Students Of Success

2004 was really a year when the whole subject of email and spam has been at the forefront of the minds of internet marketers.

The anti Spam legislation has had more than the desired effect. I think everyone hates spam, even spammers. I guess also that everyone hates spammers, except spammers, though they probably hate other spammers. An attempt by legislators in different countries to prevent the deluge of spam into Inboxes was to be expected. The spam itself had already spawned the spam filter industry, which has “flourished” this year. I put flourished in “” because flourishing gives the impression of health. Their balance sheets and profit and loss figures may be flourishing, I don’t know, but the email industry is not.

Spam filters were set up to prevent spam, not to kill perfectly genuine and good emails, from friends, lovers, publishers you have requested a newsletter from, or anybody else who is not “spamming” you. Some recent figures suggest a significant proportion of valid emails are not reaching their destination. Is that good? Is that what the legislation intended? No, it is it not.

People use filters in good faith, without, in most cases, having any idea how they work. They may be blissfully unaware that, in some cases, good email will not reach them. How much does that damage online business? How many business relationships are damaged by failure to respond to an email that was never received? How many personal relationships are damaged in the same way? Nobody knows. But if, for example, a marriage is on the rocks, one such incident could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Internet marketers in particular have been covering the subject an enormous amount in the past year. Some are even saying that email is dying. Well, dying is surely an exaggeration. Maybe those marketers want others to give up so they have the field to themselves. However, it is increasingly difficult for internet marketers to get their message, even if requested, to the recipient. They comply, in most cases, with the legislation, but the self appointed Spam Police have their own ideas of what email people should receive. To me, that is far more annoying than spam itself. It is a form of censorship if it snuffs out email that people really wanted to receive.

Is spam as a problem exaggerated too? Well, I have no figures on that, but in my own case it has never been more than a minor irritation. I have 3 websites with different email addresses on, which can presumably be harvested for spam email lists. One of those websites has been there nearly 2 years. So is my Inbox filled with spam? No. I get a few, but it is a minor irritation. Maybe I’m lucky, I have no way of knowing.

I do know that the people I expect to hear from do get their emails to me, but I have no spam filters activated. I have just never found it necessary. One problem I have noticed, though, is nothing to do with spam filtering. Once most marketers legitimately get hold of your email address, they start sending far too many advertising only emails. Even if they start off with one or a series of helpful emails, which you may have requested, it soon deteriorates into an ad bombardment. Recently, I opted out of the list of a well known internet guru for that very reason.

So, it is up to internet marketers to put their own house in order too. If they send out emails that people find useful, entertaining, reliable or profitable (preferably all 4), on a consistent basis, people will look forward to their good content. They will take the extra steps necessary to ensure the emails they want get through to them. In most cases, adding to the address book or “approved” list will do just that. Who will want to “approve” an email address that sends nothing but ads when the expectation was, originally, useful content. I think the average person would accept a reasonable amount of advertising, if it is relevant and is a small % of the content.

I cannot foresee that email will die, even as a marketing tool. But it could be in need of surgery, and it is up to all of us to learn the surgical procedures.

Roy Thomsitt is the owner, webmaster and author of http://www.change-direction.com , a new website in late 2004, about working online in a home based business. He has a background in offline advertising, with practical experience of working from home in marketing since 1995, plus 2 years of experience with online marketing. Professionally, he was trained as a management accountant and has substantial background in project management, implementing new office, accounting, computer and management systems.

It’s no secret that identity theft has become a major problem in this country. Last year alone, more than 9.9 million Americans fell victim to this devastating crime. And it can be devastating.

Identity theft occurs when someone acquires key pieces of your personal information with the intent to commit fraud. Most commonly, they use this information to open new credit accounts and run up huge debts. However, this is not the only use of stolen personal information. It can also be used by someone looking to immigrate illegally, carry out terrorist activities, assume a new identity, or even to blackmail you or someone in your sphere of relationships.

How does a thief gain access to your identity?

While most people believe their greatest exposure to theft is through the Internet, experts say your mailbox (where thieves can obtain account statements, new checks and credit offers) and your garbage are the easiest ways criminals can access your personal information. The theft of your purse or wallet is also common. And then there’re those situations in which you willingly give out information over the phone (to someone who calls with a great offer) or over the Internet in response to a fraudulent email (commonly referred to as “phishing”).

Once a thief has your information, he generally has weeks (even months) before you become aware that there’s a problem. In fact, it may not become evident until you suddenly start receiving bills for revolving accounts you never set up, in towns you never visited, for items you never purchased. By this time, your credit report has become peppered with new accounts that you had no idea existed.

Once that happens, it’s a nightmare trying to undo the damage.

However, there are ways to be proactive and protect yourself. For instance, most credit card companies offer services that will monitor your account for unusual activity, notify you immediately if there’s a problem, and protect you from the fraudulent charges. The three leading credit reporting agencies in the United States: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian, each offer monitoring services as well (although that’s all they do … monitor and inform).

