Issue #2549
- WEALTHY: The only reason to invest in a company (Andrew Gordon)
- HEALTHY: Who’s conspiring against your weight-loss efforts? (Craig Ballantyne)
- WISE: Harriet Goldhor Lerner on being connected
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- It’s all about links (Alexis Siemon)
- A Christmas project that bloomed (Rick Pendergraft)
- It’s Good to Know… 3 ways to prevent static fires at the gas pump
- Add “bulwark” to your vocabulary
== Highly Recommended ==
Why Get Your Hands Dirty When You Don’t Have to?
Where there’s a stampede, there’s an opportunity…
Thousands of wannabe entrepreneurs have jumped on a bandwagon to find, fix-up and flip foreclosures.
They thought they were being smart. They thought they were doing the opposite to the crowd and had the license to print money.
Little do they know… they ARE the crowd!
Now, please don’t misunderstand me. It’s a fact that many properties (sadly) are becoming available at rock bottom prices due to foreclosure. It’s also a fact that a few people are making money by flipping foreclosures…
And they’re earning every penny (when it all works out)!
Flipping foreclosures may sound great in principle, but stop and think about what you have to go through to achieve that…
Not my idea of easy money.
Your Reason for Buying Determines Your Ultimate Investment Success
Why do you buy a particular stock?
Check the choice you most agree with…
___ The stock has bottomed.
___ The stock is dirt-cheap.
___ The stock is offering a huge dividend.
___ A majority of analysts have rated it a “buy.”
___ It offers an attractive return in the long term.
Buying into a company because it has bottomed is a non-sequitur. You can’t really know when it has bottomed. Even if it has dropped 95 percent, you could see it drop another 50 percent.
Buying a cheap company just because its price is low is tempting… but not smart. Many companies are cheap for a reason. Some aren’t. The former you should ignore. The latter are much better investment opportunities. (More on that in a few seconds.)
Huge dividends lure many investors. But understand that some dividends are high because investors are fleeing the stock… lowering the share price… and thus raising the dividend yield. Before you buy, you have to ask yourself why so many other investors are selling the stock. It’s only a matter of time before many such companies reduce their dividend rates.
Highly rated companies are safe bets, right? Two things you need to know. First, many analysts engage in ratings inflation. If the company doesn’t stink to high heaven, it gets a “buy” rating from Wall Street. Second, if all (or most) of the analysts are rating the company high, there’s no room for them to upgrade it – and news of a ratings upgrade brings in new investors in droves. I prefer analysts to be lukewarm (at best) about a company. If the company is any good, ratings will rise, bringing in new investors who will drive up the price.
The only reason to buy into a company is if you think it will give you good returns in the long term compared to other investments. Such companies may go down some in the short term – but they have demonstrated an ability to grow profits, manage their cash prudently, are in pretty good sectors, and are reasonably priced. Getting a great price on companies like these is not necessary, although in this market it’s not hard to find them at 40-60 percent off. All the better.
[Ed. Note: Finding strong companies that meet ETR Investment Director Andrew Gordon's criteria is a great way to prosper despite the market's condition. But you can also make money on companies that are ready to crumble. Learn how to spot the "red flag" signals that could predict (with as much as 92 percent certainty) when a company's stock is going to tank.]
“Only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self. And only through working on the self can we begin to enhance our connectedness to others.”
Harriet Goldhor Lerner
Make 2009 Your Best Year Ever – Resolution #5: Become a Killer Link Builder
A link is a shortcut to quickly get you from one website to another. If you can harness the power of the link, you can make your website a force to be reckoned with. That means higher search engine rankings, more traffic to your site, and, eventually, more customers and more money in your pocket.
That’s why one of your New Year’s resolutions should be to become a master link builder. Today, I’m going to show you just how to do it.
Link building is one of the most important aspects of search engine optimization (SEO). When you attract links from other relevant websites, that tells the search engines that yours is a site to be trusted, and, therefore, displayed for relevant keyword searches.
The process of building those connections can be tedious. First you have to find sites in your niche, determine whether they’re relevant and of respectable quality, and then figure out the best way to contact the people behind them. It can be overwhelming. But I have three simple steps to get you started.
