Well, there are lots of alternatives to Google’s Page Rank. We have the Alexa, then there is Technorati’s much talked about ranking, and of course there is RealRank.

RealRank has finally been adopted by PayPerPost, which is quite a good thing as it is a flat ranking system. What this means is that it simply calculates the scores for all the blogs and web sites that they track and then puts them into a flat line. The rank is nothing more than a percentile cut off from 1 - 9.

Well, being ranked among your peers could be interesting. But then again, this means that it is not a ranking against the full gamut of blogs and web sites. How useful this is in the long run is debatable. But if considered in the context of PayPerPost, it makes a lot of sense, since advertisers are looking for posts within the universe of blogs who write for PayPerPost. So, a ranking within that group itself does make sense. But for the general public, it might not be as relevant.

No system is perfect. In fact, the fact that Google has been fiddling with their page rank system shows that even THAT is not perfect. There are people who try to abuse it, those who try to “game” the system and so on. We all try our best to navigate within the sea of change and opportunities. Hopefully, this will solve the dilemma for bloggers who have been slapped by the Google Zero.

Technorati Tags: google, page rank, paid blogging, realrank

For the past few months, I am sure many of you have been reading about how Google have been going around “downgrading” the Page Rank of bloggers who do paid blogging, in particular, PayPerPost.

Well, I guess that is life. Things happen and other things happen. But the irony that I see here, is the fact that PayPerPost actually uses the Google Page Rank as a way for their advertisers to select and pay for bloggers. Talk about a vicious cycle! Advertisers pay more for a blog with a higher page rank. Google looks at these high page ranks, discover that they have PayPerPost, downgrades them, so PayPerPost loses revenue. Now, the question is, WHY would PayPerPost want to use Google Page Rank at all? Is there no other way?

I guess for most Internet Marketers, the discussion is pretty much a circular one. Google is NOT a public-service company. It is a commercial concern and it is very concerned about making money. The fact is that it’s doing a darned good job as a search engine. That is why everyone uses it. Now, think about this for a moment. That Google has so much power is because everyone is using it. Yet, there ARE other search engines around. Now, if Google’s new policies negatively affect the reliability and perceived neutrality of their search results, people will start using alternatives. But if the users feel it is still OK, then in reality, it will be “ok”. Just because a Blog has “paid posts” does it mean it is not a good blog?

In the end, bloggers blog because they have things to say. If they get paid because some people value their opinion, then they are like the many other writers who write for various publications offline. If Google feels that this somehow challenges the value of their search results, this is their prerogative. If users continue to feel that Google gives them the best search results, then all power to them. Others can use alternatives. That is the way of the free market.

Unless you are paying Google or you own Google, don’t expect a huge company like that to harken to the small still voice of a few bloggers. After all, you are just “content”, while they are the “engine”. There have been many arguments extended about how paid bloggers who blog intelligently and add value will not negatively affect search engine results. But I guess in the end, it is just a case of the Big Guy begrudging the crumbs, or it’s just me being sore about dropping a rank. I actually like what Rob wrote in his “no paid ads” post…

Technorati Tags: google, page rank, paid blogging

Confess! How many of you have made Hotel Reservations more than six months ago? Well, you are wise!

But for those who have not, it is not too late! There is still time, especially if you use online booking services. If you check out HotelReservations.com, you will realize that you can practically arrange your entire trip online, and at one convenient location. Better yet, you don’t even have to budge from in front of your computer - better save your energy for that fantastic vacation! Just go take a look at the site, if you don’t believe me.

The site is available in multiple languages, which is a bonus if English is not your forte. But more importantly, the site is well laid out and the things that you will need to do are pretty straightforward. For example, if you wanted to book a hotel, you can fill in the form with your destination city, then put in the dates that you want to be there and when you want to leave. You should also put in how many people are traveling and of course, how many rooms you need. The application then throws up a list of options.

