A common comment that we receive at MomWebs.com is this “Why I would want to pay for hosting when I can get a free blog?”

We normally answer that question with a question of our own “What is the difference between renting and owning your home?”

Whether you’re blogging for fun or profit – or both, you’ll be pouring time and love into your creation. Do you want to own your blog and everything on it? Or would you rather just rent it and let someone else control how it’s treated, how long it stays online, and what kinds of limitations are placed upon you?

Me? I want to own my blog. I want to have 100% rights to my creation – whether it’s a personal blog with pictures of my puppies or whether it’s a blog that I’ve set up to make money.

Can you imagine owning a house and having someone come by and say “Ma’am… you can’t paint your bathroom that color. And, we can’t allow you to have a Tupperware party, either. Oh, and by the way, we’ll be moving your home in the next 24 hours and all of your addresses will need to be changed.”

You’d be thinking “No WAY!”

While that’s a long list of “What if’s” – all of those things can happen when you are using a free service. I certainly would not recommend that anyone build a business on a free blog.

Now, I’m sure you’re thinking that’s all well and good, but how the heck does it work? And, that’s where a good web host like MomWebs.com comes in to save the day. Not only do they offer email support, but you can pick up the phone and leave a message day or night and they’ll call you back.

Just go to MomWebs and look for the link that says “Blog Installation”. They’ll set up your blog for you and you’ll be set to go with a blog that you own today, tomorrow, and in 10 years for your kids to look at.

All you need is an idea and the desire to blog for fun or profit or both. We wish you the best – with whatever you decide.

Nicole Dean & Kelly McCausey love helping moms to earn money online without struggling and making mistakes like they did. Both women have been mentoring potential online business owners in the work at home mom community for many years. MomWebs.com was created to help work at home moms to overcome the technical hurdles that may be preventing them from sharing themselves with the online world. Check out the free training at MomWebs.com

All links in this post are affiliate links (Why tell?)

In her blog post this morning, “Direct Sellers, Cut the Crap,” Jennifer Fong asks direct sellers, network marketers, and MLMers to “stop being so desperate to recruit that we stretch the truth.” She wants truth in recruiting. And I agree 100%. There are so many benefits to becoming a direct sales consultant that there’s no reason to use untruths to recruit.

But in my opinion, the only way the nonsense will stop is when people stop responding to outrageous claims of instant riches.

I want to be very careful here and not blame the victims. None of us are immune to being duped by some of the very sophisticated frauds, con artist, and scammers out there. But for the most part, I don’t think the direct sellers using these less than honest recruiting methods fall into the category of scammers. Many are simply misguided marketers who continue to use these types of methods because they work.

Many of us want to believe. We ignore common sense and allow ourselves to think that it is possible to get rich quick or that there’s easy money available. Just look at state run lotteries. Despite slim odds of winning, people in the U.S. spend more than $50 billion a year on lottery tickets. They’re hoping to hit it big for overnight riches. It’s the same mentality that makes claims of overnight success in MLM attractive.

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the possibilities. But as Jennifer said, the reality is that while there is the potential for big earnings, “it’s a lot of work, and it takes time.” Jennifer and others have been teaching that reality for years, and I think that’s the message we need to keep in the forefront. A bit of skepticism can be a good thing when evaluating an opportunity.

Still Jennifer’s plea for truth in recruiting is important to reach that group of misinformed and misguided direct sellers. Perhaps they’re using the same methods that they responded to or they’re just doing what their upline teaches. Again, everyday Jennifer teaches direct sellers how to become successful by conducting themselves with honesty and integrity. Lister to her!

The truth is most of us don’t need to be rich and that’s not what we’re looking for. We just want to live comfortably, take care of our families, and have a few extra dollars to indulge ourselves once in a while. Direct sales can help achieve those goals. Recruit with that reality.

The Business Opportunity Connection launched five years ago today, February 19th.
To celebrate, I have a few gifts for you. (Sorry, the gifts are no longer available.)

The very first post on this blog was simply a welcome and introduction and then several days later the first direct sales tip was posted – a tip that still applies today.

Welcome to iRepNetwork’s Business Opportunity Connection
Posted on February 19, 2005 by Linda Stacy

The Business Opportunity Connection will provide news and information about home based business opportunities and tips on building your network marketing team.

iRepNetwork’s communication service provides a unique way to connect with potential team members online. We’d like to go a step further and help you build on that connection by becoming an information source to help business owners build a better team and help business seekers make a better choice.

