Scott Lindsay's Profile
Scott Lindsay's articles
As websites continue to grow in size and function the use of video streaming has become a comprehensive way to manage what may seem to be complicated changes for site visitors. The development of professional video streaming tours can help site visitors learn how to manage certain tasks. One of the primary reasons these video streaming tours are so successful is that they can visually guide the visitor through the most complicated of sites. Obviously the best-case sc...
Posted: 2007-12-26
Category: Internet Business
Cold call email marketing is becoming less and less effective in both return on investment (ROI) as well as recipient conversion. So why do so many online businesses continue to use leased or purchased lists to market their business. In some cases the email marketing plans that are developed are used by affiliate revenue sites that are looking to capitalize on their new venture. The net effect is not much different than a telemarketer call during the evening meal – not wel...
Posted: 2007-12-26
Category: Internet Business
Why would a popular musician or singing group put a social media page together? After all, aren’t they busy enough without adding the interaction that seems to be required of a social media site? In most cases these artists do not develop these pages as a result of having too much time on their hands. In fact, most of these artists do not have a significant amount of free time to devote to a social media site. That being said the social media site becomes an incredible ...
Posted: 2007-12-26
Category: Internet Business
Some people have a hard time understanding the concept of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The notion of developing a website based on principles that involve certain words seems confusing and perhaps even a bit like hocus-pocus. In its most simple form SEO is something like the brightest thread in a tapestry or the point leader in a basketball game. This method is something like finding your favorite sports drink in a store filled with similar bottles. The use of Sear...
Posted: 2007-12-26
Category: Internet Business
Imagine being asked to climb a mountain. You gaze at the snow-capped peak and you are excited to undertake the adventure. Your instructor tells you there is a reward for reaching the summit. This only fuels your desire to get on the trail. You gather all the supplies you will need for travel and you place the burden on your back as you prepare to take the first step in your journey. You grab your walking stick and begin to take a step. “Hold on,” your instructor says. “...
Posted: 2007-12-26
Category: Internet Business
The wonderful thing about writing an expert article is simply that I can project what I think about any given topic for which I have experience. Strangely this freedom may actually conflict with someone else who may have an opinion that varies from mine. Does this divergence of opinion make one individual superior to another? Probably not, but it does point out one very telling feature. You see life’s experiences are designed to be very personal so when I dispense advic...
Posted: 2007-12-26
Category: Internet Business
If you are involved in product creation you could take a lesson from rabbits and rats. I know, I can just imagine you scratching your head as you wonder what furry creatures have to do with product creation. Both of these animals were designed to be productive when it comes to the number of offspring they can have. For instance the rabbit can mate by three months of age. Their gestation period is slightly more than a month and they can have as many as 12 kits in each li...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Internet Business
Online forums thrive on the idea of a free exchange of thought. If your business provides a forum you are making it possible for people around the globe to share their ideas and perspectives. Because a single perspective may be at odds with another divergent idea the employment of one or more moderators is vital. This does not mean that the business owner must moderate it, but they can either hire a freelance moderator or they can accept a volunteer moderator from their me...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Internet Business
The head of a movie company sits down with his or her executives and discusses potential movie deals that have optioned. They make a list of the prospects and then reduce the selection to a few they really feel have potential. The executives take that list and begin exploring ideas with creative staff and casting directors. The most promising films go into development with screen tests, costume and production and the film moves forward. The day comes when filming begins...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Internet Business
The use of ebooks has become a huge marketing tool. I’m not just talking about the use of electronic books as a means of marketing a product. Ebooks have become a prominent source of marketing information. The sites that describe marketing ebooks can be a few thousand words long. They are written in a way that may remind you of headline news. These sites can ask questions that stir the imagination without offering full disclosure on any of them. They appeal to the emotiona...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Internet Business
Is satellite radio the future or just a stepping-stone to something different? Satellite radio is popular because it airs multiple channels commercial free and is often standard in many new car purchases (with a temporary paid subscription). HD radio is another method used by terrestrial radio stations to improve their listenership, but very few listeners are spending the money to purchase an HD receiver, which remains largely unavailable. Let me see if this makes se...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Audio-Video-Streaming
First time online users usually have no idea how the Internet works. What they probably have heard most is that if they really want to find something they need to find a place called Google or Yahoo and type in what they want in the search field. They may quickly draw conclusions that these search engines are a lot like phone books or dialing information on the telephone. They will likely be further astounded when they discover they can make a purchase on line and then ...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Internet Business