There are other ways you can help minimize your potential risk as well:

Never share your banking information, particularly your personal password, with anyone unless you initiated the contact or you personally know the person you’re dealing with. Legitimate banks and other businesses will not call or email you requesting your personal account information. When you receive a request for your account information (whether it’s a bank account, a credit card account, or even a PayPal or eBay account), red flags should go up.

Always guard your PIN (personal identification number) at ATMs.

Sadly, you shouldn’t leave outgoing mail in your home mailbox for pickup. Either take the mail to the post office or drop it off at a secure postal mailbox.

Never carry your Social Security card in your wallet. If you have to carry credit cards in your purse or wallet, as most of us do, keep them to a minimum. Preferably a single card.

Never use your credit card on the Internet unless you’re initiating the purchase and it’s done through a secure connection. You can quickly identify a secure connection by checking for “https” in the URL or the lock icon in the corner of the screen.

Keep a list of your credit card and bank account numbers in a secure location, such as a locked safe or a safety deposit box.

Always shred personal documents. This includes all those credit card offers you receive in the mail, old account statements, billing statements, credit card statements, etc. And use a double-cut shredder to be on the safe side. You can pick one up at nearly any office supply store for under $40.00.

Keep track of your bank and credit card statements. Make sure they arrive every month and monitor them for any unusual activity. If a bill doesn’t show up, it can be an indication that someone has set up a change of address without your knowledge.

Order a credit report from all three agencies (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian) twice per year, review them, and compare them carefully. If you discover any fraudulent entries immediately contact each agency, explain the situation and follow the proper procedures to correct the problem.

Identity theft is on the rise throughout the United States, but that doesn’t mean it has to happen to you. Take a few diligent precautions and your chances of never becoming a victim increase dramatically.

Want to check your credit report for free? Learn exactly how to get yours here: The Quickest, Easiest Way To Obtain A Free Credit Report

I’m an outgoing person - too outgoing - and share personal information easily. Being friendly is one thing, but I don’t want to be foolish about identity theft. Recently I heard a Crime Prevention Specialist talk about the way thieves steal our identity. What an education!

After his talk I purged my wallet. Since the talk I’ve gotten a lot smarter about protecting myself, especially when I travel. Airports are busy, crowded places and I can be easily distracted. Now I know I should be on constant alert. How can you protect yourself from identity theft?

1. It’s OK to talk to strangers, but don’t give then personal information about yourself.

2. Refrain from talking about financial things (investments, large purchases, home improvements, etc.) in public places.

3. Leave your check book and check register at home.

4. Delete personal information, such as your bank account number, Social Security number, and alarm code, from your laptop computer.

5. NEVER carry your Social Security card or number with you. Memorize the number instead.

6. Bring only two credit cards with you. Leave the rest at home in a secure place.

7. Use the two credit cards equally. Avoid a high total on one card that might attract attention.

8. Always have a credit card 800 emergency number with you in case your card is stolen.

9. Remove everything personal from your wallet, even your library card. Don’t stick receipts in your wallet or leave them in a rental car. Store receipts in a safe.

10. To dispose of documents you no longer need, soak them in warm water until they turn to pulp, and throw the pulp away.

11. Avoid ATM machines. If you must use one, cover the card with your hand so the number can’t be photographed from a distance.

12. Memorize your hotel room number.

13. Don’t put anything personal (letters with return addresses, etc.) in the trash.

14. Always put outgoing mail on a locked box.

These tips don’t guarantee that you won’t be a victim of identity theft, but they make it harder for the thieves to be successful. Check your wallet and coat pockets again before you leave. As the Boy Scout motto says, “Be prepared.”

Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Her 24th book, “Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,” written with Lois Krahn, MD is available from http://www.amazon.com A five-star review is also posted on Amazon. You’ll find another review on The American Hospice Foundation website under the “School Corner” heading.

RSS has been around for more than a decade but until recently “Rss Technology” started penetrating its roots deep inside the soil of the so-called E-world.

Using this standard, web publishers provide updates, such as the latest news headlines, special announcements, press releases or weblog postings through their RSS content

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a lightweight XML vocabulary for describing metadata about web sites, ideal for news syndication. Originated by userland software in 1997 and used by Netscape to populate Netscape’s My Netscape portal with external newsfeeds (”channels”) RSS has taken on a life of its own and has become perhaps the most popular XML format today. Thousands of web sites today use RSS as a “what’s new” mechanism to drive traffic their way. (Including the BBC, CNET, CNN, Eweek, Forbes, Motley Fool, Wired, Red Herring, Yahoo, MSN and many more…).