This is almost like having someone do a comprehensive research for you. Each result that is returned gives you a short line on the hotel’s location or it’s most interesting characteristic. It gives you information about the place and a map if you want, they are just a click away. Then of course, the price is right there. You simply scroll down the list and pick the one you fancy or the one that fits your budget. Your choice.

You can do the same for your rental car, air tickets and even entire vacation packages. Just a quick note, use the tabs at the top of the page to navigate when you want to search for rental cars, air ticket or vacation rentals. The tabs inside the middle box don’t work.

So, stop reading and go start booking your holidays if you have not done so!

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Technorati Tags: online vacation, hotel reservation, car rental, air ticket

When running a small business, many small business owners rely a lot on their credit cards to see them through tight corners. This is actually fine. But there is one thing that you should never do. Never take cash out on your credit card!

Compare loans to get the best interest rates and terms. There are really many other options when you are looking for unsecured loans that are much more viable than using your credit cards. Of course, we all know that when you are looking for homeowner loans, you shop around. Should be no different when you are going for small loans for your small business. Don’t pay huge interests, there are other options!

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Technorati Tags: personal loans, unsecured loans, small business loans

I would like to protest a discrimination. You see, every time I see an advertisement on dieting or liposuction, they always seem to speak only to the women.

Liposuction is for me! I mean, I have a spare tire around my middle that is interfering with my tying of shoe laces, if you get my drift. So, why am I excluded from the communications?

Like this company that is advertising its superior liposuction procedure, the MYA clinic, they address only the women. What about poor old me? I too would like to know about procedures that are safe. I too would like to know about the most effective procedure for me. I mean, I hate exercising and I love food; and to top it all, I like to look good. Does that not make me the ideal customer?

So, rather than me walking blindly into any clinic and getting swindled or worse, damaged by supposed doctors and slimming technicians who know nothing, I would really like to know when there is a good, reputable clinic around that provides great slimming services.

Here is a message for all slimming clinics - talk to us! We are sometimes shy to walk into a slimming joint because all the posters and images seem to tell us that we, the guys, are not supposed to be there. How about that? A ready, willing (desperate even) customer who is actually given a message that this is not the place for him. So sad.

Remember, guys want to look good too!

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Technorati Tags: liposuction, fat reduction, diet, exercise

This is really interesting. Just a few months ago, I was speaking with a friend about how lucrative it was selling phone cards. Then, here is this site offering a phone card business all ready to go! Believe it or not, this is surely the coincidence of a lifetime. Or maybe, it’s a message for me.

In the online world, I have seen such turnkey solutions for dating sites, gambling sites, shopping sites even. But this is the first that I have seen for phone cards. Going through their website, it seems like this is really a full-fledged online sales system that allows you to actually create a phone card business. One of the biggest challenges when setting up a phone card sales business is the inventory of phone cards. All the other stuff like the shopping cart system, payment and security are chicken feed compared to the hassle of getting a decent inventory of phone cards to start the business. That problem is solved with this turn-key solution.

Checking out the Frequently Asked Questions, the commissions range from 16 - 41% with the majority falling in the 20% range. Considering my own market research when me and my friend were considering starting this business on our own, those are decent margins. For those who are not aware, phone cards are one of the most popular means of calling overseas. If you think about the highly cosmopolitan US population and the fact that everyone loves to call home; you will realize just how lucrative this market really is.

Technorati Tags: phone cards, calling cards, online store

Here is a really simple, yet often overlooked tip for business owners - collect as many business cards as you can!

OK, for those who are asking “why?” I would then say, because…

- you need to know more people who might become your potential customers
- you need to know more people who might know your potential customers
- you need to know more people who might be able to help you in your business
- you need to know more people who might be able to invite you to more parties

But as any avid business card collector will tell you, the challenge is not in collecting cards. People are more than happy to pass you their cards. It has become an auto-reflex. The real problem is, what do you DO with all those cards? It is going to be hell trying to type in all the contacts.

