Google Inc. will launch its service to bring the web to TV screens in the United States this autumn and worldwide next year, its chief executive officer said Tuesday, as it extends its reach from the desktop to the living room.

Eric Schmidt said the service, which will allow full Internet browsing via the television, would be free, and Google would work with a variety of program makers and electronics manufacturers to bring it to consumers.

“ We will work with content providers, but it is very unlikely that we will get into actual content production,” Schmidt said after a keynote speech to the IFA consumer electronics trade fair in Berlin.

Sony said last week it had agreed to have Google TV on its television sets, and Samsung has said it was looking into using the service.

The announcement comes less than a week after rival Apple unveiled its latest Apple TV product and will intensify a battle for consumers’ attention and potentially for the $180 billion global TV advertising market.

SAN FRANCISCO — Research In Motion unveiled its answer to the iPad on Monday, but the company’s PlayBook may not arrive in time to turn the tide in the battle against Apple Inc.’ s device for control of the next wave of mobile computing.

Mike Lazaridis, president and co-chief executive of the Waterloo, Ont.-based firm, took the wraps off the BlackBerry PlayBook in front of a packed house at the company’s annual developer conference in San Francisco.

He predicted the 9.7-millimetre-thick device with an 18-cm screen would become the “ enterprise standard” for tablet devices, and the PlayBook would integrate seamlessly with the company’s existing business offerings.

“ RIM set out to engineer the best professional-grade tablet in the industry with cuttingedge hardware features and one of the world’s most robust and flexible operating systems,” Lazaridis said.

“ The BlackBerry PlayBook solidly hits the mark with industry-leading power, true multi-tasking, uncompromised web browsing and high performance multimedia.”

There was little doubt RIM’s PlayBook release was designed to counter the growing influence of Apple’s iPad in the rapidly expanding market for tablet computers.

RIM’s tablet will feature both front and rear high-definition cameras and support Adobe Flash technology, features missing from the iPad.

While the PlayBook was met with largely positive reactions from the gadget community, RIM’s choice to delay the launch of the PlayBook until next year could prove costly.

With Apple widely believed to be preparing to update its iPad with new models in the first half of next year, RIM’s first PlayBook could be entering the U. S. market just as consumers begin hearing about the second iteration of the iPad.

Many analysts were hoping that RIM’s answer to the iPad would be available before the holiday season this year, giving shoppers a credible alternative to the iPad before Christmas.

Black Friday — the unofficial first day of Christmas shopping in the U. S. — is typically RIM’s biggest day of the year for selling BlackBerrys, and many were hoping RIM’s tablet would be available by then.

The market for tablet computers is expected to become increasingly crowded in the next six to nine months. Manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard and Samsung are busy preparing their own devices.

Across the technology world, executives have high hopes for the tablet market. On Monday, HP’s executive vice-president of personal systems, Todd Bradley, said the company expects the market for tablets to reach $ 40 billion US in sales within the next few years.

RIM provided no pricing details for the PlayBook, leaving BlackBerry fans wondering about how it compare with the $ 499 price tag of Apple’s least expensive iPad.

Looking for best prices on RIM PLAYBOOK? click here to find.

Article Source : The Vancouver Sun

Sincere thanks to all our customers, resellers and partners.

See you in business

SaveInstant Inc Team
www.ewis.ca

Its no secret that more and more people are shopping online these days and here are a few reasons why they do it: better discounts, convenience of not having to leave your home, better range of products and what I call ‘rational shopping’. I truly believe e-commerce is the future of retail and with web 2.0 the experience is just going to get better and better. I would say even better than actually shopping at a retail store. How many times have you looked at an item in a retail store and didn’t have all the information you needed (and even the salesman didn’t know)? for e.g. you want to buy a Citizen Aqualand diver watch or a Seiko Premier watch and you want to know how many and what kinds of alarms it has. It will be very difficult to get this kind of information in most retail stores, but on an online store all the information is right there in front of you. If you have any further questions just write an email to the store customer service and in most cases they will get back to you with the exact information! Add to that much better prices and delivery right to your door-step!