As each day passes by, new websites are being launched and added to the internet bandwagon and in order to compete, webmasters & web publishers need to find different ways of producing themed-based websites. Highly focused articles are often sought by webmasters. Why? Because content on the web is still king! In order to attract search engines and site visitors, webmasters depend heavily on providing informative, creative and fresh content. If the web site content is rich, visitors will come. If the website content is updated regularly, visitors will return. When evaluating a website’s traffic it is easy to see that the low cost of syndicated content can add-up considerably to a website’s value.

Many webmasters & web publishers are struggling to find fresh, innovative content while other savvy webmasters have realized the ability hidden within RSS and are adopting the technology at a maddening pace. By utilizing RSS, webmasters can tap through a variety of distinctive free content sources with very little effort. RSS truly is a webmaster’s key to free content.

With the help of RSS technology webmasters can also reach their potential and targeted customers directly, how this is done? Well…. typically RSS feeds contains “News Headlines” and content summaries of a particular product or service these content summaries contain just enough information without overwhelming the reader with superfluous details. If the reader is interested and wants additional information they can click on the item in the feed, accessing the website which contains additional details. RSS readers aggregate multiple feeds, making it easy for individuals to quickly scan information contained within each feed. Feeds are generally themed, allowing users to opt-in to feeds that are of their interest.

One of the major benefits to RSS is that individuals opt-in to content of interest, totally controlling the flow of information that they receive. If the quality of the content in the feed declines, users simply removes the feed from there RSS reader and they will not receive any additional updates from that source. The RSS reader acts as an aggregator, allowing users to view and scan multiple content streams in a very short period of time.
With the RSS webmasters & web publishers have the advantage to update their already existing feed, so that when ever they have something new to publish or offer all they have to do is update their already published feed and the message gets updated everywhere it’s subscribed. No more worrying if your subscribers got your message or not.

Thus, Rss gives you the opportunity in establishing strong relationships with your existing subscribers as well as helps in attracting new potential subscribers who are interested in what you offer.

If you really want to make a difference then RSS is the perfect tool in reaching out to your subscribers or customers throughout

Syed Ibrahim is a prominent internet strategist and also manages marketing for http://www.rapidfeeds.com

Create, Edit, Publish & Track your RSS feed online just in three easy steps!!
Sign Up For Free!!!

I have a quick question to ask you… “do you know How-To set up
your own BLOG and RSS Feed so you Too can take advantage of all
the benefits Blogs and RSS(Real Simple Syndication) have to
offer you and your business?”

If you answered NO, your not alone.

I didn’t either at one time, but that didn’t stop me from
finding out How-To on my own.

So basically, what I’m trying to say is by the time you finish
reading this article you’ll be a master at setting up your own
Blogs and RSS Feeds in a matter of minutes by simply following
my simple ‘Step-by-Step’ instructions below.

With that said, Buckle Up, put your thinking cap on, grab
yourself a beverage and get ready to learn…

“HOW-TO Set Up Your Own BLOG and RSS Feed In Less Than 5
Minutes…”

Know lets go to Step #1.

Step #1. Go set-up an account with Blogger.com.

This is probably the easiest part of all, which is simply
setting up an Blogger.com account at http://www.blogger.com.

Go there right now. It will take you to Blogger.com’s homepage.

Once there, you’ll see an orange arrow pointing to the right
that says…”Create Your Blog Now” … click on it.

That’s Step #1.

Step #2. Creating your account with Blogger.com.

If you thought Step #1 was easy than Step #2 will be a breeze.

Simply select a Username and Password that you’ll remember
followed by your Email Address.(You don’t have to use your
primary email address, you can use a Free web-based email
account like Hotmail or Yahoo! if you like. Your choice.)

Then check the box that says “I accept the Terms of Service”.

Now proceed by clicking on the orange arrow that says…
“Continue”.

That’s Step #2.

Step #3. Naming your Blog.(Very IMPORTANT!)

Now, depending on what your Blog is about your going to want to
use your target ‘Keywords’ within the name of your Blog, its
description and the URL.

And there’s a good reason for this simply because this is what
the Search Engine spiders are going to see first.

They’ll first see them within your Blog name which is at the top
of your Blog that your visitors see, they’ll see them within
your description of your Blog and then they’ll see them within
your Blog URL that you choose.

Why is this SOoooo important?

By using your ‘Target Keywords’ within those areas I just
outlined, thats what the SE’s will use to index your Blog under
so when someone does a search for those target keywords, guess
whose Blog will pop-up within the results depending on your
competition?

That’s right, Yours!

The SE’s will also use those area’s I outlined for your SE
listing within there results index.

Here’s an example for a quick ‘Case-Study’ for you.

This is one of my Blogs I have.

Go to: http://internet-marketing-tactics.blogspot.com

You’ll notice my Blog title, description and URL all have the
‘Keyword Phrase’… Internet Marketing Tactic.

