Have you been to Clickbank recently?  If you are promoting the service’s products, there’s been a big improvement.

Before, the “hop link” would look something like this:

http://strong>YourID.craving.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=MAINSITE

Which would translate into a URL redirect something like this:

http://www.cravingsecrets.com/ordernow.htm?hop=YourID

People would be able to replace YourID with their own Clickbank ID, thus depriving you of your affiliate sale.

Other than different colors, Clickbank’s link generator is still the same.  However, the output is much better and hides your code with the new “Hop Shield.”

Here is the link generator.

Here is the new output format:

As you can see, the encrypted affiliate link no longer clearly identifies your Clickbank affiliate name.

Promoting affiliate products can take some effort and it’s only fair that the people who are doing all the work in promoting them should get some credit.  Hopefully, this new Hop Shield will give affiliates the credit they deserve so that they do not have to buy “cloaking” software in order to hide their links and make money.

Your old links will still work, so you don’t need to race out and try to change virtually every affiliate link you can find on your websites.

This is an improvement that’s been much needed.  I’m very glad to see that Clickbank has updated its linking program.

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Do you listen to talk radio all day when you’re working online?  Or have the news droning along in the background?  Or maybe have pop music playing on your computer while you work?

It is becoming common knowledge that what you feed your mind eventually manifests into what you experience in your life.  Chances are, if you focus on illness throughout the day and worry about getting swine flu, you’ll probably feel sick.  If you’re worried about the economy because of all the negative reports that are constantly broadcast, your money situation will be impacted.

The best way to counteract the negativity that is constantly being sent our way is to reprogram our subconscious minds with positive messages.  Daytime hypnotherapy sessions that can be played while working at the computer are an effective solution.

Steve Jones is a master hypnotist who works extensively with Hollywood actors, writers, directors, and producers, helping them achieve their very best.  He offers dozens and dozens of hypnosis programs that you can download from the Internet and listen to, either during the day when you’re working, or at night.  Some topics include:

• Achieving wealth and abundance;
• Boosting your immune system;
• Losing weight;
• Eliminating night terrors; and
• Increasing your self confidence.

When you visit his site, you’ll see that I’ve just barely hit the surface in describing the sheer volume of  hypnosis sessions that are available.

These sessions are in different formats, such as the platinum version, the fusion version, the diamond version and so on, each offering different forms of sounds and techniques.

Super Savings Tip – Save Hundreds of Dollars.

Here’s a tip that you won’t see on the site.  Once you become a paid customer, you then get on Steve’s special mailing list.  He is constantly offering huge, huge savings to his special customer list.  I’ve seen recordings that are normally $19.95 being sold for $3.00.  I’ve seen the $99 versions being sold for under $5.  You have to be a paid customer to get on this special list.

Just last week, I saved over $100 off daytime recordings that I can listen to while working.  Here’s the receipt:

As you can see, I’m building up my library of stuff to listen to with a variety of subjects.  The ones that I’ve worked with so far are like magic.  Check out Steve’s site an read the testimonials from people who have benefited from hypnosis.

Life is a series of choices.  Quite frankly, I’d much rather listen to something that affirms the good in my world instead of constant negativity in the news.  What’s your choice?

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The “Internet Fairness Doctrine”  is one of the most outrageous things I’ve ever heard of, but given the source, perhaps it is not correct.

World Net Daily ran a news story yesterday suggesting that the nominee to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs wants to impose mandatory “electronic sidewalks” for the Internet.  This means that your web pages would have to display  links to opposing viewpoints.  After this shocking statement and some ads, World Net Daily went on to say that nominee Cass Sunstein rethought this idea because it was so technologically difficult and unconstitutional.

The article goes on to say that Sunstein favors a “civility check” that would screen your email and communications before you sent them to make sure they were not too angry in tone.

Personally, I think it is unlikely that Sunstein, a noted legal scholar, would attempt to force this type of Internet regulation on us.  Even if he did try, you would hope that our system of checks and balances would prevent such draconian thought to become law.   A software program that we could voluntarily buy that gives a civility check, however, might be a good idea.

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The quality of software giveaways so far this year has been outstanding.  The most recent, the Impact Giveaway, is offering over $14,000 worth of software that you can download free of charge.

There are some extremely useful downloads awaiting you, such as tutorials, autoresponders (perfect for if you are unsure whether you can afford a paid autoresponder),  graphics and site generator software packages, PDF eBook creators and much more.  Many of these downloads have not been offered on previous giveaways.

Here’s a look a small sample of what you can get for free:

There are 264 downloads available for your Internet success.

The Impact Giveaway is open until May 7th.  Check it out … you’ll be pleased with the sheer volume of quality packages.

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How much time do you waste online? I was starting to spend way too much time on Facebook and Twitter.  Today’s post is basically a rant and comments are more than welcome.

Marketers tell you that these services are essential for your web business.  I had held off for awhile because I wasn’t sure if social networking was just the latest fad.  Between the big social networks like Facebook and Twitter, as well as many others such as Medium, you can spend hours and hours each day trying to keep up and be active.

