Students Of Success

Do you know what intrapersonal communications is? Many have not
even heard of the word, yet it can be one of your most valuable
tools to achieving your goals. Many ask, “Isn’t that like
interpersonal?” No.

Intra means self, getting personal with your self. And I mean
intellectually. Intrapersonal communications is your thoughts &
conversations with yourself. And the ones that can benefit you
the most are the ones that use all of your senses. You see when
you tell your self what you desire and see the image in your
mind, you are bring clarity to your desire. When you add in your
other senses, of what it feel, smell, taste like etc, you are
then reinforcing the importance to yourself.

I think that in today’s society we are taught not to talk to
ourselves. There is almost a stigmatism that you are some how
not ok if you do. Yet, the irony is that, the successful people
in the world, the ones that succeed and achieve their dreams and
desires, the ones that are the movers and the shakers, talk to
themselves. And they do it daily.

And what are they saying? Several things actually.

They are: Encouraging themselves when things get challenging.
They know that it can be easy to slide into fear, worry or
negativity and that it is important to stay positive. They
understand it’s important to look for solutions and be open to
ideas to realize that all things are possible. You can’t do this
if you are bemoaning what is happening to you. They also
understand that it is through failures that we learn the best
and the fastest. They see the challenges as stepping-stones to
the next level and they remind themselves of that factor.

As well, they are asking themselves,

What are my goals for the year? What do I want to accomplish?
What does it look and feel like? What are the details? When
will this be done by? How will I achieve this? Who’s help do I
need?

I have heard from many of them that they will go one-step
further and even meditate on the questions they have until they
answers or solutions come to them. And sometimes, when they see
a solution, they think forward and ask, “And then what? What
else do I need to know and do to succeed?”

This is one of the reasons that their success is almost assured.
They know what they want and they know how they are going to get
it. Their communication skills with themselves, are practiced
and followed through on.

I have also noticed that people who don’t speak with themselves,
will just quickly make a new years resolution and then forget
about it. There is no clarity or details on what it is or how it
will happen. There is no emotion or desire driving them towards
it. Then another year goes by and they sit and wonder why hasn’t
anything changed.

My desire for you is to choose to make 2006, the year that you
make a difference. The year that you discover the value and
benefits of Intrapersonal Communication. Choose now to find out
who you really are. Start talking with yourself today and really
get to know yourself on a more personal level.

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http://www.articlesubmitterpro.com]

VoIP Phones are all the rage. These Internet phones are
becoming increasingly popular with the general public as
well as among the technologically gifted avant-garde i.e. geeksRus.
Chances are high you know someone who uses one or you may even
use one yourself.

But did you know it can cost you your life?

We will get to this life-threatening issue later but first you
should have a basic understanding of what a VoIP phone is and
how it works.

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. These phones
are also commonly referred to as Voice over IP or Voice over
Internet. VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol is a way of
using analog audio signals, like on your regular phone, and
turning these signals into digital data that’s transmitted
over the Internet instead of over conventional phone lines.

How does it Work?

A Voip Phone Service can work on any computer that has
broadband connectivity. If you have a headset/microphone,
along with a Voip phone system set-up or software program
installed on your computer, you can place calls from your
computer or laptop to anywhere in the broadband-connected
world. Assuming that your friends have the same software
set-up or have a Voip Phone Service from many of the commercial
providers, you should be able to communicate, i.e. talk to
each other.

It basically works by sending small packets of data from one
computer to another over the Internet. And since it uses the
Internet, the route these data transfers take is as varied and
as wide as the Internet itself. You call a phone number and the
data is sent to your VoIP company’s call processor. The call
processor connects you to your friend’s phone and a session is
formed between your computer and your friend’s computer.
Your call can now be handled as if it were an e-mail or a web
page but each system must have the same protocol in order for
you to communicate or talk.

This may be over-simplifying things a bit, but this method is
less expensive than a conventional phone system.

