Fall in Minnesota

My goodness, it has been some time since I updated this blog. Sorry about that.
We are now looking at fall and all the changes that fall brings. Actually it is just starting so we still have some flowers blooming, most trees are still full with the exception of some ash trees. Maybe a maple tree here and there.
We had a busy summer with short trips in the motor home, a couple campouts with the family, a family fishing launch up on Lake Milacs and a family trip to Duluth to help our granddaughter get moved in to her new digs. She is now a full time student at UMD and loving it.
Enjoyed having guests from California, Arizona and Fergus Falls. Always so nice to see family.
We had two outdoor weddings to attend. One in Alexandria and a couple of weeks ago in Wisconsin. Our former neighbors daughter got married. We have known Cass since birth and it was so nice to see her and the family again. She and her husband are living down here in the cities. Cass is teaching and her husband is in banking I think. Del's cousins daughter got married in Wisconsin . Lovely wedding and it was awesome seeing family from Oklahoma, Connecticut and Minnesota.
Children are back in school and this year our little granddaughter Hailey started kindergarten all day everyday. She had no fears about leaving Dad and getting on the bus. Proud of her.
We have a grandson that will graduate in 2011 and two in third grade, one second grade and one in Kindergarten. That means one grandson and one great grandson still at home. ( ten grand kids and one great grandson)

Sharon




http://slbloch.com/

Content Leverage

Are you a professional writer? If so, how many articles do you
write on a weekly basis? If you are like many other professional
writers, there is a good chance that your answer may be hundreds
of articles. Out of those articles, no matter how large or
small your number is, how many of your articles are similar in
nature? If you are also like many other professional writers in
this aspect, your answer might be not many. Unfortunately, many
writers mistakenly believe that they need to create an article
and move onto other articles or other opportunities. In
reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. If you play
your cards right, you should be able to capitalize on one of
your articles, in a number of different ways.

When it comes to making as much money as you can with one
article, there are a number of important factors that must first
be taken into consideration. For instance, are you writing your
articles for someone else, a client? If so, did you or are you
giving them full rights to your content? If that is the case,
you entered a legal binding contract; however, there are still a
number of ways that you can take that article and continue to
profit from it. You can do this by changing your content, so
that it is slightly different, but enough to notice. Simply by
changing your sentences, which can involve simply rearranging or
adding in new words, you can create new content, although it is
still the same. This will effectively get you around any
copyright issues that you may otherwise face.

If you are not developing articles for a client, but rather
developing them for your own use or if you plan on selling them
later, you can still capitalize on your articles in different
ways. When selling content that you developed yourself, on your
own, you will want to refrain from giving the buyer full rights.
This is often referred to as non-exclusive rights. When giving
a buyer non-exclusive rights, you stay the legal owner of the
content. Essentially, this means that you can resell your
article multiple times, without ever having to change a single
word. Selling your articles with non-exclusive rights is one of
the easiest and fastest ways to make the most money.

In addition to keeping your articles as articles, there are
other ways that you can capitalize from your content. In
today’s society, many readers are now turning to the internet or
their computer, instead of printed books. This has,
essentially, increased the popularity of e-books. Have you ever
written an e-book before? If not, it is important that you know
that most e-books are simply a collection of articles, just
formatted differently. If you have a collection of articles,
that are all on the same topic or ones that are related in one
way or another, you may be able to turn your articles into an
e-book. E-books are nice because they are sold like
traditional, printed books. The same material can be sold to
thousands or even millions of readers. Turning your articles
into an interesting e-book could be a very profitable business
venture for you.

Although turning a collection of your articles into an e-book is
a profitable business venture, it is not the only one that you
could profit from. Over the past few years, millions of
internet users have used the internet to learn something new.
Whether it be how to successfully home school their children or
work from home as a medical transcriber, many are turning to the
internet for more information. If you wrote a collection of
articles that could be used as learning resources or how-to
guides, you may want to examine online mini-courses, which are
also commonly referred to as e-courses. When using your
articles to create a miniature e-course, there are a number of
different ways that you can make money. You can sell your
e-course material to another individuals or company, offer the
materials free of charge and make money from advertising, or you
can charge internet users a small fee for accessing your
information; the decision is yours to make.