Link-Building Step #1: Link Research
The first step is to do a bit of research. What kinds of sites do you want to get links from? How do you go about finding them? There are several strategies, but one that will get you going in the right direction is to research your competitors’ links.
Let’s say you just launched a new site selling homebrew supplies. You would likely know that a popular competitive supply shop is NorthernBrewer.com. By finding the sites that link to the Northern Brewer website, you would instantly have a list of relevant sites that would potentially be willing to link to your site as well.
And you don’t need any fancy software. Both Google and Yahoo provide ways to perform this link research right from their websites:
• Link research on Google. To research the sites linking to your competitor, Northern Brewer, on Google, you would enter the following in Google’s search box:
- link:http://www.northernbrewer.com
• Link research on Yahoo. To research the sites linking to your competitor, Northern Brewer, on Yahoo, you would go to a special section of Yahoo’s site called Site Explorer (https://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/) and enter Northern Brewer’s URL in the field at the top. Make sure to click the “inlinks” tab to get the list you are looking for.
Now Google is a little stingy with their information. They will typically display only a portion of the links that they have in their database, which is why it’s a good idea to use Yahoo’s Site Explorer as well. In our example, you’d see that Google shows only 352 links for Northern Brewer while Yahoo shows 62,810.
Any way you slice it, that’s a lot of links. Now the hard work starts. You have to go through all those sites and determine which ones you want to have link to your site. Why not just pick them all? Well, just because a site is linking to Northern Brewer doesn’t mean they were asked to do it. Remember, any website can link to any other website for any reason at all… and without the site owner’s knowledge. There can be some link farms and other dubious low-quality sites in the mix, and you definitely don’t want to get links from them.
Link-Building Step #2: Link Quality
You want the good links – the high-quality, relevant, highly trafficked websites. So how do you weed them out? There are a few online tools that can help you make the distinction between a good link and a bad link.
• Alexa.com and Compete.com. These websites give you a general idea of the kind of traffic a particular site gets, and that can help you determine the quality of the site. High traffic typically means high quality.
• Google Toolbar PageRank (PR). Always controversial in SEO circles, many debate whether this particular little number means anything at all. Whenever I mention it, I always recommend taking it with a grain of salt. But a site with a higher Google PR is seen by Google as a higher quality site with a respectable number of links. In other words, a website you would want a link from.
These are good tools to have on your side, but not the only ways to determine the quality of a potential link. You can also use a kind of website common sense.
• Does the site have quality relevant content?
• If the site makes it possible for users to leave comments about its content, are they participating? This can be a sign of how active the site’s community is – a sign of quality.
• Does the site consist of nothing but links to other sites? If it’s not a known directory like Yahoo, etc. it’s likely a link farm – so stay away.
• Does the site have good design and navigation? Or does it look like it was patched together with FrontPage in 1998 and left to die?
Once you’ve identified the websites you definitely want to target for links, you have to determine the best way to approach each one.
Link-Building Step #3: Link Request
Gone are the days of the generic link request form letter. E-mails addressed “To Whom It May Concern” are usually deleted automatically by website owners
Link requests are now a request for a kind of partnership. That doesn’t necessarily mean reciprocal linking, but it does mean that site owners want to know that you have a genuine interest in their sites, not just in the “link juice” they can pass on to you.
Try to get familiar with the sites you want a link from. If you are targeting a blog, read it. Make some non-link-related comments. If you become part of the blog’s community, you’ll find the site owner much more receptive to a follow-up link request. You may also find that other commenters on that site have their own sites – and they may be willing to link to you.
If you find that you have no choice but to send a cold e-mail, try your best to find the e-mail address of a person to send it to. Not just a webmaster@ or info@ e-mail address. And when you write to that person, make it personal. Talk to them about why you like their site and why you think a link to you would be a fit for their readers/customers. Spouting off stats about your PageRank and traffic could be a turnoff for the site owner. If those things are really important to him, he knows how to do his own research (and will).
Link building may be a slow and tedious process – but it’s an absolutely necessary part of a successful SEO initiative. Knowing how to get started will make it much easier for you to build the links you need. And once you start acquiring some really solid quality links, you will no doubt begin to see improvement in your search engine rankings, your website traffic, and even your sales.