To the rescue, comes the business card reader. As an employee, you might wave it off as a frivolous toy, but as an entrepreneur, this is your lean, mean, lead-generating machine!

Of course, this is not the only model available out there. But this model, Scan2Contacts from ScanShell integrates with your Microsoft Outlook and scans those addresses and other information directly into your Outlook. Talk about saving time!

If you speak with any internet marketing professional, you will always hear “… the money is in the list” kind of talk. Well, in this case, it is easy to create that list. Just feed those cards into the reader. If that is too technical for you, then you must be that 5-year old lemonade king that everyone is talking about down the block!

Technorati Tags: business card scanner, entrepreneur, small business, start up

Besides parking your car, what else do you put in your garage? What is it good for? For some, its just another space to clean. For others, it was the start of a multi-million dollar corporation!

This could be you! If you can just upgrade your garage into an office and have a proper garage storage system in place, that little space could be transformed into the first step towards your success.

Many entrepreneurs who just start out spend way too much trying to get a spanky new office. That can come later. While you are starting, the garage could be your ideal choice. It sits outside of your regular living space, thus giving you the feeling of “going to work” and it is near enough not to require excessive time wasted in office commute.

See you at the top Steve!

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Technorati Tags: garage storage, entrepreneur, small business, start up

One of the biggest advantage that large companies have over smaller companies, is the fact that they have better staff. While it is true that top graduates naturally gravitate towards the Fortune 500 companies, the reality is that these companies invest in training their staff.

For smaller businesses, computer based training could be the ideal answer. Web based training mean that employees can take the training any time that they are free to do so, even at home. In this way, the staff gets to learn more and expand their skills and knowledge, and the employer gets better skilled staff. Now, if anyone says “… home is MY time!” then the only thing I have to say is that training, your knowledge, your skills are yours. The company can take away your paycheck, but never your skills and knowledge. And if a company cares enough about you to provide you with training facilities, be grateful. You are correct. It is your time. But then, it is your future too.

Companies who invest in the training and upgrading of their staff will invariably fare better in the long run. There is no fluke. It is a commitment and an understanding that building up the individuals will build up the company. If you are running a company and wished you had better staff, well, build them up.

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Technorati Tags: training, small business, skills training, computer based training

Sometimes, problems appear larger than they really are. As a small business owner, the thought of using some of the tricks of the “big boys” seem to be so out of reach. But you know, getting color flyer printing done is not really that tough. It’s like less than thirty cents a piece and it will not cost you more than a hundred bucks to get a batch done up.

So, if you think that having some nice flyers distributed around your neighborhood is going to cost you an arm and a leg, you can now heave a sigh of relieve. Entrepreneurs need to employ all kinds of marketing strategies to get noticed and to survive. Services like these are a valuable resource.

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Technorati Tags: printing, flyers, small business, marketing

One of the best things to come out of the “internet” is definitely the ability to shop without lifting the heavy yellow pages! Online shopping has come a long way since the beginning. You can shop for almost anything under the sun, even something as specific as a Verbatim dual layer DVD disk.

Of course, some would argue that it is easier to drive out and make the purchase. But the reality is, wouldn’t you rather be shopping for the fun stuff out there and get the “necessities” from the comfort of your own mouse?

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Technorati Tags: website, web design, small business, online marketing

Many small businesses avoid putting their business on the Web. They think that they do not have the resources like the big companies to put up a nice, professional looking web site. Wrong! They think that since theirs is a small business, they do not need the global exposure offered by the Internet- true, but…

You can have very affordable and professional services for small business website design. This will enable you to have a professional site up quickly and at an affordable rate. No more excuses.

But if you think you do not need to be online simply because you are not a big international business, then you need to think again. More and more, habits are changing. People are browsing online and buying offline. This means that if you are NOT online, you are not even on their radar! Think about it! Get online. I believe websitpros.com can help with more than just a web site. They provide a full range of marketing services too.

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Technorati Tags: website, web design, small business, online marketing