Many VoIP companies offer many services that a traditional
phone company will charge you an arm or leg for! These include:
Caller ID, Call transfer, Call waiting, Return call, Repeat
dial, and Three-way calling. And because it is over the Internet
you can check your voicemail via the Web - you may even attach
messages that’s sent to your computer or handheld.

VoIP Phone Services have many advantages over the traditional
system, mainly its cheap price and availability or access. As
the broadband world increases, VoIP phones may become even
more popular.

So what’s the Problem with using VoIP Phones?

There are some major hurdles Voip Phone users should be aware
of and it is where the life saving advice comes in.

The VoIP Phone is only as good as the Internet system or computer
you’re using. There may be down times, for example, if you lose
your power, a Voip phone will not work, whereas a regular wall
phone or conventional phone will. In many natural disasters, be it
a blizzard, tornado or hurricane, the power is sometimes the first
utility that fails. Communications often become critical in these
situations and being stuck with only a powerless VoIP phone may
pose a problem. Assuming, of course, you don’t have your VoIP
Phone hooked up to a portable Wi-Fi battery operated laptop!

You must also keep in mind that your laptop or computer must be
able to handle the phone calls, other programs running on your
system may disrupt or distort your voip signals if your computer
is overloaded or not powerful enough.

Next, perhaps the most important concern, Emergency 911 calls
are a real challenge with VoIP. VoIP phones uses IP-addressed
phone numbers and not NANP phone numbers. There’s no way to tell the
geographic location with an IP address; thus routing the emergency
call may pose a problem for 911 operators. Obviously, this is not good
in an emergency of any kind!

No doubt this hurdle will be fixed in the very near future as Voip
Phones become more commonplace and integrated neatly in the wireless
Wi-Fi systems/networks around the world. But for now, it is something
every VOIP Phone user should be made aware of and prepare for in the
case your VOIP phone becomes your only lifeline.

Another challenge, as more and more voip phones come online, there is
no world-wide standard in place. This would include hardware and
protocols that would make this system work anywhere in the world.

Despite these hurdles and challenges, many believe VoIP Phone Services
will eventually replace the traditional phone lines over time. But the
revolution is just starting! According to the Forrester Research Group
only 5 million U.S. households will be using VoIP phones by the end of 2006.

However, it doesn’t take a Crystal Ball or even the Forrester Research
Group to tell us we are becoming more and more of a ‘wireless world’.
VoIP Phones will find themselves ‘center stage’ in our ever increasing
technologically enhanced universe. No doubt, neatly blended into some
fully loaded portable, Video/VoIP Phone, XM radio, Search Engine, Wi-Fi,
GPS Emergency Beacon, Computer Handheld Contraction. As long as we can
keep our ‘heads attached’ until this technotopia item comes along, we
should be ok.

Hey, when Google finally decides to build that Google Box, maybe someone
should suggest they load it up with a few extra goodies. Can we talk?

…..

The author runs a modest website on Bizware and Business Solutions
- including a section on VoIP Phone Services.
VoIP Phone Services
Get a few Free Marketing Tools
for your business. Titus Hoskins Copyright © 2006. This article may be freely distributed if this resource
box stays attached.

Reggie Bush had a career-defining game two weeks ago against Fresno State, when he ‘ripped’ the Bulldogs for 513 all-purpose yards. Vince Young had his national stage this past Saturday against Texas A&M but things did not go as well. Young had one of his worst games of the year against a Texas A&M defense that entered the game ranked 109th in the nation, as Texas struggled to a 40-29 win. It seems as if this year’s Heisman race will come down to where it all began, a choice between USC teammates Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. My latest Heisman update follows.