[Ed. Note: Running a successful online business takes more than just throwing up a website - but it doesn't have to be complicated or confusing. Get a step-by-step guide to link building, search engine optimization, and more as a member of ETR's Internet Money Club. Spaces are limited, so find out now if there are any spots left for the "Class" of 2009.]
Your Special Holiday Gift from Early to Rise
Alexis Siemon shares a simple technique that anyone can use to dive into search engine marketing – no experience or technical skills needed!
Embed video link below:
[ETRVideos]KBoglBWzRbY[/ETRVideos]
Is This the Easiest Way to Make Money Online?
You could make over $3,000 for just an hour’s worth of work. Pretty easy work, too. And you can repeat this process time and again… with no website, no products, and no processing credit cards. And certainly no shipping or customer service headaches!
All you need is a computer and Internet access. Go ahead and take a moment to check out this new opportunity and see how to get started right away.
How to Win the Fat-Loss War
Every day, sneaky saboteurs are trying to defeat you in the fat-loss war. Everyone – from family to friends to co-workers to restaurant owners to TV advertisers – is conspiring against you to make you eat more and exercise less.
They might not be doing it on purpose or with bad intentions, but they are happier when you are fed, full, and flat out on the couch.
So you must always know your options.
You must have Plans A, B, C, D, and E. You must be prepared to counterattack. When they say “pizza,” you say “sushi.” When they say “take-out,” you say, “I’ve already prepared my lunch.” When they say “happy hour,” you say “workout first.”
And you must surround yourself with people who are fitter and healthier than you. The power of social support and POSITIVE peer pressure will help you take your health and fitness to the next level.
[Ed. Note: Finding health-conscious people with whom you can share your weight-loss struggles, diet and exercise techniques, and encouragement can help you lose weight. For a free source of support and a community of like-minded men and women, click here.
And for a topnotch fitness program that can help you burn fat and build muscle, check out Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program right here.]
My Favorite Holiday Tradition: Making Myriads of Kids Smile
To me, the holidays are all about the kids. At some point, we all reach the age when our parents have to get us up to open presents rather than the other way around. And once you reach this age, the holidays are a lot more fun when there are little kids around.
One of the accomplishments I am most proud of revolves around the holidays and kids (though not my own kids).
In December of 1984, my senior year of high school, I helped start a tradition in my hometown of New Castle, Indiana. My sociology class was going to “adopt” a family for Christmas, and we were all going to donate money to buy them food and toys. While I was all for it, I had what I thought was an even better idea.
I proposed to my teacher – and my mother – that instead of adopting one family, each student in my class would adopt one of the children in my mother’s Head Start class. The very first time we did this was in my senior year, and I baked cookies and bought candy canes for each and every one of the children. We had a volunteer dressed as Santa Claus, and my classmates bought these underprivileged kids – who otherwise would not have received much of anything for Christmas – toys, bikes, footballs, and all kinds of goodies.
Over the years, as my mom went to conventions and met other Head Start teachers, she kept spreading the word about what we did. The last I heard, there are over 25 classes doing it throughout the Midwest.
That first time, in 1984, I could have never guessed how it would catch on. The programs in New Castle now have corporate sponsors that buy the children clothes (and other things too). The entire high school is involved, not just the Social Studies department. And most of the local Head Start kids are adopted by two or three high school kids.
The last time I was able to make it back for the party, they had to hold it in an elementary school gym in order to fit in all the Head Start kids and the high school kids. The pre-schoolers were walking out with armloads of “stuff.” To see the smiles on their faces was an incredible feeling. To know that my mother and I started this tradition makes it that much more gratifying. Every time I think about it, I want to schedule a trip back home for Christmas so I can be there. And I get a little choked up thinking about how many kids this has positively affected over the years.
As the Oak Ridge Boys say in their Christmas classic, “Thank God for kids.”
[Ed. Note: What's your favorite holiday tradition? Let us know right here.]
It’s Good to Know: 3 Ways to Prevent Static Fires at the Gas Pump
You probably know not to light up a cigarette when refueling your car. But there’s another fire danger at the gas pump you may not be aware of: static electricity.