To take this a step further, I want you to go visit these search
engines MSN, Yahoo! and AlltheWeb and type in “internet
marketing tactics” within there search boxes so you can see
where my Blog sits within those SE’s so you can see the
importance of having your Target keywords within those area’s I
mentioned earlier.

MSN http://www.msn.com

Yahoo! http://www.yahoo.com

AlltheWeb http://www.alltheweb.com

In the MSN SE results my Blog is #1 for that keyword phrase, in
Yahoo! I’m #11(not bad) and in AlltheWeb I’m #18.

Of course these positions will very in time but just as long as
you get the point of WHY you need to use your Target keywords
within those 3 areas.

Lets move on.

Now, your last step for Step #3 is to simply type in the
‘Verification Code’.

Once you’ve done that, click on the orange arrow below that
says… “Continue”.

Step #4. Choosing your template.

If everything went well in Step #3 and that Blog name you chose
isn’t taken you should be looking at a bunch of Blog templates
Blogger.com offers.

Simply select the one you like most and then click “Continue”.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You just created your first Blog and completed Step #4.

You should now be looking at an orange arrow that says… “Start
Posting”. Click on it and it’ll take you to where you can start
posting whatever it is you want.

Now that you have set-up your Blog your probably wondering…
“where does RSS fit into this formula?”

Step #5. Locating your RSS Feed URL.

What can I say, I always leave the Best for last.

Assuming your still within the Blogger.com ‘Posting’ area you’ll
notice a bunch of tabs at the top labelled, Posting, Settings,
Template and View Blog.

Click on the ‘Settings’ tab.

This will take you to a sub-menu with a bunch of other options.

Out of all those options click on the one that says… “Site
Feed”.

And there it is.

It should look something like this:

http://yourblogname.blogspot.com/atom.xml

This is the URL you’ll want to use to promote your RSS Feed with
to the RSS search engines and directories so that everytime you
make a post, the RSS SE’s and directories will be
‘Automatically’ notified and updated with your latest
information bringing your Blog more exposure to your target
audience.

That about sums it up for this tutorial, but, just before I go
I’ll leave you with a few articles I wrote earlier on RSS
promotion to help you get the Most out of your Blogs and RSS
Feeds.

Here are the links:

http://www.internetwondersezine.com/article_13.html

http://www.internetwondersezine.com/article_14.html

http://www.internetwondersezine.com/article_16.html

Now that you are armed with this information that I just
revealed to you, you should have no problem setting up and
getting the MOST out of your Blogs and RSS Feeds.

My wife and I got a copy of our credit reports. Two car loans on my wife’s credit report were not hers. We went to one of the branches of the bank where these loans were and tried to get it taken care of ourselves. For four months we tried to get the loans removed from her report. Never got it accomplished. Now since the person who ever he or she is was paying these accounts we never knew we were victims. Then someone else tried to take out vision care benefits in my wife’s name. I contacted the company who sent us a letter refusing the service. First I had to find out who they were. I found out they were a middleman company for medical / vision care. I asked who applied for these services. The lady told me these benefits were applied for over the phone.

Now think about this. Someone could be getting benefits in your name and doesn’t sign or even appear in front of anyone so no one will ever know who they are. So I then asked how they were paying for these services. She said they used a credit card. I asked what was the number on the credit card. She said all she had was the last four digits of the card used. So I asked for the numbers. She gave them to me. I checked all my credit cards and it just so happens that the last four digits on a visa that we had canceled a good 2 years ago matched the numbers used. So my wife’s name and a cancelled credit card in her name used. I would say that’s not a coincidence. We got of easy this time. If you hear from victims who didn’t get by so easy you’ll under stand what I am saying. You do not want to wait until someone has run up hundreds of thousands of dollars, taken medical coverage, given you a criminal record, and or theirs arrest warrants out in your name before you find out someone is using your name. Make an intelligent decision and do everything you need to too protect your good name.

There are a lot of companies providing Identity Theft services. We choose one that got the loans removed from my wife’s name and put the fraud alerts on at the three main credit-reporting agencies. The great part is all I did was made a phone call to this company and they did all the work. We did not have to fill out a bunch of forms or get a package telling us what to do. They took care of it all. The best part is they cover my wife and me both for less than 50 cents a day. I can’t even buy a soda at the corner store for 50 cents. People always say it happens to someone else. True my wife is someone else to you. But remember you are someone else to us. All the experts say no one can stop you from becoming a victim, but finding out as soon as it happens and having it taken care is considered on of your best defenses.

About the author. Louis Madison was an aircraft mechanic and is currently a successful business owner, also an independent associate who will never go back to the corporate business world and work for someone else. He is dedicated to helping people learn about Identity Theft and some of the options to help protect them. To see and compare what he truly believes to be the best service available go to http://wserver0.prepaidlegal.com/Multisite/Multisite?site=idt&assoc=louismadison You can learn more about him by visiting his personal web site http://workfromhomesuccessfully.com.

