An allegorical poem for “credit crunch” daysIt was the time for our annual rush
To jump off the cliff and land with a crush,
When one bright one amongst us meekly said:
“I would much rather stay home in my bed”.
We stopped there, looked at each other and said:
“Mass suicide is really rather sad;
Let’s phone Samaritans and ask for help,
Before we decide to jump with a yelp.”
One old one amongst us reached for his phone,
Started dialling with a moan and groan,
Then just waited for someone to answer,
With his heart beating faster and faster.
But there was no luck, no reply at all,
No Samaritans to answer our call,
So we shrugged our shoulders and with a sigh,
Started marching again, ready to die
Singing, shouting: “ If only… only if…”
As we hurled ourselves down from the darned cliff…
My comment:
Hope and wait for other’s help only if
You are prepared to die under a cliff…
© P. J. Oszmann (2009)
RedHot-SearchTips Illustration borrowed from public domain
Postscript:
“Stumbling upon” the cartoon on the internet, combined with current
“Credit Crunch” blues and mentality inspired this poem.
About The Author:-------------------------------------------------------
Peter Oszmann can help YOU start your own profitable business on the Internet within the next 24 hours...
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
Secrets of Profit from Adsense Also at:
http://www.how2trade4profit.com/pips.html Labels: Credit Crunch, Lemmings, Make money with Adsense, Samaritans
Feeling Adrift
Last year proved to be one of the most difficult years in my life.
For the past five years my wife had been fighting a brave and determined fight against cancer. Early last year she began loosing her fight and from February onward things went from bad to worse.
In the months of June and July she had been admitted to seven different hospitals in quick successions for examinations, minor surgery, scans, tests and treatment.
At home I was her sole carer and as she was loosing strength I dealt with all household chores as well as taking her to outpatient clinics, etc.
I had no time for blogging or anything else. I felt burned out.
In mid August she finally lost her fight and passed away in the early hours of the 15th of August 2007, at home.
With that my life came to an abrupt halt too. Loosing a partner after 55 years of being together leaves a gigantic hole in ones life that is impossible to fill.
I am still numb from the loss and find it very hard to focus, to concentrate on anything other than the bare essentials. On a day-to-day basis I cope in a fashion, but I feel "adrift" like a castaway.
I have no idea how long it will take to get back to a semblance of normality; others, with same or similar experiences, tell me it can take a long time.
I seem to have lost direction… at least for the time being… but I am starting to realise that I must regain some focus soon… so, bear with me… I'm working towards a "come-back"…
Watch this space…
And thank you for bearing with me…
http://www.authorsden.com/peteroszmann
Jew Be Or Not Jew Be
The Story Of A Perpetual Alien
The sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous, thoroughly compelling true story of a young Hungarian Jewish boy and his family, escaping the fate of Hitler's extermination camps.
Jew Be or Not Jew Be; The Story of a Perpetual Alien is an autobiographical novel, a compelling
true story of an assimilated Hungarian middle class Jewish family. It documents aspects of life, escape and survival within the history of the Holocaust. Seen through the eyes of a young child it describes sometimes sad, sometimes poignant events and at other times hilariously comic moments of sheer defiance in the face of adversity.
Rabbi Julia Neuberger commented in a letter to the author about his book: - "I can't believe how long I've had your book - and here is at last my view on it. First, I much enjoyed it, if enjoyed is the right term. - I learned, laughed and cried."
Read A Professional Review HereVisit The Author At Authors DenMore About The Book, with Readers ReviewsBuy The Book: Jew Be or Not Jew Be; The Story of a Perpetual Alien
EMPOWERISM
The REAL Solution to NetMarketing Success
"It's time to put your NetMarketing business on FAST FORWARD with ALL of the tools and training you need to become a SUCCESS on the Internet! All this in a nice, tidy package that's affordable to the masses and pays out a five-figure income!"
Others have tried it.
Empowerism has perfected it...
Here Are the Facts:
If you aren't using all the latest tools to build your business, you will never reach your potential for wealth on the Internet.
Email Marketing is more or less OUT! Google, Yahoo, and Blogging are IN! Mastering these tools can make you a FORTUNE, and
Empowerism can get you there. Everyone from your 12-year-old son to your 80-year-old grandmother can follow their guidance and succeed.
If you don't know who to trust among the THOUSANDS of people trying to sell you "keys to success," then you'll spend WAY too much money on WAY too much information, and end up quitting in frustration.
Empowerism has once again stepped forward as the Leader of the Pack, the Best of the Best - the company that other Internet Marketing websites have been emulating since 1998.