1) REGGIE BUSH (USC) Last Week: 1. I wrote two weeks ago that “I can’t imagine that even Bush’s most ardent supporters don’t feel as if the Heisman is slipping from Reggie’s grasp.” It seemed a fair statement at the time. After all, Bush had failed to top 100 yards in three of his previous four games (averaged 85.8 YPG), scoring just two TDs. How quickly things can change. Bush’s game against Fresno State was “one for the ages” and his performance likely won him the Heisman. His 50-yard TD run late in the third quarter, not only capped a 28-point outburst by USC, but left anyone watching believing that Gale Sayers had been reincarnated! Reggie’s performance defies description and is likely his Heisman-defining moment, much like Carson Palmer (2002) and Matt Leinart (2004) had in their games versus Notre Dame. Bush ran for a career-high 294 yards with two TDs. He caught three passes for 68 yards and added 151 yards in kick returns. That adds up to 513 all-purpose yards, a total that shattered the previous USC record of 368 held by Anthony Davis in 1972! The game vaulted him from No. 3 in all-purpose yards this year to No. 1, averaging 212.6 YPG. He now has more yards rushing this year than he’s had in his two previous years combined and after entering the season with just two career 100-yard games, has had seven in 2005. Reggie will try to put an exclamation point on his season against UCLA this Saturday (had 204 yards against the Bruins last year). His season stats are: 163 carries 1398 yards 8.6 YPC 13 TDs / 31 catches 383 yards 12.4 YPC 2 TDs.

2) MATT LEINART (USC) Last Week: 2. I’m a huge supporter of Leinart and give him extra-credit for all his career accomplishments but like everyone else, I was blown away by Bush’s performance against Fresno State. Leinart had a relatively quiet game, although as always, he calmly directed USC in its comeback win. He finished 22-of-33 for 200 yards with one TD and no interceptions (also ran for one score). Leinart is the unquestioned leader of this team and if he can lead the Trojans to two more wins (UCLA on Dec 3 and then in the Rose Bowl on January 4), there will few if any players in college football history, that will be able to match his career accomplishments. As of today, Leinart has led USC to 33 straight wins, the fifth-longest streak since 1900. He’s had USC atop the AP rankings for 32 straight polls, an all-time record. The team has tied a Pac-10 record with 26 straight home wins and its 23 straight conference wins, is also a new Pac-10 record. Leinart is now 36-1 as a starter at USC with a TD-to-interception ratio of 95-23! His season stats are: 233-of-351 66.4 3217 yards 24 TDs 7 INTs / 6 rush TDs.

3) VINCE YOUNG (Texas) Last Week 3. Vince Young had a national showcase on Friday afternoon at College Station, but played a very poor game and pretty much left the Heisman race to Bush and Leinart. Playing against a defense that entered the game ranked 109th in the nation in Texas A&M, Young completed 13-of–24 for 162 yards with one TD and one interception. The 162 passing yards was his second-worst performance of the season and his 11 carries for just 19 yards, extended his rushing slump to 68 yards (25 carries / 2.7 YPC) in the three games since his 267-yard effort versus Oklahoma State. Texas won 40-29 for its 18th straight win and Young moved to 28-2 in his career as Texas’ starting QB. He’s had a great season but in my view, I’m not completely convinced he deserves to be ranked ahead of Quinn and Olson. I just don’t understand the logic of people who have him ranked ahead of Bush and Leinart. Young will lead Texas against an undeserving Colorado team in Saturday’s Big-12 title game and I doubt he can to much to improve his Heisman hopes against the Buffs. His season stats are: 168-of-268 62.7 2576 yards 23 TDs 9 INTs / 128 carries 793 yards 6.2 YPC 8 TDs.

4) BRADY QUINN (Notre Dame) Last Week: 4. Quinn continues to be a record-breaking ‘machine’ this year for Notre Dame. However, those records would not have meant as much if Quinn had been unable to lead Notre Dame on that final drive last Saturday night at Stanford. The Irish, better than two-TD favorites, found themselves down 31-30 to the Cardinal with 1:46 remaining in the game. Starting at his own 20, Quinn led the Irish on a six-play 80-yard TD drive that took just 51 seconds. He was three-for-three for 67 yards and ran once for three yards. Walker’s short TD run gave Notre Dame a 38-31 win and likely assured the school of a HUGE BCS payday. Quinn, who opened the game with an 80-yard TD pass on Notre Dame’s first play of the game, finished 25-of-38 for 432 yards with three TDs and two interceptions. It marked his fourth 400-yard game this year and fifth of his career. In two years under Willingham, Brady completed just over 50 percent of his passes (50.8), throwing 26 TDs and 25 interceptions. However, under the tutelage of Charlie Weis, Quinn has spent the season re-writing the Notre Dame record book. He now has nine straight games of more than 250 yards passing, giving him a school-record 16 in his career. Two weeks ago, he went over 3,000 passing yards for the season, a first by an Irish QB. He passed Ron Powlus as the school’s all-time leader in passing yards in the game versus Syracuse (has 8,050 career yards) and his three TD passes against Stanford gives him 32 on the year, extending the Notre Dame single-season record. His school-record streak of games with at least one TD pass is up to 16 and in the five games since the USC loss, Quinn has averaged 349.6 YPG passing and thrown 18 TDs with just three interceptions. His season stats are: 263-of-405 64.9 3633 yards 32 TDs 7 INTs / 1 rush TD.