Ebay is a great site and is used by many to buy and sell new and used Items. It truly is the worlds Largest Garage Sale Unfortunately when an online site becomes as big and popular as E-Bay the scam artists seem to just naturally follow. These Scam artists will often try to steal your Idenity and get your bank or credit card information in addition to your E-Bay Id and Password

A Typical Ebay Scam Artist will send you an e-mail requesting that you update your account. Often this request to update your account is made under some false pretence like it is suspended or has been suspected of Fraudulent use. Here is a Copy of a recent Ebay Scam E-mail I received http://ewguru.com/ebay-scam. You will notice the E-Bay Link on this page looks real. Don’t click it. You can however do a right click properties and notice that it is in fact a phony link.

E-bay has an excellent online Tutorial that teaches how to spot and protect yourself from spoof e-mails
http://ewguru.com/spoof-emails

Here are 8 Surefire Ways to Spot an EBAY Scam E-Mail and Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

1 - Wrong E-Mail Address

Any E-mail Sent to an E-mail Address that is Not Your Primary Ebay E-mail Account is more then likely a scam.

2 - Fake links.

While many emails have links included, just remember that these links can be forged too. After you click on the Link a Real E-Bay Address should appear. To determine if the Web address in your browser is a real eBay address, look for “.ebay.com” immediately before the first “/”.

3 - Requests Personal Information

Any E-mail that requests you enter personal information like User ID, password or bank account number either by clicking on a link in the E-mail or completing a form within the e-mail are a strong indication the e-mail is a SCAM

4 - Urgent Subject Lines

Subject likes * * * Please Verify & Update Your Account * * *

5 - Generic greetings.

Lot’s of emails begin with a Greeting, such as: “Dear Ebay member instead of the Name you used when you registered for your account

6 - Scare to Action

Many Fake emails try to trick you with the threat that your account is in jeopardy if you don’t sign in and fix it NOW!

7 - HTML Website Fakes

Emails that appear to be websites. Some emails will look like a website in order to get you to enter personal information. Ebay never asks for personal information in an e-mail.

8. Misspellings and bad grammar

Fake emails may contain misspellings, incorrect grammar, missing words. Many Times these are used to trick the E-mail Filters

A quick review
If you receive an E-mail with a Link requesting you to click on the link and sign in to your E-bay account, Don’t Do It!

If you receive an E-mail that looks like an Ebay Sign in Form, Don’t Sign in!

If you are unsure if the e-mail is Real or fake forward it to spoof@ebay.com and request assistance.

If you absolutely must login to your Ebay account then I would highly recommend you do the Following. Close all open Browser sessions. Run a Spyware check on your computer You can get a free Spyware program here (http://ewguru.com/sware) then type in http://www.ebay.com/ directly into your Browser window and Login from the E-bay Web Page. Never click on a Login Link from Any E-Mail.

About The Author:
Mike Makler has been Marketing Online Since 2001 When he Built
an Organization of over 100,000 Members

Get Mike’s Newsletter:
http://ewguru.com/newsletter

More Articles by Mike:
http://ewguru.com/tips

Permission Based E_Mail Marketing Methods
http://ewguru.com/hbiz/amazingoffer.html

Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler the Coolest Guy in the Universe

[You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated getarticles At Ewguru .Com]

Not to long ago I finally decided to check out what all those little orange buttons that said “RSS” or “XML” were about. It seemed to me that either my vision was permanently impaired or every web-site I visited suddenly spouted an RSS tag, and that proudly. I wanted to know just what those ubiquitous orange buttons meant and how they operated.

Well, in a few days I was an RSS freak. Obsessed. Totally grounded in RSS mania and those little news items coming across my reader. Of course, I had a reader for my desktop, and a reader that conveniently placed itself within my Firefox Browser. I was RSS ready for anything! And you know what. BEST OF ALL its almost ALL FREE. (If it isn’t it does not find a place on my computer!)

For those among the plebeians of the world who are not familiar with RSS and what you can do with it, this article will attempt to explain the basics in RSS terminology and how you can become as obsessed with RSS as I am. In a future article I will attempt to explain how to create your own RSS feed as well.

RSS Feed – The information that a web site will place within the RSS file for you to read is known as a “feed”.
RSS Reader – The software you use, either browser based or desktop based that you use to pick up the feed and read it.

1. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” or so they tell us. Well so we don’t get too complicated, RSS has gone through a few permutations based upon its versions and maturing.

• Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91)
• RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0)
• Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0.0)

Most RSS feeds today are of the 2.0 permutation. And actually all RSS and its permutations are based upon “push technology” which began to be seriously developed a few years ago.