Taking the Plunge.

The first one I joined was Twitter, which I enjoyed in the beginning.  I connected with a handful of people who would interact with each other.  We were helping each other out with each others’ websites, sharing software links and talking about interesting stuff.  I discovered some useful websites and tools there.

Pretty soon, however, my experience with Twitter turned into thousands of marketers wanting me to follow them.  It became 100% one-way Tweets, with everyone wanting you to pay attention to their message.  Responding to all of these Tweets would be a full time job.

I’ll still go to Twitter, but I’ve arrived to the point where I use it to automatically run blog feeds since there seems to be little meaningful interaction.  In my account, there are about 5 or 7 people there — mostly atheists — who interact and have any sense of humanity there.  The rest are just tweeting across what has become a great big huge billboard.

As to Facebook, it all started when my brother asked me to join.  He said it would be fun.  So I did.  Pretty soon, I had connected with all sorts of people that I hadn’t seen or talked with in 10, 20 and even 30 years.  Some were lost relatives.  Others were friends from high school and college.

This was all quite fun and I made some very good contacts there that have blossomed into web ventures.

But …

… and there’s always a but …

I try to be polite.  So if someone writes to me, I write back. I try to be somewhat interesting or entertaining.

At first, people were sending all sorts of “lists” and activities, like the “List of 25″ where you had to write 25 random things about yourself, different personality tests and so on.  Some of these were fun, but they were time consuming.  What turned into one or two “games” being sent a week quickly blossomed into 2 or 3 a day.  This was coupled with snowball fights, Easter egg hunts and a bunch of mindless games.

I started to ignore all of these games and applications, but would respond to emails or “wall posts” that came in.  Some of the emails were really long winded without saying much of anything; others were quite interesting.

Before I knew it, I was spending 2 or 3 hours a day on Facebook, just trying to be polite by responding to people’s posts and trying to keep my profile updated.

The Narcissists.

There are always a handful of people in online social networking groups who suffer from narcissism.  They try to get as many contacts as possible — such as 1000 friends on Facebook or 20,000 Twitter followers.  Their self worth is tied to how many online friends they have.

The narcissists never respond to all of these “friends.”  However, they expect everyone who is following them to read all of their posts — whether on Twitter or Facebook or wherever — and then respond with a compliment or supportive observation.  They get really miffed if you don’t acknowledge everything they post.

I’ve met a few of these on Facebook.  They take the number of friends they have there very seriously and get quite upset if they don’t hear from people.

In real life, I’ve learned to stay away from the narcissists.  They are draining.  These are the kind of people who don’t listen, they only talk.  If you are allowed to say something in their presence, they “one up” you with their own personal story which is more dramatic, more intense, somehow better.

If I don’t have these types of people in my “real life” world, why spend time with them on Facebook or anywhere else online?

So I’ve learned to get “rude.”  I’m just at a point where I don’t have to respond to everything on Facebook or Twitter and I don’t.

Addictive Applications.

A friend who, ironically I had reconnected with on Facebook, was lamenting to me on the phone about how Facebook was taking up too much of her time.

It turns out that she had “adopted a puppy” there.  It is some kind of digital game where you have to feed the dog, play with it, and take it for walks.  If you don’t do this, the puppy gets sad, then it’s hungry and, if you are really bad about ignoring it, it dies.

My friend was feeling really guilty because her puppy was hungry and she was worried it would die.

Because of her feelings of guilt, she kept logging into Facebook every day to play with the puppy.  Soon, she would get engaged in all the other activities going on there.

Why Do Things Online That You Won’t Do in Real Life?

I’m at a stage where I haven’t written anything meaningful on Facebook in weeks because I just don’t have the time to deal with friends, relatives and acquaintances for two or three hours a day.  I don’t do this in real life, so why do it virtually?

They say that in life, you can count your true friends — the close ones who you trust and enjoy spending time with — on one hand.

My true friends are people I talk with on the phone.  We meet for dinner.  We hang out.

I don’t need the Internet to have friends.  That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy the people I meet online.  The Internet is fantastic  for business, entertainment, education and connecting with people.  But take it with a grain of salt and see it for what it is.

I can build a lot of web pages in 2 hours.  I can get a lot of miles in on my bike in 2 hours.  To me, these things are much more productive than spending two hours chatting with people who will never have much of an impact in my life.

How about you?  Have you reached the same conclusions that I have?  Please comment.  I’d love to read about your experiences.  Besides, you’ll get a backlink which at least gives you something for your time.

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To drive traffic to your WordPress blog, you need the right plugins … and those plugins should be optimized correctly.

I’ve been a big fan of Jeff Johnson’s free SEO blog software because it truly works wonders.  I’ve had blogs get indexed in Google before I had a chance to write my first blog post.  It’s mind blowing how effective this software is.  Jeff has made his traffic system even easier by creating a plugin that does the same thing as the entire software package.