What did the writer’s strike in 2007 mean? Were the writers just hungry for additional capital for their skills? Certainly there are some that think so, but the primary reason for the walk out had to do with an understanding that video streaming on the Internet caused a wrinkle in their contract. In most cases Hollywood writers are not granted payment for video streaming of content they helped to create. As more and more content is made available online the writers ...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Internet Business
The development of a web design must be intentional and with purpose. I know this runs counter to any idea of freeform and learning as you go, but there is a solid reason for making sure you know where you’re going before you try to get there. Because Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies can take so long to have a pronounced effect on your website, and subsequently your traffic, it becomes important to make sure your website matches your objectives by at least 85% b...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Internet Business
How important is a domain name to your business? Oh, it’s not especially important if you are expecting all your traffic to come from search engines and you have a site that has used Search Engine Optimization (SEO) effectively. But what happens when you want to post a link and the full URL is listed? For some businesses that have chosen to operate their online business as a subdomain of an existing site service this URL can be especially long and may only refer to your...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Internet Business
Using the Internet for business has become one of the most cost effective ways to allow the entrepreneurial spirit to thrive. No longer does business aspirations mean a 2,000 square foot show room and multiple sales associates. No longer do you need to pay incredible fees for a building lease and expensive utilities. In many cases you can manage an online business from the comfort of home. This can allow you to spend more time with your family while pursuing a business ...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Internet Business
There are practical and even motivational reasons to market when you are seeking to establish a business online. In this article let’s take a look at some of the motivational reasons. First of all, let’s break down a very specific wall that is generally erected when someone who is not comfortable with marketing objects to the idea that they need to promote a business. That wall is in many ways a reverse sense of pride. A wall is erected because they believe that if t...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Internet Business
There was a time when roads across America were ‘paved’ with dirt. Gravel was an improvement to these roads, but often came with a washboard feel as the vehicles chattered on to their destination. Simple two lane paved roads would eventually follow and the famed Route 66 took folks on a hill strewn ride across the country. As more and more Americans traveled the demand on these roads increased giving rise to the Interstate system. These four lane systems brought relief to ...
Posted: 2007-12-24
Category: Internet Business
The auto-responder note was short, pointed and just what I wanted to read. In fact, I thought the email was a representation of the near perfect auto-responder message. Let me break down the elements that make an auto-responder message successful. 1) Order Tracking. The section provides the order number for easy referral if there is a problem with the order. Customers can use this number when contacting the company with any customer service question. 2) A Statement o...
Posted: 2007-12-23
Category: Internet Business
A community concert will be talking place somewhere this weekend. A lot of preparations have been made for the event and everyone is looking forward to enjoying themselves. Would you believe me if I said that the concert was the brainchild of one individual and that this singular person put the entire event together without the help of anyone else? No, you probably wouldn’t believe me, and you’d have good reason to question the claim. Web development is a lot like a ...
Posted: 2007-12-23
Category: Internet Business
Podcasting is an equal opportunity venture. You have homespun hobbyists and longtime professionals developing their own bit of audio for worldwide consumption. You can find podcasts on politics podcasts, tax tips, music of the 80’s, original drama, humor, classic automobiles, and guitar instruction. In fact, the list of additional podcasts is limited only by your imagination. Some producers use a simple USB microphone attachment that is picked up and recorded by softwar...
Posted: 2007-12-23
Category: Internet Business
“Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive -- the risk to be alive and express what we really are.” – Don Miguel Ruiz Fear is a much thought of and rarely talked about emotion that tends to paralyze while defining new ways to be paralyzed. When it comes to the development of a knowledge- based ebook fear often places procrastination on notice and the idea is left on the worry stone of life. “You gain strength, courage, and...
Posted: 2007-12-22
Category: Internet Business
Summary: Search engines don’t give higher rankings for a pretty site, but they do pay attention to what you say and how you say it – make that your priority and the rest will fall into place. There’s an old saying, “People vote with their pocketbook.” I’d like to suggest they also vote with their apathy. Current popularity choices are in a constant state of flux. There are times when site visitors seem to respond to flash technology while other times the simple site of ...
Posted: 2007-12-22
Category: Internet Business
The Polar Express is a delightful children’s story that infuses the simplicity of a cultural Christmas with an element of faith. Children ride the fabled express in an effort to reclaim trust in something they no longer believe in – Santa Claus. A pivotal point is evident at the end of the story when a little boy says, “I believe” after having steadfastly denied the existence of the jolly old elf. The magical world of childhood reopens for the boy and the children passenge...
Posted: 2007-12-22
Category: Internet Business
Online auctions have become an online flea market and they are huge. Cars are available at auction online as well as jewelry, antiques and virtually every other commodity you can think of (including famous letters and artifacts). You can even bid on farm machinery in an online auction environment. I’ve likened online auctions to a global garage sale and I still think that’s a pretty good picture of what it’s like. You simply use cyber cash instead of spare change and you w...