2. RSS is based on XML (Extensible Markup Language) which is actually become incredibly popular in the development of web pages and the like. (For now we will not enter too many technicalities in programming)

3. PodCasting – is a derivation of RSS where audio is pushed to the computer instead of just text.

4. VodCasting - is a derivation of RSS where video is pushed to the computer instead of just text.

5. There are also PictureCasting, screencasting… and I guess you are getting the picture.

6. Atom Feeds – This basically is a new syndication to replace RSS format. Whether or not it will work is up to the developers and users.

7. Blogs, (a term which originally came from “weblog”) which has been all the rage in the internet lately, make extensive use of RSS feeds, pushing the information contained in the millions of weblogs out to users.

So what is so great about RSS? It simply is a way of those who have content, say a newspaper, where news changes and is updated on an hourly or daily basis, to push this news to users all over the world without them logging into the web site. The user has an “RSS Reader” (many different types are available – future article) and this news is updated automatically in the Reader on a schedule the user chooses. Thus one can be working without the need to constantly check a news web site, and still keep abrest of any news that is happening “out in the big world”.

Readers can handle many RSS feeds together, and it takes just a glance over to determine if something you are interested in comes through.

Why do web sites and companies do this? Because it creates customer loyalty. It is another avenue of being constantly connected with the customers and viewers of their web sites. It is a way to keep the people coming back and back again.

In the next article of this series I will discuss the method by which a feed is created and then pushed out to the Net world at large for others to read it.

Ted W. Gross owns Virgin Earth, a real estate brokerage firm in Jerusalem, Israel. Virgin Earth represents residential and commercial real estate all over Israel. The web site for Virgin Earth is: http://www.virginisrael.com. Virgin Earth also maintains an RSS Feed on its current properties which can be found on most pages in the web site of Virgin Earth. Virgin Earth also operates an Israel Tourism Portal. Virgin Earth - Israel Tourism & Information Portal on the same site. Ted Gross can be reached at: virginearth@gmail.com Ted Gross is also a published author and maintains a web site for his works. This can be found at: http://www.virginisrael.com/twg/iw.html

RSS is totally hot. We have seen it everywhere, from John-Doe blogsites to major news websites. If you haven’t heard of RSS before, that’s okay, because I hadn’t either until a couple of months ago!

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, or whatever you want it to stand for. (I have seen it also stand for RDF Site Summary, but it really doesn’t matter.) What’s important is what it does.

Here’s how RSS works:

Every site that has constantly changing content has one big problem: How do you notify your visitors when you’ve posted new content without them having to scour your entire site every 30 mins? You could send them an email, but that has several drawbacks.

First, you might not get your messages through the spam filters. Filters are snatching more and more messages, and just to keep up anymore you have to run all your content through rating systems just to find the likelyhood of it getting blocked. What a pain in the neck!

Second, people are so hesitant to give out their closely guarded email address. I know I guard my email address with my life. How can your visitors trust you if they just clicked to your site? You could be an underground spam operation for all they care.

This is where RSS is awesome!

Instead of sending an email, you can have your website generate what’s called an RSS Feed. An RSS Feed is nothing more than a webpage with a bunch of summaries of the new content on it. Next time you see that little orange icon with XML or RSS, click on it and you’ll see what I mean. The summaries are formatted in such a way that an RSS Reader can sort them out and display them neatly.

There are tons of free RSS Readers now, so if you don’t have one, do a simple Google search for RSS Reader and you should have no trouble finding one.

All the visitor has to do is copy the little orange RSS icon link and paste it into their RSS Reader program. The RSS program will periodically download the RSS webpage and will display the new headlines much like your email program will display your subject lines. If you like one of the headlines, you can click on it and it will display a short description and a link to the entire article. If you want to read more, click the link and it will display the actual full article on the website.

Here’s why this is killer:

You can now be notified of the new content or headlines posted to all your favorite websites without having to do very much work! Imagine putting twenty RSS Feeds into your reader and having it download all the content in a matter of seconds instead of having to surf to each site individually!

If you ask me, RSS is here to stay. All the major sites support it like CNN, ESPN, Yahoo and Google, so that surely is a good sign! So go on and fire up Google and get yourself an RSS Reader. You will be glad you did…I sure was!

Feel free to reprint this article so long as you include the resource box listed with the article.

Kent Thompson is the creator of FeedMagic, a full-featured sequential autoresponder program that allows your subscribers to choose between Email or a personalized RSS Feed for delivery. To find out how you can use the power of RSS for your website, click here: http://FeedMagic.com

Every so often I take time out of my busy Email Marketing Consulting schedule and steal an afternoon just for myself. A few months ago I decided to take one of those days. With five glorious hours ahead of me I pondered how best to enjoy my break. I really wanted to do something memorable, something that would inspire me and something that would last long after my special day was over. So I did what everyone does on an afternoon off – I got a tattoo.