The above mentioned methods are just a few of the many ways that
you can go about turning a simple article into much more than
just one article. With creativity and the need to succeed, you
can easily make the same amount of money with one article that
you would with fifty articles.

Capitalizing on your content will not only increase your
chances of having your article read, but it will also increase
the likelihood of your name being associated with popular
authors.

E-Course Secrets

In today’s society, the internet is no longer just used for
shopping or entertainment; it is also used for learning. Over
the past few years, online eCourses have rapidly increased in
popularity. What does this mean for you? This means that if are
an article writer, you can easily build off of this popularity.
You can do this by making eCourses with your articles.

Before examining how you can go about making eCourses with
articles, it is best to quickly familiarize yourself with
eCourses, namely what they are. Just as they sound, eCourses
are courses that are offered online. These courses, which are
often hosted over the internet, enable internet users to get an
education or familiarize themselves with something new, often
right from the comfort of their own homes. Although eCourses
have similar goals, to educate internet users, those goals are
accomplished in different ways. There are some individuals who
are considered experts in their field, such as the field from
working from home. Many experts create eCourses and distribute
them online for other internet users to benefit from. eCourses
are also offered by many colleges and universities as a way to
get an education from home.

Now that you know exactly what eCourses are, you can better
understand how you make an eCourse. If you have never taken or
viewed and eCourse before, you may not realize that they are
just collections of information, just like articles. In fact,
that is why making your own eCourse may be a lot easier that you
had originally anticipated. The way that you can create your
own eCourse can vary, but many article writers just take a
collection of articles and combine them together. Of course,
will want to combine them in a way in which they are easy to
read, helpful, and connected. For instance, if you are
interested in making an eCourse that focuses on working from
home, you will first want to explain what working from home is
before outlining various work at home opportunities, and so
forth.

Once you have successfully created an eCourse, your next step
will all depend on your goals. For instance, is your goal to
make money with your eCourse or is your goal to generate traffic
for your website? If your goal is to generate traffic for your
website, you may want to think about offering your eCourse
materials free of charge. Many webmaster paste their eCourse
materials on their website, for easy viewing, but others use it
as email content. If you use your eCourse material as email
content, you are essentially creating and distributing a
newsletter. Newsletters are another one of the many highly
rated and recommend internet marketing tactics that webmasters
use.

If you are not a webmaster, just a professional article writer,
you may be interested in using your eCourse to generate sales.
If so, there are a couple of different approaches that you can
take. For the fastest results, you may want to consider selling
your eCourse to an individual or company who can effectively
promote it. This will, in turn, generate income for both
parties involved. If you do have the time to market and promote
your own eCourse, you may want to examine selling it on your
own. As it was previously mentioned, a large number of
webmasters offer similar eCourses free of charge. Despite this
free competition, you may still be able to make a substantial
profit from selling your eCourse material, even if you make it
available for a low price.

Whichever way you decide to use your material, you are still
advised to make an eCourse with your articles. After all, what
else would you do with your articles? Making an eCourse is a
great way to put your old, unused articles to good use.

When transforming your articles into an eCourse, you can
distribute your articles if you want for free or you can sell
them and make yourself a little bit of extra cash.

Using an Outline is Easy

When it comes to writing articles, many of us use brainstorming
to come up with article ideas. As nice as it is to know what to
write about, you also need to know what to write. There are
times when this can be just as difficult as deciding what to
write about. One of the ways to solve this problem is to use an
outline. In fact, an outline is a tool that can help save you
time and even stress.

An outline is defined as a summary of work. That summary is
usually composed of headings and subheadings. These heading and
subheadings are often categorized as individual paragraphs. The
headings and subheadings are used to give you and idea as to
what you should write for each paragraph or at least what each
paragraph should be about. In a way, an outline is like a
written brainstorming session. The only difference is that you
are taking your brainstorming a step further, by building off of
the ideas that you originally came up with.