Click Here To Join NOW! -------------------------------------------------------
Peter Oszmann can help YOU
start your own profitable business on the Internet
within the next 24 hours...
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.how2trade4profit.com/pips.html--------------------------------------------------
About SFISince 1998,
SFI has been leading the Internet income revolution with its cutting edge affiliate program that empowers even average people to earn $20, $50, even $100 per hour working from their home computer.
SFI has shown millions of men and women from over 200 countries worldwide how to cash in on the Internet. In fact, their system is so successful that OVER 8000 people join
SFI every week!
SFI is totally
FREE for affiliates to join. And there's absolutely
NO OBLIGATION. SFI provides you with
FREE Websites, a
FREE course that teaches you everything you need to know to make money online ($295 value), and hundreds of exciting products to stock your online store shelves with.
Plus,
SFI takes care of all orders, product shipments, and customer service for you. You just have to cash the commission checks!
Learn About SFI HereThousands are getting rich on the Internet. So can YOU!
Their FREE package will show you how to get YOUR share of the e-commerce revolution.
The FREE Package includes:
FREE book!
FREE audio cassette!
FREE CD-ROM!
6 FREE Special Reports!
and much MORE!!
Total value is OVER $585!!
No obligationCheck it out! Now!Learn More About SFI
Creative and Profitable Ways to Use AutorespondersAn interested visitor who has been strolling through your
site has finally come to just what she is looking for and
is about to make a purchase. It's a sunny afternoon, and
her cat, who happens to be sitting on the moss under the
visitor's large fifty-year-old snow-rose bonsai tree,
suddenly jumps down, and the priceless tree topples over.
In the blink of an eye, your visitor exits your site, and
your sale is dust - unless you have had the foresight to
utilize an autoresponder that has captured her email
address. If you have installed an autoresponder, you can
then follow-up with her, and in all probability, make the
sale when the poor woman has finished re-potting her
precious bonsai.
Autoresponders are remarkable, versatile programs that do
so much more than just automatically answer your email.
Here are a few ideas that will help you to creatively and
productively use your autoresponder to transform the casual
visitor into a profitable customer. Use your autoresponder
to:
1. Publish a newsletter. Certain quality autoresponders
will manage subscriptions and follow-up with interested
prospects. Your newsletter can keep your visitors informed
about your services or products, while building your
reputation as a credible expert in your particular
business.
2. Publish a newsletter only for your affiliates. Inform
them of current sales you are running and of promotional
material that your affiliates can use themselves to
increase their commissions. Include tips, advice, and
techniques that your affiliates can use to successfully go
out and promote your business.
3. Write reviews. Cover books, software, music, e-books,
movies, etc., and put each review in an autoresponder.
Review your affiliate programs, using a link to your
affiliate's page in your autoresponder.
4. Distribute your articles. Writing and distributing
targeted articles is a powerful tool to build your business
credibility, bring traffic to your site, and increase your
sales potential. If your articles contain valuable
information, many editors will print what is known as a
resource box for you. A resource box contains your bio and
a brief description of your service or product. It can also
contain your autoresponder address. Let's say you've
written fifty articles. Put them on separate autoresponder
accounts and create a master list that contains the titles
of each article, the autoresponder address, and a brief
abstract. Then promote your master list. Additionally,
include your publishing guidelines so your affiliates can
add their articles to your list, increasing the number of
writers who are represented in your article list.
5. Create mailing lists. Inform subscribers to your
articles when you've written new ones that they may want to
publish in their own newsletter or website.
6. Automate your sales process. Use an ad to insure
repeated exposure of your message, which has been proven
effectively to increase sales. In your ad, put your
autoresponder address where a visitor will be exposed to
numerous marketing materials. This multiplies the chances
of converting visitors into customers. For example, if
you're selling a particular product, put testimonials about
how spectacular it is on your autoresponder, and add a
detailed, enticing description of your product.
7. Distribute advertising. Let's say you sell advertising
on your website or in your newsletter or e-zine. Set your
autoresponder to send the information about rates and how
to place an ad automatically to all prospects' email
addresses. Then have your autoresponder follow-up. It can
also send notification of any special deals you are
currently offering.
8. Distribute an email course. Each day, have your
autoresponder send out another lesson. Just be sure that
each lesson has quality content - not a sales pitch. Your
content will do the selling for you, and will do it much
more effectively. You can include tips centred on a
different topic for each lesson, illustrating how your
product will benefit the reader. Include the tangible
benefits the visitor will reap by purchasing your product.