I had never gotten a tattoo before and did not know which shops were the best but I was on an e-newsletter list of a shop called Brave Tattoo. I had joined the list while they were running a contest to win a Harley. I didn’t win but stayed on the email list because I was impressed with how creative the tattoo shop was with their e-zine. There was always two or three professionally written articles about tattoos and a whole bunch of tattoo design suggestions. I really looked forward to their bi-weekly e-zine because their e-newsletter approach really communicated their passion for their product and store. I sort of felt like I already knew the shop because of their e-newsletter. This week’s email special was a little odd but it worked perfect for me and I took it as a sign. 21 characters for the price of 20.

I arrived early for my appointment and got all setup with an artist named BeeBee. She was painted from head to toe and had earrings, nose rings and studs everywhere imaginable (she told me about the ones that were not visible and I took her word for it). We got started right away with the cleaning and stenciling. All those needles looked a little unnerving so I turned away and tried to clear my mind of work and everything else I was thinking about.

Just as my first character was about to be stenciled, a rowdy group moved into the booth next to me. Six people. Three of women and two of the men looked like they had just stepped out of a cloning machine. Same clothes, similar hair and similar gestures. The sixth guy was obviously the leader. Dressed in a William Fioravanti suit, this guy looked like a million-and-a-half bucks. His teeth were bleached white and gleaming. His face looked like he had shaven so close he was glowing. He almost looked too perfect or something. “Probably due to a fake tan,” I thought. I knew I had seen the guy before; he looked really familiar. Oh well, it was my afternoon off and I decided to not waste my time paying attention to Mr. Nice Suit and Super White Teeth. I closed my eyes and let BeeBee go to work.

I must have dozed off because when I came to I already had ‘EMAIL MARKETING FOREVER’ stenciled on my shoulder. It looked pretty good so far. The little flying envelope was really cute too. BeeBee mentioned that the next step was the point of no return. I eagerly nodded and told her to get going with the permanent ink. We started chatting about my tattoo choice and I told her the history of Email Marketing and how I had chosen to have my tattoo done at their store because of their creative e-newsletter. She told me that a fellow name Buzz took care of all the marketing but he was out on an errand right now.

Throughout our conversation BeeBee and I had to talk louder and louder because of the group in the next booth. It sounded like they were having a party. The five clones must have been the guy’s groupies because they weren’t calling him by a name, just his initials. I asked BeeBee who the guy was. Maybe he was a rock star or something and that’s why I recognized him.

“He is the new cat’s meow,” BeeBee said. I thought ‘cats meow’ was code for ‘new lead singer in a rock group’ so I tried to act smart and answered casually, “Oh? What club are they playing at?” I got really excited at the prospect of getting a tattoo AND meeting a rock star all in the same day. What a great way to celebrate my Email Marketing Forever tattoo! Who knows, this guy might be a great performer. The glowing skin was a little too perfect and I’d pass on the groupie thing but who knows where this guy might be in a few years. I got giddy at the thought of meeting Mr. Nice Suit and Super White Teeth and hearing his group.

BeeBee didn’t seem to hear my question about the club and started humming Bob Dylan’s hit “The Times They Are A-Changin’”. I always liked that song. I hummed along too and decided to go introduce myself to the suit and teeth after my tattoo was done. I would find out the address for the club first hand.

I could hear the clones squealing at the suit and teeth’s every word. “He must be something special to get so much attention,” I thought. I closed my eyes and was only half listening but I think they were calling him RSS. I lay there with my eyes closed wondering what RSS stood for.

Ricardo the Super Stud?

Maybe RSS was the short form of his heavy metal band. What could the band be called? All those bands had such weird names. Could it be Rotten Salmon Sushi? Or maybe it was a country band called The Raunchy Smoking Smiths. Who knows. I was only half paying attention because the tattoo needles where starting to sting. I tried to clear my mind and focused on going out clubbing when all this was over.

Suddenly BeeBee stopped humming and looked up from her needles and ink. “Buzz, is back from his errand,” she reported. “You can meet him after he’s done getting the catering set up.” Catering? What kind of a tattoo parlor was this? BeeBee noticed my query and motioned to the group next door. “I think it’s to keep the groupies quiet so RSS can get his tattoo done in peace,” she giggled, earrings swaying to and fro as she laughed.

My mind wandered to thoughts of dancing at the club with my new Email Marketing Forever tattoo permanently sitting on my shoulder. I could hear the clones expressing awe over the tiny sandwiches and little cakes. Then I heard it. There was a lot of sandwich squealing going on but I knew what I heard.

I heard it again. “RSS feed me! RSS feed me!” Seems Mr. Nice Suit and Super White Teeth, or RSS as they called him, was making the rounds with the cloned groupies and aiding them in tasting all the culinary delights. RSS was tossing crackers and caviar into the open mouths of two of the women. I gagged and quickly realized that I did know this guy. He wasn’t a rock star like Bono; he was an Internet rock star! You can’t go anywhere without hearing about this guy. The suit and teeth was none other than RSS Marketing! How could I have not recognized him? I guess my MyYahoo! aggregator would have helped but the perfect good looks and groupies should have been a clue.