Posted: 2007-12-22
Category: Internet Business
Summary: In an online environment it is not possible to have customers bring items to your store. You cannot deal with customer service issues face to face so dealing with the issues in a positive manner for consumers can go along way in supporting the notion that online purchases can be a positive option in managing your purchases from the convenience of your computer. “Welcome to *Tina’s Twisted Tins, how can we help you.” “Yes, I ordered…” “If you’d like to speak ...
Posted: 2007-12-22
Category: Internet Business
Can your website breathe? Think for a moment about your body and how it operates when you breathe. Air is inhaled, filling the lungs with oxygen and allowing that oxygen to recharge your blood cells as it cycles through your system. As you exhale the depleted waste called Co2 is forced from the lungs as the body waits for another round of oxygen. Most people don’t even have to think about breathing, it just happens. It is an involuntary action that we have the ability t...
Posted: 2007-12-21
Category: Internet Business
We’ve all seen the PPC advertisements or the banner ads – GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS. What’s not to love about the idea of telling someone your opinion and getting paid for it? It’s sort of like talk radio and you get to be the host. Say what you want and be rewarded for it? When was the last time that happened? The truth of most matters falls somewhere between the overblown hype and the worst story you’ve heard. You CAN earn money by taking surveys. After all, the i...
Posted: 2007-12-21
Category: Internet Business
Do you find yourself in a difficult work environment with no immediate view of a change in occupation? Do you labor on wondering if your work matters or if the future will ever be bright enough to wear shades? If so, you can endure the difficulties and in the end you may be better equipped to manage future assignments in either your present job or any new employment you may pursue. How can such a miracle take place? Attitude. Your attitude about even the hardest of ...
Posted: 2007-12-21
Category: Business
Social media has significant potential for marketing, but it can also be used as a means of keeping tabs on your extended family members. Today families are linking together in social media for the purpose of keeping in touch with a cyber focal point. The results are an unusual bit of family connection in an online environment. Interestingly some parents are getting MySpace or FaceBook accounts to keep track of their teens and those they hang out with in a behind-the-sc...
Posted: 2007-12-21
Category: Internet Business
Have you ever received one of those forwarded emails that relates a nice story or some inspiring pictures and then lays on a guilt trip if you don’t immediately send that email to a million other people in your sphere of influence, complete with the same guilt ridden message? Some of these messages even indicate dire consequences or simple bad luck of the recipient somehow breaks the chain in this email link. I’m never certain who exactly monitors this situation and how they ...
Posted: 2007-12-21
Category: Internet Business
If you’re old enough, think back two or three decades. Everyone owned one of these and you wanted one even if you deny it today. You could just imagine yourself twisting and turning the item trying to unravel its mysteries. It was both mind numbing and time consuming, but always left you with the urge to come back and try it again. Some would get frustrated with the square shaped toy and simply remove the stickers and place them where they wanted. The Rubik's Cube was a ph...
Posted: 2007-12-20
Category: Internet Business
Perhaps one of the greatest problems with ezines development is that business owners start publishing before they really understand what they are doing. What I mean by that is that while many businesses recognize the potential marketing value of an ezine they don’t always have a clear idea of how to do the task of product development for their ezine. To be honest this is an asset for entrepreneurs, but the tendency might need to be curbed a bit when it comes to developing ...
Posted: 2007-12-20
Category: Internet Business
There was a time when Groucho Marx said, “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” Everyone laughed at the comment because television didn’t seem very applicable to the way people lived their lives – it was not portable and did not seem practical. At the time it was believed that television stole the imaginations of people because on the small screens in the corners of rooms across America no one had...
Posted: 2007-12-20
Category: Internet Business
Have you ever had one of those moments where it seems as if everything is chaotic one moment and in slow motion the next? In those moments there seems to be either a rushing sound in your ears or perhaps a ringing. Color fades to black and white and you can almost seem disassociated from the events that are happening around you. Sometimes this can be experienced when you are faced with bad news, sleep deprivation or extreme weariness where you teeter precariously between a...
Posted: 2007-12-20
Category: Business
Wanted: Individual willing to take a simple idea and use it to create a viable business for both personal satisfaction and long-term fulfillment. Qualified candidate must have the ability to catch a vision and run with it without the oversight of an advisory board or supervisor. Qualified candidate may have specific training in this idea, but it is not mandatory, however, this same candidate must be flexible and willing to adapt to a rugged on-the-job training program (...