Make sure to include a paragraph or two at the end of each
lesson enticing your prospect to consider making a
purchase.
9. Automate a reminder about your service or product after
a visitor has completed your course. This will increase the
possibility of sales from visitors who have taken your
course but are dragging their feet about actually making a
purchase. You can also use these reminders to promote new
products or services, and the products and services of your
affiliate programs.
10. Distribute free reports. This gives your visitor an
idea of the type of information you can provide and the
quality of your product or service. Make sure these reports
are not sales letters or you will more than likely lose a
potential customer than gain a sale.
11. Create trivia quizzes on your site and place the
answers in an autoresponder. Your visitor will then be
motivated to request your autoresponder, and you will have
a record of the visitors' email addresses who took your
quiz. Or create a contest and have any visitors that enter
send their responses to your autoresponder. Your
autoresponder can be set-up to send them a confirmation of
their entry.
12. Offer a trial version of your product. Give your
prospects a sample of your ebook, course, software,
membership, etc. People who are exposed to a little taste
often end up wanting the whole pie. You can also capture
their email addresses when you offer them a free trial from
your website. Set up your autoresponder to give
instructions on how to obtain their free trial, and then
make sure to follow-up to try and close the sale.
13. Link to hidden pages on your autoresponder. For
example, a hidden page could be your affiliate page that
contains graphics, promotional articles, and text links
that interested affiliates can make use of. Inform visitors
that they may have free access to your affiliate page by
simply requesting your autoresponder. You will then gather
a list of visitors who may be interested in becoming your
affiliates.
14. Use an autoresponder on your order page. Post a request
form for visitors to be notified of special offers or
discounts in the future. This creates a very effective
mailing list that contains the names of people who are
already your customers.
15. Put your links page on your autoresponder. It should
contain up to fifty links that would be of particular
interest to your visitors. Make sure to add your own
promotional copy at the top or bottom of this page.
Now that you have proof that autoresponders can be used
creatively, see if you can come up with some brilliant
ideas of your own!
About The Author:-------------------------------------------------
Peter Oszmann can help YOU start your own profitable
business on the Internet within the next 24 hours...
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.how2trade4profit.com/pips.html--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thank you! :-)
Introduction to Autoresponders
If you've reached the point of exhaustion trying to keep up
with answering the mountain of emails that threatens to
bury you alive every single day; you're ready to learn
about autoresponders.
The bad news is that people expect prompt replies to their
email inquiries. However, unless you can figure out how to
work continual twenty-four hour shifts, or hire enough
people to constantly monitor incoming emails (while they're
eating up your revenue), you have a problem. The good news
is an autoresponder is an inexpensive - or even free -
method of quickly responding to emails. What these programs
do is automatically respond to incoming emails as soon as
they are received.
Emails are essential to your business for many different
reasons. Most importantly, these invisible email voices
give you their feedback about your website - for free!
However, if you spend all your working hours answering
these emails, how are you supposed to run your business?
The answer is simple: use autoresponders. Autoresponders
are programs that automatically respond to your emails
without you so much as having to click on your mouse.
There are a number of good reasons why you need an
autoresponder besides just answering your email. For
example, autoresponders can be used if you need a way to
send information about your services or products, price
lists, or if there are repeated questions asked across
large numbers of emails. Maybe you want to offer your site
visitors a special bonus of some kind, such as advice or
relevant articles. All of this can be handled by an
autoresponder. Additionally, you can advertise your
business and then build stable relationships with your
customers by using autoresponders.
Autoresponder programs vary from software that runs with
your email program to a specialized script that runs on
your web hosting company's server. This kind of script may
use a web page form or simply operate with your email
account. This kind of script is programmed to send out a
standardized message whenever an email is received. The
message is sent to a particular script or email address.
Some autoresponders can do more than simply send out
standardized messages. They can send out an unlimited
number of follow-up messages sent at predetermined interval
of time. For example, you can set your autoresponder to
send out a new message every day for as long a period as
you desire.
There are numerous companies who offer autoresponders free
of charge. Your website hosting company often provides
autoresponders as a free service. If this is not the case
with your web hosting company, there are numerous companies
who offer this service for a small fee, or free of charge,
providing you attach an advertisement for their company to
your emails.
To personalize your autoresponder messages, you can attach
a signature. Signatures in this case are much like business
cards. You can include your name, company, all your contact
numbers and addresses, and a brief message.
It's a good idea to attach a signature to every email that
is sent out. This works as a repeated reminder of your
business identity every time a customer sees it. The more
they look at your signature, the more likely your company
will spring to mind when your particular service or product
is needed.