Some people talk about the emotional aspect of shopping – for e.g. you don’t get the exact feeling you get while retail shopping. With retail shopping you can have the thing right then and there and you feel good about having bought it. You can feel it and use it right then and there (or at least as soon as you reach home). This aspect is lacking in online shopping to some extent. But then I would argue that this aspect lacking is actually a very good thing. It makes you a smarter shopper who doesn’t give in to temptations and impulse buying! How many times have you bought something just because at that moment you felt like it. You didn’t plan to buy it but just seeing it in front of you and knowing that with just a swipe of a card it could be yours – you gave in. And then later you regretted your impulse decision. You don’t have this problem with online shopping since the emotional aspect – the one that tempts you to have that thing right then and there – isn’t there since you have to wait for the item to arrive via mail (well, in most cases. I am not talking about digital downloads). And in most online stores there is a cancellation period so you can cancel your order within that time period if you feel like it, often without any penalties.

All this convinces me that e-commerce is here to stay. The current economic climate might have dented the growth a bit, but its in no way permanent. People are getting more and more connected these days and every aspect of their life is kind of inter-woven. Social life, work, shopping, interests and hobbies are all merging together in one way or other into the web – into the cloud. The boundaries are getting blurred and we are all heading to the same destination, albeit in different ways.

So if you are one of those who hasn’t shopped online yet (there are still many many of them), now is a very good time to take the first step. Trust me, you will only benefit from this more economical, time-saving, rational shopping experience!

If nothing else, this age-old adage might be the most important piece of advice to remember in your job search, especially in today’s market.

Though job scams are prevalent at any point in time, today’s tough economic times have increased the amount of scammers looking to take advantage of people desperate to make money and find a job.

“With the economy sliding, people who might otherwise be skeptical want to find a silver lining and too often mistake the glitz and glamour promises of a scammer’s ad for their path to financial security,” says Christine Durst, co-founder and CEO of Staffcentrix, a training and development company that focuses on home-based work.
Durst says Staffcentrix researchers screen about 5,000 home jobs leads every week, and there is a “56-to-one scam ratio” among work-at-home job ads. Any opportunity where you can “make money fast,” “no experience is necessary,” or “work in your pajamas” is appealing to people, so they get thrown into the scam mix.

Mindy A. Bockstein, chairperson and executive director of the New York State Consumer Protection Board, agrees that people are trying to capitalize on the strong desire for work and income in different populations and communities.

“Don’t fall for get-rich-quick schemes, work-at-home scams, pyramid schemes and numerous other approaches promising employment and wealth but being used to separate job seekers from their money,” she says.
Who’s the target of job scams?

Anyone seeking a better job opportunity or looking to earn some money — even smart people — can get sucked into scams, says Robin Giroir, regional vice president of Spherion Staffing Services. With the wide scope of the Internet, every bogus “job” can reach hundreds of thousands of people, she says.

Durst says victims of work-at-home scams are typically — and unfortunately — those who can least afford to part with their money. For one particular scam reviewed by Staffcentrix, the demographics were primarily female, between the ages of 18-49, with children, less affluent and who did not have a college education.

“We are also seeing a rise in the number of seniors and retirees falling prey to these cons, as many of them are now looking for ways to supplement their income due to the declining stock market,” Durst says.

Spotting a scam

While identifying a scam seems like it would be easy, you must remember that the people who create them are practiced con artists. Many scams are linked to what seem like legitimate Web sites that have professional photos, testimonials, audio and video — all the things that can convince someone that it must be real, Durst says.

Here are some things to keep in mind when spotting a job scam:

1. Hold tight to your cash

“No legitimate employer asks you for money. This is a foolproof tip off that something’s not right,” Giroir says. “There are a number of scams that work this way. You deposit your money in an offshore account and wait for your investment to make you wealthy, or you purchase a list of high-paying jobs you can do from home. Whatever the scam is, don’t fall for it.”