Posted: 2007-12-19
Category: Entrepreneurs
The apartment is dim except the light from the laptop as slender fingers move deftly over the keyboard. The window to her right is open slightly and the noise of the city is welcomed in the midst of the previously silent room. A quick trip through the favorites and an online station begins playing music while she strolls to her favorite search engine and enters a search term for a line of cosmetics she saw in the mall. The list of sites that carry the product is impress...
Posted: 2007-12-18
Category: SEO
The Internet has broken down multiple walls between cultures, generations and economic boundaries. The Internet is available to anyone. While this is certainly a powerful dynamic this article is not about your ability to connect with a worldwide consumer base. The broken down walls that I’m talking about come in the form of access to a wide variety of talented freelancers who can kick your website up a notch. An online business owner can tap into the developed talent po...
Posted: 2007-12-18
Category: Web Design
We’ve all seen the television shows where someone enters the office of a high profile businessman and uses a pocket camera to, through nefarious means, photograph some of their trade secrets or other insider information and then, under cover of darkness, escape undetected. It all seems disreputable as we stare at the flickering screen. Invariably a janitor makes his way into the office just as the thief dives under the desk and hopes not to be noticed. The music is tense, ...
Posted: 2007-12-18
Category: Business
If you’ve never heard the term SEO, let me explain briefly what it is, what it does and what it’s for. SEO is the abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization. This is a web design technique that, when done effectively, draws positive attention from search engines. When your site is optimized for search engines you will discover that search engine users can find your web presence easier to locate when potential customers conduct their first online search. When developing...
Posted: 2007-12-18
Category: SEO
Team building can be uncomfortable for many long-term managers. It’s not that they can’t change their personal status quo it’s just that the thought of coaching a team is, well frankly it’s work; work they may either feel is not necessary or may not feel they have enough time to accomplish such a lofty ideal. One particular type of employer will hire based on experience. The belief is that by hiring ‘experience’ the employer will be required to invest less time and money i...
Posted: 2007-12-18
Category: Business
Internet marketing may be a bit like directing an orchestra; there are many parts played by many instruments and when they are out of sync you know it, but when they blend it can be pure and sweet harmony. We’ve all heard elementary school bands where one or more students play off key or squeaks. We applaud their effort and may even smile at their various faux pas. What we can appreciate and overlook in a beginner we tend to frown on when someone should really know bett...
Posted: 2007-12-18
Category: Internet Business
There are two words in the English language that hold the incredible power of personal change. These two common words challenge a set standard and looks to exact a revolution on what is status quo. These two words have alternately disturbed and excited mankind through the centuries and continue to do so today. When answers come as a result of asking this two word question people often find their personal views will have to change – sometimes dramatically. This is the po...
Posted: 2007-12-18
Category: Business
It used to be the standard practice of businesses to participate in generous charitable giving. These businesses would try to give to as many charities as possible with their charitable giving budget divided among those who asked for contributions. Simply imagine one pie cut in as many pieces as possible – everyone gets a pretty small piece. Today the process has changed for many businesses. It is not uncommon to see businesses actually create a charitable foundation with ...
Posted: 2007-12-18
Category: Business
Who was the person that most inspired you? Maybe it was your mom or dad, coach or neighbor, aunt or uncle, grandma or grandpa. What did they do to inspire you? Maybe it was their life example or their ability to encourage or possibly they always seemed to have the best advice. No mentor or friend is ever going to be perfect. They will fail you and it will probably hurt. The truth is you will fail someone else in some way in your lifetime too. The point is not to pay ...
Posted: 2007-12-18
Category: Business
I set down at the computer and routinely write on a variety of subjects related to online business and team building. I also write on the wonder of becoming an entrepreneur and developing a home-based or on-line business. This may seem like contradictory advice and you would have every right to ask which side of the debate I am on. Well, it depends entirely in the situation. I have seen businesses that are woefully inadequate when it comes to employee recruitment and reten...
Posted: 2007-12-17
Category: Business
From across America and around the world secretaries are stapling their last report, delivery drivers have placed their last package, sales associates have paid their respects and moved on, and moms are moving away from the jelly stains and into the world of high finance. The fever of entrepreneurialism is striking at the core of that part of humanity that knows there must be more than life than what has been experienced. So one fearful step follows another as men and wome...
Posted: 2007-12-17
Category: Business
Would you agree with the following statement - Internet marketing has to begin with a ‘want to’? If you said yes you answered sensibly. After all, the entrepreneurial spirit is based on the personal desire of the individual. So it just makes sense that Internet marketing would be part of that internal desire. The truth is Internet marketing is rarely something an individual enjoys. The better statement might be that Internet marketing begins with a ‘need to’. Herein ...