5) DREW OLSON (UCLA) Last Week: 5. Bruin fans will argue that Olson is having the best year of any QB in the city and they may just be right. Olson had three TD passes and 295 yards passing by the end of the first quarter, in UCLA’s 45-35 win over Arizona State back on 11/12. He opened the game with a 91-yard TD pass on the game’s first play from scrimmage and never looked back. He finished the game 22-of-27 for a career-high 510 yards with five TDs and no interceptions. He missed by just FOUR yards, of setting a single-game school record for passing yards (Cade McNown threw for 513 yards in UCLA’s infamous 49-45 loss at Miami in 1998). His 30 TD passes this year (just three INTs!), easily breaks McNown’s single-season record of 25, set in that 1998 season. Olson was the main QB at UCLA for the last two years when the Bruins went 12-13. Similar to Quinn, Olson entered this year without much fanfare (32 TDs and 25 INTs in his three-year career) but has been BRILLIANT! Olson’s 172.5 QB rating ranks him first in the nation. By the way, Young is third, Quinn fourth and Leinart fifth. Olson, idle since 11/12, will get his showdown with Los Angeles’ “other” QB on Saturday. His season stats are: 218-of-322 67.7 2909 yards 30 TDs 3 INTs.

Typically, I list five other players six-through 10 but it hardly seems worth it. In my final Heisman update, available on Wednesday, December 7, I will list my final top-10. Monday’s column will deal with the final BCS standings and the bowl matchups.

Larry Ness is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Larry_Ness.htm

When you think about building your new home consider your needs and your lifestyle. If you are newlyweds your choices will be different from a couple who is ready to retire and is looking for a smaller home. The lot may affect the type of house and its placement.

If your lifestyle is such that you plan to entertain frequently, you might want to consider including a formal dining and living area that is separated from the family’s living area. If you just plan on having a couple of friends over for a dinner and conversation, then you might want to eliminate the formal dining area and create a simple dining area that can be used by your family and your guests.

Is your lot large enough to allow you to build your house and still be able to expand in the future? Will you need an extra room for guests or extra living space for aging parents or future additions to your family? It is imperative that you keep all of these possible concerns as you choose your lot and your house plan.

When choosing a house plan you will want to keep your privacy needs in mind. If you work from home, you will want privacy, space away from the main activity of the home so that you can work effectively. You could have a workroom or a hobby room where you and your family can gather together. The placement of your windows could also affect your privacy. You certainly don’t want your neighbors to be able to peer in at you. Window treatments and privacy hedges or fences if appropriate will alleviate some those concerns.

Now that you have an idea of what your house might look like, it’s time to think about the lot. I am sure you have a really good idea of what you want your new home to look like but if it doesn’t fit on the lot you will have a serious problems. It is recommended that you purchase your lot before you look at plans for your home.

Some other things that you will need to consider are whether or not there is bedrock under the soil. Bedrock and clays will make excavation for the foundation difficult.

Pay attention to the weather and your house. Will your windows be placed for maximum exposure to morning and evening sun? The sun and wind can affect heating and/or air conditioning costs depending in which direction the slope is facing. Check the surrounding rivers and streams as related to your lot. If they overflow, how will it affect your property?