2. Make money while you sleep!

“Beware of ads that make outrageous claims, don’t specify job duties and don’t require that you send a résumé. Legitimate employers are seeking candidates with specific skills, knowledge and education. Watch for ads, even for entry-level jobs, that use the phrase ‘no experience necessary,’ especially when there is a promise of big money,” Giroir says.

3. “Work at home” appears in the header

“‘Work from home’ is not a job title,” Durst warns. “If it appears in the ad header, there’s a good chance it’s a come on. Scammers can rarely resist including it in the header — it’s the bait of their ‘hook’ as they fish for desperate people to reel in.”

4. Miracles arrive in your inbox

“How could this man from Romania have known you were looking for home-based work? Miracles do happen, but not via SPAM,” Durst says. “Move [the e-mail] to your trash file without using the ‘remove me from this list’ link you’re likely to find at the bottom of the page. These links are often used to confirm that your -email address is active and using them can result in even more SPAM.”

5. Palm trees, mansions, beaches and bikinis

“Successful scammers often bag their prey by dangling enticing things in front of them — much like kidnappers do,” Durst says. “‘If you get into my car I’ll give you this candy bar…’”

6. Put on your detective hat

There are essentially two ways to get listed with the Better Business Bureau: Buy a membership or get reported for bad business practices, Durst says.

“While the absence of a company’s name in their listings is not unusual — not every business is a paying member of the BBB — a C, D or F rating and multiple complaints are a flashing warning signal.”

Durst adds that you must be careful about ads that look legitimate and that contain the name and Web site of well-known companies but carry a “free” e-mail address for a reply.

“Reputable companies have been victimized by scammers using their company names and reputations to scam unwitting job seekers. Always take the time to stop by the company Web site before responding to a job ad,” she suggests. “You may find a notice warning you of the scam. What you won’t find, is a job listing for someone to accept checks and wire funds to someone.”

Too little, too late

Unfortunately, many job seekers still fall victim to job scams, informed or not. So what happens when you realize that you’re involved in something you probably shouldn’t be?

From her website: “I get paid about $25 for every link I post on Google and I get paid every week… I make around $5500 a month right now”

Mary’s story is a very familiar one in these tough times. She lost her job as an account rep for a manufacturing company and a few days later her husband also was laid off from his job as part of cutbacks due to the bad economy.

“We knew we had to do something, so we put our heads together and started trying online job opporuntities.” Mary and her husband Kevin wound up getting caught up in a few quick rich business opportunities that were nothing more than pyramid schemes before finding something that really worked.

“I realized the best thing to do is instead of hoping that a company that you are looking at is going last, why not go with a big, reputable company. After looking at several different companies, I picked the safest bet… Google.”

Online giant Google is a publicly traded company and is worth an estimated $100 Billion (with a b). The company has pioneered online search and has changed the way we use the internet.

In a matter of weeks Mary and Kevin had a steady stream of income coming in via checks that were delivered to their home. They happened upon a system called “Easy Google Profit” that taught them how to make money posting links online.

Easy Google Profitis a free course that can teach anyone, regardless of computer skill level to start making money online. It’s available for free at EasyGoogleProfit.com.

“We were doing pretty good and then we discovered the real trick to making money. We combined “Easy Google Profit” with another free course called “My Internet Payday” that’s where we really learned the extra tricks so instead of making a couple of hundred bucks here and there we started maximizing the amount we made.”

For those of you that have seen the ‘scammy’ sites on the internet that promise you can make millions of dollars online Mary warns that this is not the promise being made here and that most of those sites are false representations of earnings you can make.

“We never tell anyone they’ll make millions of dollars, in fact I think this is the ONLY online system that says you probably WON’T make millions, but you can generate a legitimate income from home like I do that replaced my full time job.”

Getting started is simple. Following these simple steps below is all you need to do to get started.

Step 1: GetEasy Google Profit, only pay the $1.00 for shipping.

Step 2: Also getMy Internet Payday. This is key. I think you pay $1.95 for shipping or something. to post. Start posting those links. Google tracks everything.