According to a survey from the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI), most static fires occur when people return to their cars during the refueling process. You can pick up an electrical charge when sliding in or out of your car. Then, when you touch a metal surface – like the gas cap or the fuel nozzle – you can create a spark. The spark, in turn, ignites the fumes from the gasoline.
Approximately 100 static-related gas station fires occur each year, according to the research firm Fowler Associates – so your chances of being involved in one are slim. However, to keep yourself – and those around you – safe while filling your tank, the PEI suggests taking these three precautions:
1. Turn off your engine.
2. Don’t smoke.
3. Never re-enter your vehicle while refueling.
== Highly Recommended ==
An Almost Magical Switch That Could Put All Your Dreams Within Reach
We’re all born with two things: The same 24 hours in the day. And the same opportunity to make our dreams come true.
I firmly believe that each and every person on this planet has a “success switch” somewhere deep inside them.
And all you have to do to accomplish your longest-held dreams is to flip that success switch to the “on” position.
Word to the Wise: Bulwark
A “bulwark” (BUL-wurk) – from the Dutch or German for “tree trunk” + “work” – is a person, thing, or concept that is a defense or protection.
Example (as used by John E. Miller in Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder): “For Laura’s mother the church, in addition to what spiritual significance it possessed, stood out as a bulwark of civilization in the midst of a still forming, rough frontier culture.”
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008
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The central claim in this message is true. A survey conducted by the Petroleum Equipment Institute showed that a significant number of gas station fires are caused every year by static electicity. Consumers need to be aware of the danger and learn how to safeguard themselves against possible injury (see resources below for important consumer info).
“The fact is,” PEI spokesman J. Rex Brown confirmed in an email message, “static electricity has caused fires at gas stations. We have documented cases and even have some on video. Unlike the cell phone scare (which was started by a major oil company and PEI was never able to document) this situation is rare, but a very real problem.”
The Petroleum Equipment Institute recommends the following simple precautions to avoid causing static fires while refueling:
Always turn off the engine.
Don’t smoke near gas pumps.
Never re-enter your vehicle while refueling.
While the author of the email got the main (and most important) point right, he or she also contributed a few exaggerations and falsehoods. Here’s a comparison of the email’s claims with what was actually documented in the PEI study:
Out of 150 cases, almost all of them were women.
EXAGGERATED. According to news reports, investigators found that 78% (or roughly three-quarters) of the static-caused fires involved women, who apparently have a greater tendency to return to the vehicle while refueling.
Almost all cases involved the person getting back in their vehicle while the nozzle was still pumping gas…
EXAGGERATED. Around two-thirds of the documented cases involved the subject returning to the driver’s seat.
Most had on rubber-soled shoes.
UNDETERMINED. The report says that in 94% of the cases where footwear was identified the subjects were wearing rubber-soled shoes. But type of shoe was not identified in every case.
Most men never get back in their vehicle until completely finished. This is why they are seldom involved in these types of fires.
EXAGGERATED. At least 20% of the documented cases involved males.
Don’t ever use cell phones when pumping gas.
FALSE & IRRELEVANT. The report flatly states that cell phone use was not a factor in any of the reported incidents.
It is the vapors that come out of the gas that cause the fire, when connected with static charges.
TRUE, though not explicitly stated in the report.
Several of the 150 cases (not nearly all, but several) involved 1994 Dodge Caravans.
FALSE. Out of the 81 incidents broken down by make and model in the summary report, exactly one involved a 1994 Dodge Caravan. (Six other incidents involved Dodge Caravans of various manufacture dates.)
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blgas-static-fires2.htm
Could you please repeat – or spell out – the two web site names Alexis recommends for competitor keyword research? Thank you.
This and Rich Schefren´s video are really a gift. I have just subscribed o the Internet money Club and know I have to assimilate lots of information to build a successful business. But I can see the importance and the reach of these advices. Very generous! And open to anyone. Thank you very much.
A word on link requests. Before you request a link from someone make sure you have enough viable content on your site to make it worthwhile pointing to it. No one is going to link to a 3 page website.
Hi Denise,
The two websites you can use for competitive research are KeyCompete.com and SpyFu.com.
Thanks,
Alexis