Please check back regularly and feel free to add your comments so we can get some good discussions going.

Enjoy,
~ Linda

Shared goals make good teams
Posted on February 25, 2005 by Linda Stacy

When looking for a network marketing sponsor, look for someone who shares your goals. She doesn’t have to already be where you want to go, but if she’s moving in the same direction she can share her successes and failures with you to help you get there. If you have a common goal it will be easier to work together and stay motivated.

And find out what your sponsor does to help her downline meet their goals. Does she provide any special training or hold team meetings? Ask about her team & how many other people has she sponsored; how many are still active; how many have reached higher sales levels or build their own teams?

Finding a mentor who shares your goals will help keep you motivated and successful.

This is what the blog looked like back then. I remember being so proud that I had figured out how to change the color of the default WordPress theme.

I had been online for about 3 years before launching the Business Opportunity Connection. Before blogging, I frequented message boards and chat rooms for Work at Home Moms and belonged to a couple of Yahoo Groups where we discussed business via email. Twitter was basically unheard of and Facebook was still just for college students.

Things have changed quite a bit in five years, but there’s one thing I work really hard to keep the same – I always do my best to offer quality tips and resources to help you choose your direct sales business and market it online.

Let’s celebrate! Here are your gifts:

March 1, 2010 – Sorry… the gifts are no longer available. Please click here to find our special reports, including some free reports.

I look forward to connecting with you for another 5 years!

Image courtesy of petesimon.

All kinds of products and services come with a guarantee, but some guarantees aren’t really what they seem. Adrian Jock exposes “the truth about guaranteed hits” in his article below. It’s the kind of examination we should all do before making a buying decision based on a guarantee. And it got me thinking about other guarantees.

I won’t even go into the madness of guaranteed income for online business opportunities. That’s a whole article in and of itself and hopefully by now we all understand the impossibility of that guarantee.

Another common guarantee that many online business owners come across is guaranteed uptime for website hosting. The guarantee makes it sound like a promise that your website will be available 99.5% or even 99.9% of the time. But the hosting company is really guaranteeing is that they’ll credit or refund part of your hosting fees if they don’t maintain that level of service. Personally, I stand to lose more than a few dollars if my site is down for any length of time, so I look for actual uptime statistics rather than guarantees.

When making purchase decisions of any kind, a guarantee may be an important feature. Just be sure you understand what it means. Read Adrian’s article to understand guaranteed hits and please leave your comments and questions.

Email Marketing – The Truth About Guaranteed Hits
By Adrian Jock

Since no traffic equals no sales, hits to his website is the goal of any email marketer. However, many email marketing campaigns fail by delivering few clicks. The reason is simple: this type of marketing is not that easy. You need an attention grabbing subject line, a good ad copy and more. What if someone guarantees you hits?

All hard work is simply skipped. The prospects land on your salesletter without you wasting your time on copywriting and testing. Doesn’t sound great? Yes, it would be nice, but… how true (and effective) are those guaranteed clicks on your link?

Let’s see. So what actually means to get guaranteed hits? Well… No matter how bad my subject line is, no matter what I write in the ad copy, no matter anything, someone (let’s call it from now on the seller) will make his opt-in subscribers click on my link. Wonderful! But how can the seller “force” his subscribers click on my link?

Maybe his subscribers are all dumb. Maybe they don’t do anything all day long but wait for the seller to send emails so that to click on the links from the emails and make happy the seller and the advertisers. How does this sound? Quite unreal, right?

Then… if the subscribers are not dumb but they still click on links no matter how bad and not attractive is an ad copy, then it means that there is something the advertiser doesn’t know… What can it be? An incentive for subscribers! Something to make them click on links, no matter the content of the email. In comparison with the first assumption, this one looks very possible, right?

What if behind the seller’s mailing list there is actually a get paid to read emails program? What if there is a credit based safelist, or a similar program, or a combination of such programs? Wow! That’s it, right? This sounds very real and it seems that we found out how can someone guarantee hits. OK, but this is not what it was advertised when I placed my order, right? Not so nice practice, but… at least is it effective?

Let’s see… Who are those people clicking on my link? Hungry buyers? Hmm… I doubt… a) they waste their time clicking on links because they cannot afford a serious and professional promotion way (or they are freebies hunters) and b) they are looking for credits in order to blast their own ads – they are sellers, not hungry buyers.