Step 3: Follow the directions on Easy Google Profit that basically shows you how to and set up a Google account. You need them both. Then they will give you the website links to post. Start posting those links. Google tracks everything.

Associated Links:
Easy Google Profit official site

My Internet Payday official site

The United States and much of the world is experiencing a large and deep recession that many economists believe is far from hitting bottom. But in spite of economic uncertainty, some entrepreneurs will find the current recession an opportune time to start their own ecommerce business.

A recession is simply a reduction of a nation’s gross domestic product. That reduction means that maintaining a business won’t be as easy as it was, and business owners will need to pay careful attention to how they operate. But a recession is not a cessation of commerce. There are still lots of potential customers who are willing and able to spend billions of dollars each month at ecommerce outlets.

In the fourth quarter of 2008 as recession rhetoric was running full steam, U.S. ecommerce sales grew 6 percent to $130.1 billion, according comScore, an Internet monitoring firm. For many ecommerce entrepreneurs, capturing even a tiny share of the total available market would be a huge success.

So what steps should a startup ecommerce business take? In this Ecommerce Know-How, I describe the seven steps toward starting your own ecommerce business in spite of the current recession.

Step One: Plan, Set Goals, Don’t Rush

Before you worry about incorporation documents, logos or website layout, take time to plan and dream. There are millions of products that can be sold online, but don’t try to sell all of them. Look at your interests. If you love baseball, is there a niche market related to America’s pastime that you could address? If you’re a designer, can you find a special focus? Have you always wanted to sell antiques online?

Once you have identified the market you want to focus on, set some real goals. Will your ecommerce business be your primary source of income or a part time effort? How much money will you need to generate? And how long can you wait for your business to ramp up? How much can you invest?

Step Two: Create a Business Plan

Whether you doodle it on a series of cocktail napkins, write it out on legal pads, or use the most cutting edge business planning software, it is vital to create a serious business plan. A business plan helps you (1) vet your business’ viability, (2) consider your market, (3) communicate your business to investors, vendors, and employees, and (4) create a road map for managing your business once it is running.

Step Three: Choose a Legal Structure

Should your ecommerce business be a corporation, a partnership, a LLC, or a sole proprietorship? Each of these legal entities has advantages and disadvantages that may impact your success. For example, operating a sole proprietorship will make your taxes a lot easier, whereas incorporating can protect your personal assets. Contact a lawyer or accountant for help choosing the right legal structure for your business. Be sure to follow through with all of the proper legal documents, including getting your state’s tax certification.

Step Four: Locate Suppliers

At heart, most ecommerce retailers are resellers. While some businesses operate as both manufacturer and retailer, most online stores purchase items wholesale and resell those items.

Finding the right suppliers can greatly assist your business. So look carefully and check for industry associations. Don’t forget that your suppliers are experiencing a recession, too. International entrepreneur Brad Sugars wrote in his excellent article, Top 10 Reasons to Start a Business in a Recession, “Because the credit markets have virtually shut down, the B2B [business to business] credit flows are keeping money circulating out of sheer necessity. That means a bullish outlook for companies looking for good terms on stock and/or inventories. The main advantage is that all parties have more incentive than ever for finding true win-win situations that allow for cash and stock flow. When everyone is looking to survive, great deals can be had.”

Step Five: Hire Experts

An ecommerce entrepreneur does not have to be a graphic artist, a search engine swami, a wordsmith, or a coding guru. In a recession, designers, writers, and developers—many of whom are self employed—can be hired at favorable rates. You can place free ads on sites like FreelanceSwitch and craigslist. Browse freelance marketplaces like Guru.com, or seek recommendations from friends and associates.

Although professional freelance services are available at bargain prices in a recession, they are not free. Expect to pay $40 to $100 per hour depending on experience and the size of the project. A professional will provide you with a statement of work and a project schedule.

Finally, watch for developers that are also affiliates for particular software vendors. For example, some coders get paid by shopping cart makers to sell you a particular shopping cart. It may be that the recommended cart is the right choice for your store, but just be aware of possible affiliations.