You can create a standardized signature that every employee
in your business uses, or you can go wild, and let every
staff member create their own personal signature. Of
course, like everything in life, there are some rules and
guidelines to creating a personal signature.
Keep the length of your signature between four to six lines
of text, with no more than 70 characters in a single line.
Make sure that your email program does not cut off your
text! The content should include your name, your company
name, your email address, fax number, and any other contact
details, such as 800 numbers. Lastly, always include a
short personal message about your company. It should be a
subtle sell of your services or your products, and possibly
your company's reliability and longevity.
Another specialized use of autoresponders is to create
courses that you can then offer your site visitors for
free. You must choose a topic in which you are an expert
and that precisely targets your potential customers.
Once you have carefully chosen your subject, divide it into
a number of different sub-topics. Then offer your site
visitor a free 10 or 15 day course, each day offering a
different sub-topic. The first topic should always be a
welcome message to your site visitor and an explanation
about what is to follow. Your explanation should be
enticing, getting the point across that you are offering
free, quality information that your target audience will
find of great value.
With every lesson, include the number of the lesson, the
topic title, information about your company and its
services or products. At the end, include a few blurbs
about the next lesson to entice the subscriber to continue
on.
Make sure each topic is packed with essential and valuable
information, and leaves the visitor lusting to know more.
Otherwise, you may lose them in the very beginning.
Of course, you have to write up your course before you can
offer it. Once you have done this, and gone over the
material carefully, employing a professional writer or
editor if necessary, you must transfer your text to your
autoresponder.
There are a number of free autoresponders you can use. Try
http:/www.getresponse.com, or http://www.fastfacts.net. Or
go onto Google and you will find a long list of free
autoresponder companies. Then sign-up for your chosen
autoresponder. Once you do, you will receive instructions
as to how to set it up and transfer your text.
Email is an excellent marketing tool; it is inexpensive and
it is fast. Use it to advertise your business by choosing
your email address carefully. Your website should contain
different email addresses for different contact requests.
For example, use info@yourdomain.com for information
requests, or sales@yourdomain.com for questions about
sales. It's a good idea to set up one for the owner, such
as president@yourdomain.com. This presents your company in
a personal, approachable light and insures that direct
contact is provided.
Autoresponders are an effective and powerful marketing
tool, allowing you to make contact with thousands of
potential customers. This is an invaluable asset
considering how many potential customers you usually have
contact with before you make an actual sale. Essentially,
an autoresponser allows you to automate part of your
marketing campaign.
About The Author:-------------------------------------------------------
Peter Oszmann can help YOU
start your own profitable business on the Internet
within the next 24 hours...
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.how2trade4profit.com/pips.html--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thank you! :-)
The Seminar.
“Good morning” - yelled the speaker of the seminar,
Smiling, posing like an overblown superstar,
His hand to his ear, audience response to gauge.
As Shakespeare declared once: “All the world is a stage”,
Full of actors, characters, full of empty lines
And slippery mammals… mostly without the spines…
The spellbound audience listened to every word,
Promising riches that could fill the whole wide world,
In exchange for few hours of work… and a fat fee…
Everyone sitting there millionaire would be…
…Listening there I could not help thinking all the while,
What the holes weigh in a kilo of Emmental*…
© P. J. Oszmann (2004)
© Illustration created in Photoshop (2005)
* for those not familiar with Emmental it is a Swiss cheese full of big holes…
…just like the promises made on the “get rich quick” seminars…About The Author:-------------------------------------------------------
Peter Oszmann can help YOU
start your own profitable business on the Internet
within the next 24 hours...
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.how2trade4profit.com/pips.htmlHe also writes poetry, articles and stories and author of an Autobiographical novel. More of his writing can be viewed at:
http://authorsden.com/peteroszmann--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
poem within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the poem and copyright note fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thank you! :-)
Learn About the Most Reliable, Easiest,
Cost Effective Tool to Capture Visitor Sign UpsSend Unlimited Follow Ups and Newsletters
Increasing Your Profits.
Join Thousands of Others Who've Discovered AWeber's
Unlimited Autoresponders, Follow Ups, Newsletters, and
Toll-Free Expert Customer Service with 8+ Years of Experience.
AWeber.com--------------------------------------------------
Peter Oszmann can help YOUstart your own profitable
business on the Internet within the next 24 hours...
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.how2trade4profit.com/pips.html--------------------------------------------------
Passive Income Secrets
Ewen Chia Interviews Stone Evans - Get Rich On The Internet Quickly, Easily and Lazily.
CLICK HERE NOW TO LISTEN