Will they at least take a look at my salesletter? No one can tell exactly what other people will do, but… we can estimate their actions by asking ourselves “Why did they land on my page?”. Because they were interested in my very bad subject line? Because they were interested in my ad copy that they did NOT read? Nope! They landed on my page in order to get credits (Most of them are wasting their time, but that’s another story) and right after that will close my page and go to the next email to continue their job. To be honest, if I’m lucky, maybe some of them will take a look at my page, but… hey, did I say lucky? Is this email marketing or gambling?

What is the conclusion? Hmm… No further comments from my part. You know my opinion and actually you know my conclusion. It’s your turn… Be wise!

To Your Online Success!
Adrian Jock

P.S. If you want to read more internet marketing tips, you’re invited to subscribe free to the Worst Newsletter in the World. Why would someone call his own newsletter “the worst”? The mystery is revealed here: http://www.adsmarket.biz/internet-marketing-tips-news.html.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adrian_Jock
http://EzineArticles.com/?Email-Marketing—The-Truth-About-Guaranteed-Hits&id=3763160

When Roy van Broekhuizen returned home after helping with relief efforts following the 2004 earthquake and subsequent tsunamis in Indonesia, he was driven to do more. So he and his wife Louise formed Laga Designs International to provide employment and hope for survivors.

Tsunami survivors and others in need handcraft Laga’s embroidered handbags and travel bags, natural fiber bags for the Tasik Collection, and beaded purses. Independent consultants sell the bags at home parties and through other direct sales methods.

Get more information by visiting the Laga Handbags website or find information on this company and many others direct sales companies in the InternetBasedMoms.com direct sales directory.

Image courtesy of SharkeyinColo.

We’ve all heard stories about ordinary people turning their hobby into a profitable business. Artists and crafters are often encouraged to sell their creations. And the advice most often offered to someone looking to start a small business is to “turn your passion into profit.”

Is it really possible to make money from a hobby? Can a craft or passion become a full-time career?

Yes, it’s possible. It won’t happen overnight, but with a great idea, a marketing plan, and dedication and hard work you can make money from a hobby.

Think about how much you’ve personally spent on your hobby over the past year. Like you, many people happily spend on hobbies and crafts because they provide entertainment and relaxation. And some people are willing to make a huge investment in their passions. It’s estimated that in the U.S. crafts are a $10 billion industry.

There are many ways to profit from your hobbies. Some people create and sell their arts and crafts at local shows, fairs, and consignment shops. Others sell their creations online through auction sites like eBay, at marketplaces like Etsy, or by launching their own website.

If you sell your own creations you are limited by the number of items you can make. An alternative is to sell supplies for your hobby or craft. You might also consider teaching your craft by offering classes locally or online through ecourses and ebooks.

Many people start out seeing a little bit of money trickle in from turning their hobby into a business, but with the right approach, your passion can bring you a decent income in addition to a lot of satisfaction.

Other resources to help you profit from your passion:

• How to Start a Craft Blog
• Candy Wrapper Business Ebook
• How to Start a Greeting Card Business

Affiliate link or our product link (Why tell?)

UPDATE: The contest ended and the winners have been announced. Congratulations Marie and Ponn!

There’s a fun contest going on at MomWebs Hosting which inspired me to do something I don’t normally do, and that I’m not all that good at. I entered the contest with my video creation. I had a great time making the video, but more importantly, it’s great practice for me in the art of being less than perfect.

I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist – in school, on the job, as a parent, and as a business owner. But guess what… I’m not perfect! There, I said it; I’m human and I just can’t be good at everything. Often, less than perfect is absolutely great!

Many of us tend to build our own obstacles, some of which can be paralyzing. Perfectionism is a huge obstacle. Waiting until a website or video is perfect before releasing it pretty much guarantees it will never get launched. A website is a work in progress that will never be complete, never mind perfect. And agonizing over every detail of a video will produce lots of self-doubt. There’s always something else that can be added or changed.

Does that mean that I think it’s okay to throw together a mess and put it out there? Of course not. Websites, marketing materials, and products should be well thought out, of good quality, and professional. Just don’t let fear stop you from trying. Less than perfect is definitely good enough.

And so, I’ve produced this great, less than perfect video. Enjoy!

The contest is closed, but voting is open. Check it out and pick your favorite… maybe me? Please! Vote at:
http://www.momwebs.com/vote-for-your-favorite-mom-webs-promo-video/

Thanks!