Step Six: Market Your Store

Once your inventory is in place and your ecommerce site is operating, you will need marketing. Good online marketing could include the search engine optimization you established as your site was being developed; a pay-per-click advertising campaign with Google, Yahoo!, and MSN; and any number of other tactics. This might be another opportunity to hire a consultant or expert and actually save you money and time in the long run.

Whatever marketing you do, measure it. Find out what is working and what is nibbling away at your bottom line.

Step Seven: Provide Amazing Customer Service

Providing amazing customer service is not technically a step in starting a business, but it is vital if you want your business to succeed. Be quick to provide great customer service to help your business flourish. ]]> http://www.web-wide-wealth.com/e-industry-news/ecommerce-know-how-seven-steps-to-starting-your-ebusiness-in-a-recession/feed/ 0 http://www.web-wide-wealth.com/e-industry-news/the-top-10-list-of-the-best-affiliate-networks/ http://www.web-wide-wealth.com/e-industry-news/the-top-10-list-of-the-best-affiliate-networks/#comments Sat, 07 Mar 2009 02:27:00 +0000 SaveInstant Inc http://web-wide-wealth.saveinstant.com/business-and-finance/business/internet-business/the-top-10-list-of-the-best-affiliate-networks/

First, if you’re new to affiliate marketing, some preliminary explanations may prove helpful in your quest for becoming a part-time or full-time affiliate marketer.

preliminary explanations may prove helpful in your quest for becoming a part-time or full-time affiliate marketer.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is quite simple to explain: you promote and market a product or company in return for a commission if a sale or lead is made from your marketing efforts. With online affiliate marketing you simply place your affiliate ID embedded links on your web pages and if a customer clicks
your link and proceeds to that designated company’s site and makes a purchase or signs up for a service, you earn a commission.

Affiliate marketing, if done right, can prove to be a very lucrative venture. Commissions can run anywhere from a few pennies to thousands of dollars for just one click or sale. Professional marketers develop affiliate relationships with hundreds of companies and build sites to promote these companies and products.

Needless to say, the advent of the Internet has been a golden opportunity for affiliate marketers to really expand their promotions and marketing. As more as more customers choose to buy online, advertising and purchases keep increasing at a maddening pace.

To accommodate all this online ecommerce we have seen the birth of large affiliate networks, operated by large corporations. Make no mistake, affiliate marketing is big business, accounting for billions in sales and commissions.

What is an Affiliate Network?

An affiliate network is a third party facilitator which brings affiliates and companies together. It connects Advertisers (companies with products or services to sell) together with Publishers (those who display and promote these products or services) so they can do business. The affiliate network does all the tracking, accounting and payment of commissions.

The following Top 10 list of the best Affiliate Networks is compiled by an actual full-time affiliate marketer who has worked these programs for over five years. This list is subjective and based on first-hand experience. It should be seen in this light and every marketer probably will have a different list or have these in a different picking order depending on the type and nature of their marketing.

But this list of the 10 Best Affiliate Networks will give you a general rundown on these affiliate networks and how they operate.

1. Commission Junction (www.cj.com)

Now owned by ValueClick, Commission Junction was one of the first affiliate networks. It is also one of the most important with many of the Top Fortune 500 companies listed here.

CJ is an international network with excellent stats and tracking (some of the best you will find), along with regular monthly payments makes this the obvious first choice for anyone wishing to try affiliate marketing.
For those new or old at affiliate marketing, CJ also holds regular seminars and training sessions.

Most merchants offer pay-per-lead or pay-per-sale, one of the best features is the performance bonuses and incentives. As most experienced marketers will know, selling 50k to 100k each month for merchants will bring in the big incentives or bonuses.

Commissions run as high as 50% but most are in 3% to 15% range. You have the option of direct deposit for your payments. One major plus, CJ will tell you which merchants
and ads are earning the most revenue for affiliates so you can easily choose which merchants are worth promoting.

