Recently a friend of mine has introduced Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books. Terry Pratchett is both a hugely popular and critically acclaimed author from England. He has sold over 70 million books, has been appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his continued service to literature, and even holds the title for most shoplifted author.
Discworld takes place in a flat fantasy world balanced on the back of four giant elephants who are themselves carried on the back of a giant turtle. It combines elements of fantasy, comedy, satire, and science fiction to provide an unique experience. If you are looking for a something refreshing to read I recommend that you give this series a try. From the first book The Color Of Magic, to the upcoming 37th book, I shall Wear Midnight, Terry Pratchett has provided a huge world to be explored.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Get Paid While Making Your Opinions Known With Surveys
Wouldn't it be great if you could affect the decisions that are made by major companies regarding the products that they offer? By taking marketing surveys you can do that while getting paid at the same time. With the power of the Internet you can find hundreds of sites offering to pay you money to take surveys.
The problem becomes telling the real opportunities from the scams. With proper research you can find which ones are legitimate paid surveys and which ones are not.
The first trap to look for is companies that require you to pay them a fee before they will send you surveys. A legitimate company pays you, not the other way around. Run, don't walk, from these companies.
It is imperative to do your research first. Look for well established companies with proper credentials. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
This is not saying that surveys are to be avoided. By spending a bit of my time taking them I have earned some extra pocket money while affecting future products. It is exhilarating to see a product you helped shape at the stores. I've made a few mistakes along the way, but it has also been an enjoyable experience.
The problem becomes telling the real opportunities from the scams. With proper research you can find which ones are legitimate paid surveys and which ones are not.
The first trap to look for is companies that require you to pay them a fee before they will send you surveys. A legitimate company pays you, not the other way around. Run, don't walk, from these companies.
It is imperative to do your research first. Look for well established companies with proper credentials. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
This is not saying that surveys are to be avoided. By spending a bit of my time taking them I have earned some extra pocket money while affecting future products. It is exhilarating to see a product you helped shape at the stores. I've made a few mistakes along the way, but it has also been an enjoyable experience.
Friday, April 06, 2007
New Look
I've finally taking advantage of the new features that Blogger offers. Most notable are the addition of news feeds and videos. Hopefully, this will add a little more to your experience. I've also changed from the dots template that so many have complained about. It holds a warm place in my heart but I've had it longf enough and could use a change. Let me know what you think of the new look and features. I sincerely hope that you like them.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Making A Forum Active
When starting a new forum the hardest thing to do is making it active. No matter how nice the design is, and how well you promote it, with out an active community you will have a very hard time turning visitors into members. People only want to join a forum that is active.
This may seem like a catch-22. Without members you can not have activity and without activity you will not have posters. The trick is to make your newly launched forum look active through several methods.
The first and most active poster should be yourself. If you can't be bothered to post how can you expect others to. Instead of simply posting with one username, you can post with several. It may seem underhanded but can give the illusion of activity.
Next ask your friends and colleagues to help you. Many times they share the same interest as you and can make a strong contribution. Some people have had great success launching their forum with a posting party. Invite everyone over, provide some food, drink, and entertainment, and let the posting commence.
After this you may still want to bring in more posters. Paid posting services are one possible technique. Be very careful of who you hire. Far too many paid posters are willing to do cut and paste jobs and other shay tactics. I ussually like to test them out with a small sample package.
What I find works better than paying for posts is doing post exchanges with other forums. Admin Fusion and The Admin Zone are two great places to find them. The great thing is that you can monitor what you recieve and give back posts of equal value.
By utilizing these techniques you can greatly increase the activity level of your forum. Now when visitors find your site they will find a vibrant community that when they visit they will be compelled to join.
This may seem like a catch-22. Without members you can not have activity and without activity you will not have posters. The trick is to make your newly launched forum look active through several methods.
The first and most active poster should be yourself. If you can't be bothered to post how can you expect others to. Instead of simply posting with one username, you can post with several. It may seem underhanded but can give the illusion of activity.
Next ask your friends and colleagues to help you. Many times they share the same interest as you and can make a strong contribution. Some people have had great success launching their forum with a posting party. Invite everyone over, provide some food, drink, and entertainment, and let the posting commence.
After this you may still want to bring in more posters. Paid posting services are one possible technique. Be very careful of who you hire. Far too many paid posters are willing to do cut and paste jobs and other shay tactics. I ussually like to test them out with a small sample package.
What I find works better than paying for posts is doing post exchanges with other forums. Admin Fusion and The Admin Zone are two great places to find them. The great thing is that you can monitor what you recieve and give back posts of equal value.
By utilizing these techniques you can greatly increase the activity level of your forum. Now when visitors find your site they will find a vibrant community that when they visit they will be compelled to join.
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