

If you choose to utilize this link exchange opportunity, a few simple steps are required.

1. Add your website link below in place of the website in position 3D. Then move the website that was in position 3D to position 3C, 3C to 3B, and so on. Move the website URL in position 3A up to position 2B, and 2A up to position 1A. Remove the website URL that was in position 1A.

2. Link to each website that was in the diagram before you made any changes to it. If you haven’t already, create a “links” page that is easily accessible from your website home page. Place the website URL in position 1A at the top of your links page, the URL in position 2A below it, followed by 2B, and so on.

3. Place this article prominently on your website to maximize your results. To increase your incoming links, make it easily accessible from your home page as well. The more people who see it, the better!

If you don’t have a website, then simply create a free blog at blogger.com, add this article, and link to it from the left or right margin on the side of the page. You don’t have to spend a dime for all of this free traffic!

Also, if you would rather not add this article to a pre-existing website (if, for instance, your site consists only of a sales page) you can create a blog as well, or simply another website. You can get a one-page site with domain name registration super-cheap through Yahoo! Domains if you so choose.

If any of the positions below (1A, 2A, 3B, etc.) haven’t been filled in yet, then add redcross.org in their place. While you’re at it, if you feel inclined, create a link to redcross.org on your website home page. This is optional, but it’s a great way to help out the Red Cross while simultaneously exploding your website traffic!

So, without further ado, here is the actual diagram that you will be using to begin exploding your website traffic as early as today. Have fun!

1A

2A 2B

3A 3B 3C 3D

**Attn Ezine editors/Site owners** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site so long as you do not modify the content and include our resource box as listed below. You may enter your website link in the appropriate position above.

Wanna learn how to generate thousands of highly targeted visitors, absolutely free? => http://www.iwantchoices.com

Identity Theft is America’s fastest growing type of robbery. There have been an estimated 9.9 million victims on America and over 40% of all consumer complaints in the U.S. involve identity theft. About half of the victims do not know how the thief obtained their personal information. The Boston Globe and Newsweek have both covered Identity theft recently telling us how important it is for us to educate ourselves on preventing and protecting ourselves from this type of robbery. Identity theft can happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone, individuals or businesses. Everyone must be educated and aware so it can be avoided. Michael Blanchard, US Postal Inspector says postal money orders and business or certified checks are one way you can be at risk. Most identity theft involves the U.S. Mail which is why the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is a lead agency in investigating Identity Theft. Identity Theft is a criminal offense.

Some scams are internet related, you go into a chat room and chat with people there, someone approaches you as a friend, or about an auction. You become comfortable with these people you are chatting with and start a “friendship”. The person who has befriended you may tell you such things as, “I am in the Peace Corp, and I have a money order that I can’t cash where I am”, which is Lagos or Nigeria. They might ask you if they send you the money order, if you will cash it and send them the money. This is a scam. The money order you receive can be fraudulent, once you cash and send the money you are out this money once the bank realizes the money order was no good.

Another scenario might be if you sell items at online auctions. Someone may email you about your item that is for sale. They will tell you they want to purchase your item, and they are in Nigeria so they will send you extra money to pay for a shipper to send the item to them. They will send you a counterfeit money order or check and ask you to cash the check and wire the extra money to them so they can pay the shippers to ship your item. They may even ask you to go to a bank to cash the money order rather than the post office. The reason for this is that the post office has a machine that can tell if the money order is fake, and they have much more experience with money orders than banks.
Many of these types of scams originate in Nigeria, London and Toronto. If you are aware of this, you can prevent this from happening to you. Most thieves still obtain personal information through traditional rather than electronic channels. In the cases where the method was known, 68.2% of information was obtained off-line versus only 11.6% obtained online.

If you receive a fraudulent money order and take it to a bank, rather than the post office, a bank can take a month or more before they notify you that the money order is fake. If this happens, you are then responsible for the funds. If you do get caught up in this situation, take your money order to a post office rather than a bank, it is not guaranteeing you will not be “taken” but it lowers your chances.

How can you tell if a money order is fraudulent? Fake money orders do not have a water mark. Hold up the money order to the window or light, can you see the portrait, on the left side? This portrait needs to be backlit by light to be seen and cannot be mimicked. Some producers of fake money orders try to use fake pictures as a water mark; you will be able to tell if you hold it to the light. These money orders are generally printed in Nigeria, they use the same offset press we use to print real money orders, so check your money orders! You can also check for type size, color and fonts. Another step you can take is to call or go online to the Post office and give them the serial number off of the money order; they can tell if it is real. If you receive a counterfeit money order, you will want to give it to the post office or police. Possession of a counterfeit item is a felony.