If you live in the flood plains be sure to find out if you can get flood insurance. If not, you may want to reconsider the place where you will build your home. Check the site for ditches or drainage issues. Soil drainage can be another serious problem as it can cause water seepage into the foundation. This can cause structural issues such as cracks and holes in the foundation.

The type of soil could also affect the foundation. Some clay soils, shrink when dry and expand when wet. This could cause cracks and make it difficult to maintain a dry basement.

Finally, check your zoning laws to be sure the type of house you want to build is within their specifications. If expansion is permissible and how much you will actually be able to do. The zoning commission also governs the placement of your home on the site. You want to keep well within their regulations.

Look at lots on which to build your new home. Check out the landscaping. Does the soil allow for proper drainage? Will you be able to plant privacy hedges or put up a privacy fence? How and where does the sun hit the lot? If you want maximum light exposure you may want to place your house to get that. The type of house you want to build could affect where on the lot your house will sit. The size of the lot will affect the type of house that you will be put on it.

Also check out the neighborhood where you want to build your home, does the style you have chosen mesh with others in the area. Will the house fit on the lot? Will the soil support the foundation? Get organized. Keep any and all information about your plans, your lot, and anything regarding your home in one place. Always check with the zoning board regarding your plans. You have many decisions to make good luck!

(c) www.1st-4-house-plans.com

Reprint Rights feel free to publish this article on your website but you must agree to leave all active links contained within ‘About The Author’ intact and “as is” and NOT hidden behind a java or redirect script.

About The Author

Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice for home buyers and consumers on purchasing a variety of Dream Home which includes Cottage Plans, Beach House Plans, and more! His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information. http://www.1st-4-house-plans.com.

Did you know if you shop online, you could be saving hundreds of
dollars compared to going directly to the nearest retailer?
There are many advantages to shopping online: you don’t have to
pay taxes, you can comparison shop, check out reviews and use
coupon codes to save you a lot of money. Aside from the fact
that you cannot feel and handle the product and that it takes
longer to get the product, possibly the only disadvantage, if
you are an avid shopper you can obtain significant savings by
shopping online.

The first advantage is saving money on taxes. If the merchant
you are purchasing from does not have a local presence in your
state you do not have to pay taxes. For example, Amazon charges
sales tax for orders shipped to the states of Kansas, Kentucky,
North Dakota, & Washington. If you don’t live in those states
you can buy a product from Amazon and save your money on sales
taxes. When you decide to buy a product from an online merchant,
make sure you read the fine print about where they have a local
presence. If two merchants, retailer A and retailer B, offer the
same product for the same price and retailer A is the only
retailer out of the two that has a local presence, then you
should definitely choose merchant B as your shopping target
since you could save on sales taxes.

Of course, saving money on taxes is not just the only benefit.
Before you shop online I recommend comparison shopping. There
are many sites that can can help you comparison shop: epinons,
mysimon, bizrate, froogle. All these comparison sites may have
different merchants on their list so it’s good to try them all
if you know exactly what you are looking for. Not only do they
offer different price comparisons on products, some of these
sites also provide excellent reviews on products. If you cannot
find good reviews on the product you want, I recommend Amazon.
Amazon is one of the biggest online retailers and, because of
this, they have the most product reviews on every item that you
can think of. There have been many times where I’ve changed my
mind about a product after reading product reviews on Amazon.

Perhaps the most exciting way about saving money online is
finding a good deal and/or using coupon codes from sites like
Cheap-buys.com. What are coupon codes? They are text entries
that you can input on a merchant’s shopping cart when checking
out to receive a discount for your purchases. Almost all
merchants have a input box for entering coupon codes as the user
wants to check out. Now a lot of times you need to search for
these coupon codes on the web since they don’t make it so
obvious for the user to find. Why do these merchants provide
coupon codes? Sometimes they want to boost their sales by
telling other websites (affiliates) to promote their coupon
codes. When a user visits the affiliate site they will see that
they can save an additional percentage by using the coupon code
and therefore the consumer is more likely to make a purchase
since they can save additional money. Some of these coupon codes
are for a limited time only and must be used quickly. For
example, Dell once used to have a promotional coupon code for
$750 off their laptops. It had a user limit and it expired
within hours since the demand was extremely high.