As it was stated above, an outline will save you time.
Unfortunately, there are many writers who believe that an
outline will actually cost them time; in most cases, this isn’t
true. An outline can take on average five minutes to fifteen
minutes to create, but you need to remember what you are
creating for yourself. Essentially, you are creating a guide to
follow. Once you have an outline, you will find yourself just
writing, as you have already come with the ideas needed to write
an article. This alone will save you a considerable amount of
time. In fact, with a detailed outline, you are less likely to
experience writers block, which could not only cost you time,
but stress as well.

In addition to saving time and stress, outlines often help
writers produce better articles. An outline acts as a guide for
you; therefore, you will find that using an outline results in
more organized articles. In fact, article writers who use
outlines are usually able to create easy to read articles. This
is because when a writer uses an outline, they often find a way
to make their article paragraphs flow together, which is
important to many readers. Your articles are more likely to be
filled with important information, if and when you use an
outline. Many article writers have great ideas, but when it
comes time to turn those ideas into an article, many writers
draw a blank. Having all of your article ideas or points that
you would like mentioned in your articles recorded in an outline
is the best way to ensure that nothing is left out. This is
just another one of the many ways that outlines help article
writers create better content.

When it comes to outlines, one of the most common questioned as
is “what should an outline look like?” In all honestly, it
really doesn’t matter. As previously mentioned, most outlines
are composed of heading and subheadings. A heading is often
used to describe the main point or topic of each paragraph.
Subheadings are often used to outline how that paragraph will be
handled; therefore, a summary of the points covered in the
paragraph will often be outlined in a subheading. The format
that you use can be a traditional outline, like what is used in
most college or high school educational programs, but the
decision is yours to make. In fact, for the best chance of
success, you are urged to create your own outline, one that you
feel comfortable making and reading.

The first step in creating an outline is to create yourself a
main point to focus on. This point is often referred to as a
thesis statement. For instance, if you are interested in
writing an article on creating your own gift baskets, your
thesis statement could be “creating your own low-cost gift
baskets,” or so on. No matter what you are writing about, your
thesis statement should be the first thing that you write down.
It is what you, essentially, will be building off of. Each of
your paragraphs and your outline’s headings and subheadings will
be dependant on your thesis statement, which, as mentioned
before, will be the main focus point of your article.

The decision as it if you want to use an outline or not is yours
to make; however, you are advised to keep the above mentioned
points in mind. Whether you find yourself struggling to find
something to write or if you are unorganized, an outline may be
the solution to your problems.

If you are looking for ways to quickly write your articles,
you should examine outlines. In the long run, they may save you
a considerable amount of money.

Affiliates/Don't Get Ripped Off

How many of you are in affiliate marketing? Let me know what your thoughts are on the subject.

For the most part, affiliate programs are a nice, easy way to
make money online. However, like many other online
opportunities, you need to be on the lookout for scams.
Internet scams are all over the place, as they are increasing in
popularity. Unfortunately, there are also scammers who are
using affiliate programs as fronts. Although it is hard to
associate good news with internet scams, there is good news.
That good news is that there are ways to make sure that you join
an affiliate program, make sales, and actually get paid for
those sales.

As previously mentioned, a large number of scammers are starting
to use affiliate programs as fronts for their scams. These scams
can take on a number of different sizes, shapes, and styles.
One of the most popular affiliate program scams involves
affiliate programs that do not pay. These programs are selling
real, legitimate products. The only problem is that many of
these affiliate programs do not pay. Essentially, you end up
doing a bunch of work for nothing. Another common affiliate
program scam involves selling a product that doesn’t even exist.
Not only will you not get paid for your hard work, but you will
also be participating in a scam that involves ripping off
consumers, by taking their money without giving them what they
paid for.