Posted: 2007-12-17
Category: Internet Business
What can you provide your site visitors that will inspire them to come back? There was a time not so long ago when the content on website remained essentially static. No one felt compelled to provide fresh information because at that time it was fairly easy to get a suitable ranking through SEO methods that are not acceptable today. If you could achieve a top ten ranking on a search engine your work was done. You simply sat back and let customers come to your site – and...
Posted: 2007-12-17
Category: Internet Business
Many business owners utilize ezines as a marketing tool that can assist customers in understanding more about the products they provide and how best to use those products. This is free information for the interested and how-tos for those who have actually made a purchase. If you are an individual who is a part of an affiliate revenue sharing program you might do well to consider the use of an ezine in your marketing plan. When you look at a magazine you find it provides...
Posted: 2007-12-17
Category: Internet Business
On a ranch near the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming a rancher listens to the local news on the radio on his way to work. He stops and looks over a meadow filled with grazing cattle. His pickup door squeals a protest as he steps out of the warm cab into the cold mountain air. He’s been up since five and watches as the sun begins to peek over the range to the east. He tips his hat back and stretches and twists as bones pop and crackle. He downs another mouthful of what will ha...
Posted: 2007-12-17
Category: Internet Business
Ebooks are a bit like regular books, but on a diet. Ebooks are typically subjected to the proverbial lap band surgery. They cut through a lot of text to reduce the overall bulk of the project making the reader feel fuller faster. Because ebooks are composed, delivered and read in an electronic format that is often useful to readers who skim the format and low bulk is the most acceptable type of reading for those with a hectic lifestyle. In essence ebooks are often develope...
Posted: 2007-12-14
Category: Internet Business
Go into any mall in any location around the world and conduct a survey. Here are a few questions you can ask. 1) On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the least important and 10 being the most important, how important is customer service when choosing a product? 2) Answer the following question. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being “I strongly agree” and 10 being “I strongly disagree”. When you have a problem with a purchased product it is reasonable to assume you must endure the ...
Posted: 2007-12-14
Category: Internet Business
Can you name that one special individual you’ve encountered in your life that has elevated you in your professional life? Some of you reading this article may remember when you became an apprentice in a shop to learn from the owner. Others may recall the more recent incarnation of the term intern. Each of us should have a person in mind that gave us the confidence and skills needed to be a team player. Many of these individuals poured out part of their lives in helping lau...
Posted: 2007-12-14
Category: Business
When was the last time you employer gave you a break? I’m not talking about a trip to some tropical resort or other international location. What I am talking about is a mini vacation. These can be an important way to build sanity back into a busy day, week, month or year. Take Tim for example. His company flies him to many locations as part of his job. He is gone from home more than five months each year. His company allows him to retain all the reward points on his compan...
Posted: 2007-12-14
Category: Business
The journey of team building contains a certain dynamic that can help empower your team members in their personal lives and the legacy they will ultimately leave behind. Let me illustrate. Someone once told me about a funeral they had attended. It wasn’t so much that they knew the woman who had passed away, but she was the mother of a member of their team and out of respect they attended the funeral. Appropriate songs were sung and the minister stepped to the pulpit whe...
Posted: 2007-12-14
Category: Business
What if you were able to develop a much more efficient and targeted email marketing campaign simply based on your approach to list building? I not only think it’s possible, but I believe the end result may be a more satisfied group of customers and site visitors. Furthermore I will go so far as to say that you will experience an improved bottom line simply by changing your list building approach. One of the key changes you will need to make is to try to develop a means ...
Posted: 2007-12-13
Category: Internet Business
Does it make you happy to see an employee learn from you and then take that knowledge to develop his or her own successful business – or does it seem somehow unfair? “It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference.” – Tom Brokaw After all, wasn’t it your knowledge, your toil and your money that helped them come to the place where they knew enough to enable them to create a business of their own? “You can't lead anyone else further than you have go...
Posted: 2007-12-13
Category: Business
I was visiting with a motivational speaker recently and I discussed some of my views on team building. There was discussion on the need for making sure everyone could identify with the goal of the team and they understood the unique role they played on the team. Since my friend had been a part of a major team oriented business throughout his career he could identify with what I was saying and he found himself in general agreement with my assessment of the need for team bui...
Posted: 2007-12-13
Category: Business
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies can be likened to the janitorial staff of a large company. Why the janitorial staff? Well, no other individuals in the building are as well acquainted with every nook and cranny of the business as the janitorial staff. Not only is the janitor acquainted with the business, he or she is also the keeper of the keys. These individuals hold in trust the means to access every portion of the business. They can lock or unlock every room ...
Posted: 2007-12-13
Category: Internet Business