The contest deadline is tonight, but if you hurry, you can still practice the art of less than perfect and enter your own creation. Click: video promotion contest details.

Affiliate link (Why tell?)

Recently someone asked me how to set up a navigation menu like the one here at the Business Opportunity Connection. My response was very short – it’s just part of my blog theme.

I’ve been using WordPress and various themes for just about 5 years (The 5th anniversary of this blog is coming up in a couple of weeks!) and am pretty comfortable with changing themes and customizing them to my liking. But if you are new to blogging or aren’t comfortable taking the plunge to change and customize your theme, Traci Knoppe has some great tips for you in her article below.

The WordPress (WP) Theme – How to Find, Install and Customize
By Traci Knoppe

So you have your WordPress (WP) blog installed, but the default WP theme definitely does not reflect your business message, nor convey your personality. Good thing WordPress makes installing a new theme quick and easy.

How to Find the Perfect WP Theme

Web Search: You can actually find WordPress themes quickly by either doing a web search. To help narrow down your search results, use specific elements you want in your theme; for example: “red 2 column wordpress theme”.

WordPress Admin Theme Search: with the newest version of WordPress, you can now search for, and install, wp themes all from within your administration dashboard! This handy admin dashboard search feature only searches the themes directory at the WordPress web site; however, you are given ability to search by keyword phrase or even select listed search parameters, such as color, how many columns you prefer and/or even if you want a theme with an easily customizeable header.

How to Install a WP Theme

Whether you find and download the zip file for your new WordPress theme via a web browser search engine find, or you find your new theme in the admin dashboard, installation is super easy. Follow these simple installation steps:

From a saved zip file

1. Log into your WP admin dashboard and in the left navigaton column, go to Appearance > Add New Themes
2. At the top of the page, below where it says Install Themes, click the Upload link
3. Cick the Browse button to find the zip file on your computer for the theme you wish to install
4. Click Install Now
5. After installation is complete, you will see a message asking if you want to Activate the theme. If you want to apply this theme to your blog, click Activate.
6. That’s it!

From a WP admin dashboard search

1. If you have found your theme using the search feature from within your admin dashboard (Appearance > Add New Theme), then below the preview listing for each theme name, you’ll see the Install Theme link right next to the Preview link.
2. Click the Install Theme link.
3. In the window that pops up, click the Install Now button
4. You will then get a successful installation message with a link to click to Activate the theme for your site, if you want to activate this theme, click Activate
5. That’s it!

Free WordPress Themes – Premium or Custom WordPress Themes: Which is Better?

There is a never ending supply of free wp themes available. That’s great news for your budget; but if you do not have the image editing software and/or the ability to at least customize a free theme, you run the risk of your site looking exactly like many others on the web using the same free theme.

Free WordPress Themes

My advice is to customize any free wp theme you intend to use. Change the header graphic, as well as any icons or graphics used within the theme, to reflect your business image or message. Use the search guidelines I mentioned above to get the core layout of the theme as you want it (i.e. 2 columns or 3 columns) because changing colors and a few graphics is much easier than changing the entire layout of a theme.

Premium WordPress Themes

A premium WP theme is one that you pay for; however, it still needs a bit of tweaking to make it uniquely yours. Since many folks will be going for and using the free themes, buying a pre-made theme is the next step up to not having your site look like every other one on the web. You can find premium themes on template sites, or by doing a web search. They aren’t hard to find, but there are far fewer choices of premium themes.

Custom WordPress Themes

This is an option that requires hiring a wp theme designer. Yes, this is going to cost you money to have done; but your returns in the long run may be better, as you can truly get a theme designed exactly as you want that will uniquely brand you and your company. Before you hire a WordPress theme designer, make sure you see samples of their work. Any experienced professional web designer will have a portfolio of their work. Another key thing to screen new web designers for is their ability to communicate; more specifically to listen to your needs and then comprehend what your needs are and translate that into a blog theme design that meets those needs. Communication skills are essential and the designer should be able to translate your non-tech requests into appropriate and applicable tech needs for your blog theme.

Once you have chosen your blog’s theme, it’s easier to select a theme for your blog, whether a free theme, premium or custom. Keep your branding mind and go from there.

If you find that you need more help with WordPress issues, feel free to join my free newsletter at http://GenesisBlogging.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Traci_Knoppe
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-WordPress-(WP)-Theme—How-to-Find,-Install-and-Customize&id=2903419