2. ClickBank (www.clickbank.com)

ClickBank is another professional affiliate network with
excellent stats and tracking. Easy to use and pays every two weeks.

ClickBank is slightly different from the other networks in that it deals mainly with digital download products. The commissions from ClickBank are usually much higher than the other networks, around 40% to 50% or more.

ClickBank has over 10,000 products but keep in mind, info-marketing products will have stiff competition from all the savvy and well established Internet marketers promoting these same products. Consider yourself warned!

The most successful marketing tactic here is to first dominate your targeted niche with your blogs and sites, then find affiliate products to match your content or niche subject matter, whether it be gardening equipment, gaming laptops or Mediterranean cruises!.

3. LinkShare (www.linkshare.com)

LinkShare is another excellent affiliate network. It is one of the oldest affiliate networks on the web. LinkShare was recently acquired by the Japanese Portal Rakuten, with a price tag of $425 million.

Very good stats and reporting with their Synergy Analytics system. Many Top Fortune 500 companies are presented here so you will no trouble finding products and services to promote.
LinkShare pays commissions as they receive them from merchants – monthly checks.

4. Affiliate Window (www.affiliatewindow.com)

Affiliate Window is an UK based affiliate network which offers top brand companies and good commission rates. Pays once a month and has excellent stats.

Savvy affiliate marketers know promoting in other countries can be much easier than promoting in the American market place. Mainly because these other countries haven’t become saturated with online marketers, little competition means more sales.

5. Amazon (www.amazon.com)

Amazon is another excellent affiliate network to join if you want to sell products from your site or blog. Amazon has excellent stats and the links are very easy to create and place on your web pages.

You also have the option of creating your own store with Amazon Stores. Amazon also now has context link ads and Widgets!

Commission rates are somewhat lower than the other networks but making sales thru Amazon is much, much easier. You will make more sales mainly because Amazon is a well known and trusted online company. Amazon now pays monthly.

6. Shareasale (www.shareasale.com)

Shareasale is yet another easy system to work with good stats and simple to create links. With 1,700+ merchants to choose from, Shareasale is another good affiliate network to promote.

The control panel is easy to use and the reporting is very good. Usually pays the month following your sales.

7. Google (www.google.com/adsense/)

Many won’t think of Google as an Affiliate network but it does run affiliate products thru its Adsense program. Very few products but like everything from Google it is professionally run and top caliber all the way.

Please note, top marketers know affiliate links/products on their content pages will return 10 times what Google Adsense will give them. However, these marketers will also know using Google Adsense on less targeted pages throughout your sites or blogs will give you a healthy return.

Besides receiving that monthly check from a multi-billion dollar company like Google will put a smile on your face every time.

8. LinkConnector (www.linkconnector.com)

LinkConnector is a relatively new affiliate network which launched in 2004. It has Pay Per Click, Pay Per Sale and Pay Per Lead. Good stats and reporting. Worth checking out for their different types of new affiliate technology such as Direct Linking which passes pagerank along to the merchant’s site.

9. CPA Empire (www.cpaempire.com)

Great CPA (Cost Per Action) network especially if you do a lot of email marketing and promotions. Geared towards acquiring leads and sign-ups but does offer other merchants as well. Good stats and reporting.

10. Independents

Individual affiliate deals with different companies which may or may not be listed with the major networks above. Your independent affiliate deals will be some of your most lucrative since you can sometimes work out separate private commission rates and bonuses. Aim for residual income here. Don’t ignore this aspect of affiliate marketing as it will pay the highest dividends.

Keep in mind, all the above affiliate networks are middlemen,
they come between you and the merchant you’re promoting. For affiliates with a proven track record, who have shown they can deliver the customers and sales, a private deal cutting out the middleman/fees can prove very beneficial for both parties. If you’re fortunate enough to become known as a super affiliate, these private deals will become more common and more profitable.

Professional affiliate marketers use all of the above networks to create multiple income streams from their marketing efforts. In the process, they build a healthy monthly income for themselves and their families. There is no reason why you can’t do the same.