I hope I have provided you with the right weapons for your next
shopping spree. For additional tips on shopping and for coupon
codes to save you money you can visit websites such as
cheap-buys.com or webcouponcodes.com. By golly, you are likely
to save more than a few bucks and bring a smile to your face!

With the growing interest in blogging as a means of online promotion and branding, a lot of marketers are starting blogs to promote their opinions, products, books and services.

But a blog is like a website. “Write and they will come” isn’t exactly a magic formula to bring in traffic by the boatload.

If you need to promote your website in order to build traffic to it, you need to promote your blog as well.

Here are some ways you can become a well-read and influential blogger.

1. Write Posts That People Will Want To Read

This should be common sense, but many marketers tend to forget that their readers are real people and that you need to use the principles of online copywriting to make your headlines and copy interesting to your readers.

If you write posts that people enjoy reading, they will reward you by returning to your blog regularly.

Make your posts conversational, pithy and topical. Keep them short and stick to one topic per post.

Write often and regularly so that both readers and search engines visit your blog more often.

2. Optimize Your Posts for Search Engines

I cover this topic in detail in my article on “Search Engine Optimization For Blogs”

But here are the most important rules to follow to get your posts listed for keywords of your choice.

• Make sure your blog URL contains the primary keyword you want to optimize for
• Use your primary keywords in the title of your post
• Use your secondary keywords in the body of your post
• Use your keywords in the anchor text of links in the body of your posts

3. Submit Your Blog and RSS Feed To Directories

If you publish a blog you should submit your blog and RSS feed to big directories like Yahoo and Dmoz, as well as the numerous blog directories and search engines.

Here is the best list I’ve found of places to submit your feed or blog, compiled by Luigi Canali De Rossi, who writes under the pseudonym Robin Good.

Best Blog Directory And RSS Submission Sites

Another list of sites to submit your Blog

4. Ping The Blog Services

There are a number of services designed specifically for tracking and connecting blogs. By sending a small ping to each service you let them know you’ve updated your blog so they can come check you out.

Bookmark the Ping-O-Matic ping results page so you can visit it and quickly ping a number of services with a single click.

5. Build Links To Your Blog

I recommend the methods here as the best ways to get links pointing to your blog.

• Link to your blog from each page on your main website
• Trackback to other blogs in your posts
• Post legitimate comments on other blogs with related topics
• Offer to exchange links with other similarly themed blogs and websites

6. Edit Your Blog Posts Into Articles

One of the best methods for promoting your website is to write articles and submit them to article directories.

The suggestion for extending this to edit your blog posts into articles and submit them to directories came from the coach at “Explode Blog Traffic” who also has other noteworthy suggestions at his blog.

You’ll find an extensive list of article directories here

7. Create Buzz About Your Blog

Creating a buzz about your blog posts and topic in the local and online media will give your marketing a viral component.

• Create a controversy around your blog or it’s topic.
• Distribute bumper stickers or other merchandise with your blog’s URL and tagline.
• Write a press release about something newsworthy and tie it in with your blog topic.

8. Capture Subscribers By Email

It may seem strange for a blogger to send out updates by email, but email is still the #1 choice of most people who want to receive news and information.

Using a free service like Bloglet to manage your subscriptions is easy and it allows your subscribers to manage all their subscriptions from one interface.

However, if you want more control over your list and don’t mind mailing out the updates yourself, you can use an autoresponder system to capture and follow-up with subscribers.

RSS Responder is a new script that allows you to keep in touch and follow-up with your subscribers without the hassle of email.

These tips should give you a good start to building your blog traffic.

—

Copyright © 2004 Priya Shah

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Priya Shah publishes an internet marketing ezine by day and doubles as a Blog Maniac by night. Blog Brandz is the legitimate offspring of her affair with the blogosphere.

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Why Award Sites?