I took a deep breath, looked to see where BeeBee was at with the permanent ink and said, “I think you had better stop.”

‘Email Mark’ was as far as BeeBee had gotten.

Great, I was now the only person on the planet with a ‘to do list’ tattooed on my shoulder! Well at least it sort of made sense. My brother’s name is Mark so I thought I could make up some little story about how my brother and I had matching tattoos to remind us to keep in contact with each other.

A vision of Johnny Depp and his ‘Wino Forever’ tattoo raced across my mind. I said a quick prayer to Johnny and asked him if I could join his club of botched tattoos.

I got all bandaged up and went over to the RSS party and introduced myself. The clones looked a little worried but I assured them they could keep all the little sandwiches for themselves. RSS was quite personable and really nice, however I quickly realized the guy had a bit of an identity complex. We were all laughing and joking when RSS whispered in my ear, “They all have so many expectations…” Those bleached white teeth so close to my ear sort of startled me. RSS’s voice sounded like the kid who saw dead people in ‘The Sixth Sense.’

“Who?” I whispered back, surprised I was having a whispering conversation with a person I had just met.

“Everyone.” RSS whispered. He motioned to the clones: “They are all marketing executives eager to dump every other kind of digital marketing and ride my back into the RSS Feed golden sunset.

“First they blogged me and I thought I was stretched with that. Now they want to personalize me and individualize me. Some of them even want me to pretend I’m email and go right into a customer’s email inbox!” RSS sounded a little freaked. I started to think he might need a Valium. “What if I they take me all the way into the bedroom and I can’t perform?” RSS pleaded.

“Cute analogy,” I thought. Forget the Valium, this guy needed some marketing Viagra just to make sure he could go all the way, regardless of who decides to hop into his digital bed with him.

I finally left the tattoo parlor that day only after RSS Marketing made me promise to email him. We meet quite regularly for coffee and I think he is slowly getting more comfortable with his stardom. He realizes that he probably won’t make everyone happy but he is trying his best. Those marketing executives have him going day and night. He was right; some of their expectations are pretty high.

I wonder where RSS Marketing will be a year from now? Will he be washed up with caffeine-stained teeth and a fraying designer suit playing in some Internet bar? Not likely, but will he be around ten years from now with a greatest hits album? Who knows.

I think the bottom line is that personalized digital marketing will progress and RSS Marketing will be part of it just like Email Marketing, Podcasting, Blogging, Text Messaging and everything else savvy marketers are trying. I think most people are being realistic and realizing they have to stock their toolbox with a variety of tools built with their specific customer group in mind. You can’t build a marketing strategy with only one tool and RSS Marketing is not the key to everyone’s fiscal salvation. Should marketers use RSS Marketing? Of course they should. Should marketers dump Email Marketing in the north river with a concrete block around its neck? I guess they can if they want to. But they may find their decision is shortsighted. Just like my Email Mark tattoo, the use of Email is in our bloodstream and getting it out will take more than an RSS Feed transfusion. Why not get smarter and acknowledge the landscape has changed and change Email Marketing accordingly? We did it with TV, magazines and the radio.

“Come gather ’round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You’ll be drenched to the bone.

If your time to you

Is worth savin

‘Then you better start swimmin’

Or you’ll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin’.”

-Bob Dylan

The last time RSS Marketing and I met he was kind of down as he had pulled another all-nighter. He asked me what he should do if his Internet gig didn’t work out. Where would he hide and spend his retirement without living in shame? I told him not to lose another ounce of sleep. If RSS Marketing doesn’t work out according to Internet Marketers’ expectations RSS could fade into the sunset without a care. RSS didn’t seem convinced. I assured RSS he had nothing to worry about. If RSS Marketing doesn’t meet the expectations of corporate marketers everywhere, everybody will be sending the blame up the Pacific Northwest coast into the misty air of Redmond to Bill Gates, to Microsoft and that new browser of theirs.

Joan Pasay is a dynamic e-marketing coach & author.

RSS Marketing is something savvy Email Marketers will want to learn about and consider for their Marketing toolbox. Email Marketing Made Easy can help. You can learn all about our services, including incorporating RSS Marketing into your Email Marketing mix here: http://www.emailmarketingmadeeasy.com/pages/services.asp

Need help getting started with Email Marketing? Why not take our
free Email Marketing JumpStart E-course?
http://www.emailmarketingmadeeasy.com/jump_start/mini.asp

Want to just learn all about Email Marketing at 2am, while you eat left over chocolate cake and sit by the fire in your pajamas? Buy our Email Marketing Made Easy Ebook: http://www.EmailMarketingMadeEasy.com

Copyright — Joan Pasay 2005