Other scams include receiving an email or letter stating you have won a lottery, or a prize notification. Some letters or announcements will arrive with a counterfeit check and you pay a processing fee to get the prize. These checks are counterfeit; never send money to anyone who is asking for money from you in order to give you money, whether it is disguised as a prize or lottery. Any prize that requires you to pay anything is no prize.

How do these people get my name? If you have a credit card, your name is sold to third parties, if you do not want this to happen, you must contact your credit card companies to inform them that you do not want your information sold. Check the privacy notice that comes with your bill. If you enter contests, your information becomes public. Also, when you buy a new product, and fill out the warranty cards, those companies sell that information you provide to other companies. Since when does your toaster manufacturer need to know you households’ annual income to extend a warranty on your toaster? Thieves use dumpster digging, phishing, and pharming to obtain your information. Things they steal from your trash include:

Pre-approved credit card offers - they complete them and have the card sent to them at a different address

Loan applications- they complete the application and have the money sent to a phony address.

Bank statements- they then have your bank account number and can print counterfeit checks

Becky Palmer, a Consumer Credit Counselor, knew of someone who had their wallet stolen, and they used the credit card to buy a $5000.00 gift card at Wal mart, this then become very hard to trace.

People that are more at risk are senior citizens, people with disabilities and immigrants, but remember that everyone, including children are at risk. Senior citizens are home all day; they might get a phone call from a fake charity asking for money. Immigrants are desperate for credit, they may have just arrived in the US and know they need credit to do anything and are not aware of these scams. People with disabilities are home, and may become a victim of phone or online fraud. There have also been cases of home care providers taking advantage of their clients. Remember, it is not always a stranger that can steal someone’s identity. Did you know children can be victims of identity theft? This could affect or ruin their credit before they even are able to build up credit for themselves. There have been cases of parents using a child’s name for their electric bill or phone bill when they have bad credit or owe the utility company money. Thieves will obtain the social security number of these children then use that number to get credit cards and rack up purchases.

Some of these scammers will call you and say they are from a fictitious charity. They will offer to have your contribution automatically deducted from your checking account and will ask for your routing number, bank name, and account number. DO NOT GIVE OUT THIS INFORMATION! If you pick up a call from a telemarketer, ask them the following questions and if they are a fraud, they will hang up quickly.

Who do you work for? They will try to give you the name of the fake charity here, so ask them “who pays your salary?”

How much of my donation (percentage) goes to this charity and what is the rest of the money used for?” If they are for real, they can easily give you this information.

What is the charity’s full name, address and phone number?

Once you have the above information you can check with the state attorney generals’ office or secretary of state to see if the charity is registered. Also check the charity’s rating thru the Better Business Bureau at www.give.org.

How can I prevent Identity theft from happening to me? Never leave your receipt or slip in the ATM or gas pump. Pay attention to your habits, lock up or organize and file your bills, and bank statements. Shred them using a cross shredder before throwing them away.

In a recent article in MSN Money their research showed that 32% of people said they had been a victim of identity fraud by a friend or family, and 13% were victimized by a co-worker. Beware! These people know your patterns and habits.

Some steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim of Identity theft are:

Get a copy of your credit report from all three credit bureaus. (FREE as of 9/1/05!)

Experien, PO Box 2002, Allen TX 75013 www.experian.com 888-397-3742

Equifax, PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30348 www.equifax.com 800-685-1111

Trans Union, PO Box 4000, Chester, PA 19016 www.transunion.com 866-887-2673

Opt out of mailing lists by contacting the credit bureaus above.

Opt out by reading the privacy notice that comes with your credit card and following the instructions.

Call the national Do Not Call Registry at 1-888-382-1222 or visit www.donotcall.gov be sure to call from the number you want to register

Do not carry your Social Security Card in your wallet

Do not print your Social security number on your checks

Do not get your social security number printed on your drivers’ license

Do not carry your medicade card with you, Medicade #’s are your Social security number

Delete any emails from Nigeria, or lottery or prize notifications before opening

Stop credit card offers 888-5-OPT-OUT

Remove your name from national mailing lists by visiting www.the-dma.org or write to:

Mail Preference Service
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

Install firewall and virus protection software on your computer

Password protect your computer and private personal files

Format your hard drive or physically destroy when disposing of your old computer

When you order new checks, get your first initial printed on them instead of your first name

Use a cross shredder to shred your bills and bank statements or any junk mail

Bring your mail to the post office or secure mail box rather than leaving it in a rural box.