• The free SEO blog software package was a tweaked version of WordPress that you needed to unzip and install, using FTP, to your website.  This is an easy procedure, but it takes time. For existing blogs, it was difficult to update them by installing the SEO software.
• The plugin does the same thing as the SEO software, but it installs with a click or two of the mouse, and is easily integrated into an existing blog.  For non-technical people who are installing a brand new blog, all they need to do is install the blog from their Fantastico control panel, and then upload the plugin from their WordPress dashboard.

The plugin is still in “stable beta” status.  More updates are expected shortly.

I’ve been using the beta version and haven’t had a single problem, other than having to change the permalink settings.

If you publish a WordPress blog that has been languishing in its page rank or traffic, I highly recommend Jeff’s software and/or plugin.  It’s free and it works wonders.

Get it here:  SEO Blog

You’ll have access to the SEO blog software and then will go on the mailing list, where you get links to the plugin, valued at $2,000.

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Here’s another reason to get a WordPress blog:   Updating is easy, even for the non-technical person.  Nowadays, you don’t have to FTP your plugins and updates.  It is all done automatically through the dashboard.

I thought I’d use this site as an example of how quick and easy it is to install a plugin in WordPress.

One of the problems with most “do follow” comment blogs like this one is that once you’ve submitted your comment, that’s it.  You can’t correct typos or grammar errors after the fact. That’s changing today.

From your WordPress dashboard, find the Plugins menu on the left side and click “Add New.”

As you can see, there’s a brand new interface.  You can search for specific types of plugins and install them directly from the WordPress Plugin Directory (a real time saver!) or, if you have one that you like on your hard drive, you can upload the Zip file.  What’s sweet about this new system is that you don’t have to mess around with unzipping files, FTP’ing them and so on.  Most of the work is done for you by WordPress.

In our example, I have the plugin that I want on my hard drive.  It’s a plugin that will allow readers to edit their comments for a few minutes after posting.

After clicking “Browse” and opening the plugin file that I wanted, I clicked “Install Now” and the plugin was installed in less than a minute, as shown in the confirmation below.

I’ve activated the plugin.  As you can see, you can edit your comments now for around 4 minutes after you submit a post.  Some of the icons in the screenshot below are for the administrator.

WordPress is constantly improving.  It’s well worth your time to install a WordPress blog on  your site, whether it’s your main content site or a “back end” blog.  Blogs that are updated regularly are traffic magnets, and we know that traffic is essential to any online business.  With each new release of the WordPress software,  the usability is easier.

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If you’re ready to start blogging by using a WordPress platform, HostGator has some of the best hosting services around.

Some hosting services have blocks on important features which limit your blogging power.  For instance:

• Many plugins are now using the IonCube Loader and there are some hosts that do not have this available for their customers.  You have to ask them to install it on your server … and this request is not always honored.
• Some hosts block remote publishing, so you are unable to have articles automatically posted to your blog by third parties that you have joined up with (such as Article Marketing Automation).  This block also makes it impossible to post by email using software that remotely posts at your scheduled time.

If you want a host that is blogger friendly, HostGator has all the bells and whistles you need.  What’s really sweet is that right now, you can get hosting for just a penny by using the password on the banner below.

1 cent.

That’s it.

Your penny will allow you to set up as many domains and blogs as you want (set up an html site, too, if you want). After your first month, you can get all of this for just $7.95 a month.  Be sure and enter the password for your 1 cent deal.

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I’m a big believer in refurbished products, especially the brand name ones. They come with a warranty, support, and are usually quite recent models.

My photocopy machine is refurbished, two of my laser printers are refurbished HP models and my laptop is a refurbished IBM. The laptop has been running smoothly for ten years now and has not crashed once, which is amazing in itself. I did not have one single thing go wrong with any of these refurbished items, ever … and I saved a lot of money with them. When they arrived, they were cleaned up, packaged and looked like brand new items.

There are a couple of “rules” that I follow when buying refurbished office equipment that you might want to follow as well:

• Generally, I buy only from top name companies such as Office Depot (their Tech Depot division) and stay away from eBay stores unless the eBay seller has a high approval rank.  The main reason for this is that the larger companies have phones that are answered and will accept returns and/or can repair your equipment.
• I stick with name brand refurbished equipment because parts can be found easily it’s simpler to get name brand equipment fixed, if necessary.
• If it’s a refurbished printer, make sure you can get toner that is compatible.  I usually stick with HP because that’s my favorite and their toner cartridges are available just about everywhere.
• Before buying, make sure that there is a warranty or an opportunity to buy an extended warranty.  There’s nothing worse than buying a computer, for instance, and it crashes 31 days after you bought it … and the warranty expired on day 30.

If it’s time to upgrade your equipment but you need to watch your budget, consider refurbished equipment.  There are some very good deals out there.

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If you get back links by commenting on “do follow” blogs, here’s a free tool you might enjoy: The Free Blog Commenter.

No only will the software search for blogs that are based on your keywords, but you can store different profiles for your different sites that you are promoting.

This software is absolutely free, and you might find that it will help you save a lot of time. Enjoy!

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