As it was mentioned above, there are a number of different ways
that you can prevent yourself from joining an affiliate program
that doesn’t pay. One of those ways involves choosing a
well-known affiliate program. If you need assistance choosing
an affiliate program, you can seek it online. There are a large
number of online websites that give accurate and updated
information on a wide variety of affiliate programs. There are
also programs, which are regularly referred to as affiliate
directories. These directories are actually in charge of
running a company’s affiliate program. Many of these programs,
which include LinkShare, come highly rated and recommend, as do
the affiliate programs they have listed in their directories.

In conjunction with researching an affiliate program, you can
also research the product that is being sold. A large number of
customers write product reviews. Many of these product reviews,
which can be both positive and negative, can be found online.
You will also want to check out websites that are known as scam
websites. Scam websites allow internet users, just like you, to
post ways that they have been scammed and by whom. You can find
information on poor quality products, individuals, companies,
and even affiliate programs that are not considered legitimate.
When researching an affiliate program or even a product, it is
important to remember that nothing and no one is perfect. While
it isn’t uncommon to find one or two negative reviews, you need
to be cautious of numerous negative reviews.

Since it is relatively easy to avoid an affiliate program scam,
you are advised to do so. If anything appears out of the
ordinary or if you suspicions are raised, you are advised to use
your common sense. In the long run, you will be glad with your
decision to do so. Not only can avoiding an affiliate program
scam ensure that you get paid, but it will also help you save
your own reputation. The last thing you want to be associated
with is an affiliate program that doesn’t deliver the products
that they promise. In fact, your name or your company’s name
could literally be drudged through the mud. While you may think
that this won’t have a long lasting impact, it might just,
especially if you plan on selling your own products in the near
future. Even if your products are quality products, many
consumers might remember you as the person who scammed them
before.

Although it is relatively easy to spot an affiliate program
scam, there are a few that might “fall threw the cracks.” If
you later determine that you are involved in an affiliate
program scam, or even just a program that is selling poor
quality products, you are advised to get out as soon as
possible. Severing your ties will help to ensure you get paid,
as well as build a good name for yourself.

Affiliate program scams do exist, but you don’t have to
live in fear of them. Just use your common sense, when it comes
to choosing an affiliate program. Common sense goes a lot
further than many imagine.

Resources: Newsletters in a Box

How to Increase Affiliate Commiissions

In today’s society, everyone is searching for easy ways to make
money. In a way, affiliate programs can be considered one of
those opportunities. If you have a website that receives a high
amount of traffic, you may be able to make money with affiliate
programs, with little or no work. Despite the possibility of
making money with little effort, you may want to think about
putting forth some effort. There are a number of relatively
easy ways that you can go about increasing your commissions.

If you are already in an affiliate program, you likely know
exactly what affiliate program commissions are. If this is your
first time joining an affiliate program, you may want to learn a
little bit more. Affiliate program commissions are just like
the commissions that many retail stores offer their employees
for making large sales. If and when you join an affiliate
program, you will be notified of your commission rate ahead of
time. Say, that rate is five percent. Every sale that you help
to generate, you will receive five percent of that sale in
commissions. Many times, all you need to do is place a link or
a banner on your website. That is why affiliate programs are
often considered on the easiest ways to make legitimate money
online.

One of the easiest ways to increase the amount of commission you
make with affiliate programs to choose your programs wisely.
When it comes to affiliate commissions, different programs offer
affiliates different commission rates. Typically, a common
commission percentage is three to five percent. There are a
select number of affiliate programs that have a ten or even a
fifteen percent commission rate for affiliates. Joining an
affiliate program that has a relatively high commission
percentage is one of the easiest ways that you can increase the
amount of money you make.

Another one of the many ways that you can go about increasing
your commission is to be successful. Although this is often
easier said than done, it can help you immensely. Most
affiliate programs reward their highest performing affiliates.
For instance, once you reach a high level of earning, like one
thousand dollars in sales, you may be promoted to a higher
commission level. Many affiliate programs do this as a way to
motivate their affiliates. If you can successfully make sales,
you can see an increase in the amount of commission you make.