Use only one designated credit card for online purchases

Be sure all online purchases are made through a secure server - notice the “lock” icon and how the URL address changes from http to https. The S means SECURE.

Do not carry your PIN # in your wallet

Do not use your date of birth as a password or PIN.

Do not give out personal or financial information over the phone.

Grind up or shred back up CD’s you are throwing away.

Check your online banking account at least 3 times a week and change your password often.

There is a new bill that is being passes, it is a very weak bill but if passed, it will prohibit using a social security number for identification purposes. This bill should take affect in 2006.

If you feel you have been a victim of identity fraud, contact the Department of Justice, consumer protection division. They offer mediation with identity theft; they also have a hot line for consumers that is available 8-5 Monday - Friday. They maintain a database of written complaints that goes back to 1998. They offer seminars to school, seniors or your group.

Be aware that 40 million crooks obtained credit card numbers this past year, “Be Suspicious”. Also be aware that most identify theft is not reported, especially when it involves family members, so the statistics are off. These statistics show that consumers lost $5 billion last year when in actuality it is closer to $50 billion. There have been an estimated 9.9 million victims in America.

What can I do if I am already a victim of ID theft?

Contact the fraud departments of the three major credit bureaus, to place a fraud alert on your credit file.

Close all accounts that have been affected and request copies of fraud-dispute forms and complete and return immediately. Keep copies!

File a police report in each jurisdiction the theft occurred

Send copies of the report to your creditors or anyone that requires proof of the crime

File a complaint with the FTC (800-IDTHEFT or www.consumer.gov/idtheft) and Post Office

Contact the Identity Theft Resource center at 858-693-7935 or www.idtheftcenter.org

Request a new driver’s license from the state of motor vehicles and have a fraud report attached to your driving record.

Notify check-verification firms about any fraudulent checks:

International check service 800-526-5380
Telecheck 800-927-0755
Certegy Check Services 800-437-5120

Call 1-888-CALL-FCC and file a complaint.

Change your passwords and PIN immediately.

What is “Phishing”?

If you get an email or letter or form that looks like it came from your bank, credit card company, the IRS, online auction or bill pay service asking you to verify information so they can update their records, verify this with your bank or credit card company. Never click on the link in an email; it will take you to a fraudulent website that is disguised to look like the companies. If you call to verify and your bank or credit card company wants this information, give it to them over the phone, if you initiated the call and are sure it is the correct number, or stop by in person if possible.

Warning signs you can look for to identify “Scams”

If someone tells you: “Poor or no credit - No problem!”
Offers you a “Bargain loan”
Rushes you through signing up for anything
Wants you to pay a fee
If a salesman comes to your door and says “I was just in the neighborhood”

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it is!

Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in credit and debt collection. She is the founder of Never Dunn Publishing, LLC, is a writer, consultant and the Editorial Advisor for Eli Financial Debt Collection Compliance Alert Newsletter. Michelle started M.A.D. Collection Agency and ran is successfully for 7 years. She owns and runs Credit & Collections.com a free online community for credit and business professionals.

She has written 5 books in her Collecting Money Series. For more information on Michelle’s services or to order any of her books please email her at michelle@michelledunn.com or visit http://www.michelledunn.com & http://www.credit-and-collections.com

Build it and they will come is not always true; you have to form a relationship with the company before you will get quality attendees
or participants for a free service.

The key to a human’s heart is through food. The key to a web surfer is free information and products. Simply offering free information is not enough to bring visitors to your site. The offering has to have substance and also be worthwhile. The web surfer is constantly asking, “What is in it for me?” If what you are providing is of value, then the word will get out fast. Your service can be anything from free training, white papers, advice, or even a newsletter. Even though you will have the information available, you must still advise everyone you know that it is in place.

My husband does a lot of volunteer work for Rotary and is the district webmaster. He has placed hundreds of pages of information on this site, offering the various clubs tools they can use. Although some do extensively, there are others that have difficulty understanding why they would go there. He spends a great deal of his time showing the value of the site. He even posted free e-learning components on the site so that they could learn how to use an application. It takes work to show people the value.

Eventually over a period of a couple of years, the website was being used by almost every club. Now, they are submitting information about events so that their club is part of the process. You should look at your site in the same way, it is a tool for your customers to access free information, and the more valuable you make that information, the more often they will look on the web. If your free information is only hype, they will turn away in droves.

Although you do not want to overwhelm anyone with information, you can make your site very informative. Make it easy to navigate and find what they want. If you have more information to give out than can be professionally displayed, you could consider putting out a newsletter on current events and other newsworthy items.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people’s attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the “Networking Queen”. Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com