Award sites are, in essence, directories that hand review sites,
placing the ones with the most or best content and services at
the top of the list. These sites are an excellent source of high
quality, targeted traffic, and should be utilized by any site
looking to promote themselves online. High rankings on these
sites are not based on the amount of links you have or the
volume of traffic your site maintains per month, but rather on
who has the best site in their opinion. This makes it one of the
best places to start off your promotion campaign for your
website.

To get high listings in these sites, you will generally want to
have a lot of high quality, topic related content, as well as a
layout that is easy to navigate and pleasing to the eye. With a
high ranking on these sites, you will generate quite a bit of
targeted traffic to your site, as well as get a nice link out of
the deal. These sites are generally very popular, as well,
helping out your rankings in the search engines while bolstering
your traffic.

Some awards sites require a link back to their page in exchange
for a ranking on their site. You can opt to not exchange links
with these sites and move on to the “catch-free” sites, but in
all fairness, a simple reciprocal link is well worth the traffic
and reputation boost you will receive with a high listing. Many
web browsers will stumble onto these sites in search of the
“best” site for whatever subject they are interested in, and may
find your site the most appealing to them. The only way for them
to find you early on, however is through links from other high
traffic sites.

Finding a Related Award Site

Finding an award site is not difficult at all, depending on your
topic. Try your favorite search engine with the phrase “top 10
sites.” More than likely you will receive a myriad of
results. Skip over the sites that are not award related, and
focus on the award sites for now. Make a list of the most
appealing award sites / top 10 sites to you, as these will most
likely be the ones that are most appealing to other web
browsers. Later you will be trying to get in the top listings
for as many as you can, so don’t skip over any just yet. Before
you get started submitting, make sure the content on your site
has been read through and looks good. Typos throughout your
articles and pages can be a major detriment to your rankings on
the award sites out there. You might also want to include a few
extra pages with simple articles to be sure that you have plenty
of unique content. This will help enormously with your rankings,
both on awards sites and on the major search engines, so take
your time and do them right.

Submitting to Award Sites

Once you are sure of your content and services / products
outline, go ahead and begin submitting to your list of award
sites. Many of these, as stated above, will require a link to
their site before linking to you, so have your links up and
ready before you begin. It will save you time in the end, and
will reduce the chances of accidentally not adding a link and
getting denied by the site you submitted to.

If an email is required to have your site listed, be sure to
write a short, but descriptive letter to their site. Include
what the site specifies, and it always helps to add a paragraph
stating that you already have a link to their site on yours.
Don’t forget to include a link to the exact page you placed
their link on, so that it is easy to find. With a reciprocal
link placed already, most sites will not have any problem with
linking back to you as soon as they get your email. Don’t be
discouraged if your site is not within the top 10 on their site
after just submitting it. With a little bit of time and effort
you can always raise your ranking on an awards site.

Also, be sure to keep a list of which sites did link back to
you, and delete the links for the ones that did not. This will
keep your links page clean and neat, increasing your chances of
getting a higher listing in the award sites you have linked to.

Getting Higher Rankings on Award Sites

Now that you are listed in a few award sites, it’s time to start
focusing on getting a higher ranking in them. Always keep fresh
content on your site. This will help your ranking not only on
the award sites, but on the search engines and directories as
well. With new, unique content and constant updates to your
site, you will stand a much better chance of being seen as an
“expert” in your field, and your site will never grow stagnant
or outdated.

Periodically send an email to the award sites you are listed on,
informing them of updates since your last email. If the sites
see that you are updating and improving your site daily, they
will be much more apt to rank you higher on their list.

Another good tip is to keep the links to the award sites toward
the top of your link page, or on a separate page altogether,
linked from your main page. This will increase traffic to the
award sites, further improving your relations with them. If you
are sending three times as much traffic to their site than the
current #1 listing, chances are good that the #1 will soon be #2
on their list.

Always keep in mind that there is lots of competition on the
internet, regardless of which product or service you are
promoting. The important thing is to remember that “you get what
you pay for.” In other words, the harder you work at something,
the better the results are going to be.