In addition to choosing your affiliate programs wisely and
performing better, you can also increase your commissions
through experimentation. There are a large number of different
ways that you can go about increasing your affiliate program
commissions. The only thing is that not all of these ways work
for everyone. The best thing that you can do is experiment.
You will need to take the time to see what works for you and
what doesn’t. When experimenting, you may want to try writing
affiliate product reviews or recommendations, sending out
monthly newsletters, optimizing your website for search engines,
or submitting articles to article directories.

It is also important that you give it time. Increasing your
affiliate commissions is not something that will happen
overnight. The only way that you can increase your commissions
right off the bat is by signing up with a high paying affiliate
program. However, even with those programs, you are not
guaranteed to make any sales right away. If you are interested
in using search engine optimization on your site, sending out
newsletters, or submitting to article directories, you need to
give these methods time to work. Although you may want to see
results right away, it doesn’t matter if it helps one week from
now or two months from now, at least you will be able to see an
increase in your commissions.

By keeping the above mentioned points in mind, you should be
able to see an increase in the amount of money you make with
affiliate programs. After time, you may very well end up making
a full-time income just with affiliate programs

Choosing A Profitable Affiliate Program

Choosing A Profitable Affiliate Program



Affiliate programs are a great way to make money online; if you
choose the right affiliate program. That it why it is extremely
important that you carefully choose which affiliate program or
programs you want to join. When it comes to choosing an
affiliate program, do you know what to look for you? If this is
your first time joining an affiliate program, you are urged to
keep on reading. Below are some guidelines that you may want to
think about following.

Perhaps, the most important thing that you need to remember,
when choosing an affiliate program, is to not pick the first
affiliate program that you come across. This is a big mistake
that many affiliate program participants make. Unfortunately
for you, this can be a costly mistake. What many do not realize
is that the product you choose to promote will reflect on you
and your business. That is why it is important that you take the
time to thoroughly examine an affiliate program first. You will
want to choose an affiliate program that involves a product that
you can stand behind, one hundred percent.

One of the best ways to know that you are dealing with a
legitimate affiliate program and a quality product is to test
that product out. Although you are advised to do this, you may
not want to or you may be unable to do so. If that is the case,
you can still research an affiliate program or even the product
that is being sold. You can easily do this online. One of the
best ways to do your research is to perform a standard internet
search. Search with the name of the affiliate program or the
product being sold. You can also check out websites that are
known as scam websites. These websites tend to profile
companies, individuals, or business opportunities that regularly
scam consumers.

Before applying for or signing up for an affiliate program, you
are advised to read all of the rules, restrictions, or
guidelines associated with that affiliate program.
Unfortunately, you may find yourself disqualified from an
affiliate program right off the bat. For instance, there are a
large number of affiliate programs that prohibit their products
from being advertised on websites that display pornography, foul
language, and other offensive content. Familiarizing yourself
with an affiliate program’s rules and guidelines will prevent
you from being denied from a program or later dismissed from
one.

Perhaps, one of the most important things to remember, when
choosing an affiliate program, is the product that you will have
to sell. In conjunction with making sure that the product is a
quality one, you will also want to make sure that it is related
to your website or business, in one way or another. For
instance, if your own website focuses on computer programming,
you will not want to join an affiliate program that sells pet
products. Joining an affiliate program that is related, in one
way or another, to your own website may increase your chances of
making a sale; thus increasing your profits.

Although it is important to choose a quality product to stand
behind, you also need to remember that your goal is to make
money. One of the easiest ways to make a substantial amount of
money is to choose an affiliate program that pays their
affiliates decently. The average commission for affiliates is
three to five percent of each sale made. While this is a good
percentage to make, there are higher paying affiliate programs.
You may want to look for affiliate programs that pay around ten
percent. In fact, there are even a select number of affiliate
programs that pay around fifteen percent in commissions.

The above mentioned guidelines are just a few of the many that
you will want to take into consideration, when choosing an
affiliate program. Although the above mentioned points are
helpful, the most important thing to keep in mind is your
judgment. Using your best judgment is the easiest way to choose
an effective affiliate program.

If carefully chosen, you could easily make a full-time
living just with affiliate programs.