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Blogs Give Voice To Those Unheard

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:15:49 +0000

If you’re wondering why people blog in today’s society there are as many answers as there are people. However, there is one answer that seems to be the overwhelmingly most popular reason for blogging-to be heard. We live in a world that is becoming more and more disconnected and people are going ten thousand directions, families are getting lost in the shuffle, and it is very likely that a person can feel so terribly alone in a room of ten thousand. We are disconnected despite our many connections. We have cell phones, email, PDAs, hand held computers, iPods, text messaging, we are more able than at any other time in our history to stay connected and communicate with each other and feel more than at any other point in the history of the world that we are never really heard.

If you’ve ever felt like this, then blogging may be a wonderful arena in which you can be heard. You can spread your message, have your say, and it is quite likely that people will respond to what you have to say and either share your opinion or disagree rather prolifically. Bloggers tend to travel in packs and develop rather tight and close knit communities. There are many communities that are dedicated to different people with different levels and experiences of blogging.

While it is quite possible to begin a blog and write daily and with dedication in hopes that someone will hear your message and begin a dialog, it is much better to be proactive in the generation of traffic to your blog. Find a method that you feel comfortable with. Many people have had massive success simply by leaving thoughtful or thought provoking comments on the blogs of others. This is actually a great way to generate traffic if a bit time consuming. However, if you want to be heard this is a great way to be heard by many audiences that may not have gotten the message you wish to share otherwise.

You will find that there are blogs on as many different topics as there are moods. I’ve seen excellent blogs on shoes, sheets, politics, comedy, current events, and celebrity gossip, the latest music group–even on cleaning products (I personally thought it was a waste of a perfectly good day to put that much thought into cleaning products, but it worked for her). The fact is that there is no right or wrong subject to blog about and if you are passionate about something that is probably the best thing for you to blog about. Chances are, if you’re passionate about it, someone else is as well and you will have an audience once you learn to reach them.

Chances are if you feel you have something worth saying, there is someone out there, who is willing to listen to what you have to say. Even in today’s disconnected world. It seems silly that perfect strangers are often the people more likely to really hear what we have to say than those who are closest to us. Perhaps one day, you can encourage them to hear what you have to say or at the very least to read your blog.

Travel Parties, a Growing Trend

admin — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 02:14:39 +0000

Travel parties are a growing trend, and now you can host a travel party and jump onboard of this growing trend?

I wanted to start a HOME BASED BUSINESS, and after researching and getting into the vacation rental business and seen just how lucrative the travel industry was, I wanted a bigger piece of the pie.

I ran across a company called YTB Travel Biz. YTB brings you the perfect opportunity to transform your life by combining the powerful information handling capability of the Internet with the world’s most dynamic product – travel – and the personal touch of independent, home based business people. YTB has joined these three trends together in a flawless combination. By utilizing our simple strategies and proven techniques we can show you how to leverage your time to generate a residual income 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The elements of honesty, morality, and “being in the right place at the right time” are all in place today at YTB

I was on the fence for a couple of months, and one day I was invited to a travel party. I went to the Travel Party, and I won a trip and got started with the business.

Winning a trip, coming to a travel party and starting a home based business, all in one great night.

There are similar companies out there, but some of them wanted me to quit what I was doing and spend full time with them, this YTB company allows you to work at your pace and comfort zone and developed a blue print for success by “talking or showing” not “selling” the opportunity. You see, people naturally like to talk about travel and vacations.

With this business, I can work as hard, or little as I want and I still make money. You can make money several ways with YTB, that of a Referring Travel Agent (RTA) or and Independent Marketing representative (REP).

The travel booking engines are powered by Travelocity, who basically saw growth in this corporation and said ” They would rather be in business with them than compete with them”.

So come join us for some travel, some fun, and make money while doing it. With this business you can spend more time with your family, and friends.

View some of our promtional videos sites here:View Presentation Video ,eTravel Fortune ,Your Ticket to Paradise.

View our travel booking sites:Save on Personal or Business Travel and Cayman Island Resorts, Hotels, Flights, and Vacation Packages and our YTB World Travel and Vacation Blog.

John Lund Interviews World Renowned Stock Photographer Jack Hollingsworth

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 14:03:03 +0000

Jack Hollingsworth is one of the most well known names in stock photography. An early and very successful pioneer in RF, Jack not only sells stock through Getty, Corbis and his own site, but was a founder of BLEND images as well as Red Chop Sticks and IndiaPhotos. Jack has been described as “Indiana Jones with a camera” due to his constant world travel. Jack teaches, lectures, blogs and has a column in Shutterbug magazine.

John:    You have a reputation as someone who is a pioneer, who doesn’t shirk from change, but embraces it and certainly someone who is an entrepreneur at heart. I believe you are also a realist. In my book, these qualities make you someone who is well suited to dealing with the current market realities. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of stock?

Jack:    I’m optimistic about the future of everything. Stock is going through a difficult time right now but it will be back. There will always be a need for images. It might not come back in the same way we knew it, but it will be back.

John:    My strategy is two fold: Make the best, most relevant images I can, then get those images in front of as many potential buyers as possible. A huge part of my plan is the development and optimization of my web site. Can you share your strategy for dealing with the future?

Jack:    Online. The web is everything. The web is the center, the hub of the wheel that all the spokes radiate from. You have to learn to use web 2.0, learn the tools, learn to explore and exploit what the web has to offer. I am revamping everything, my blog, my site, everything from the ground up.

John:    Do you see the consumer as a viable potential client?

Jack:    Yes! I don’t yet know how to reach them, but there are millions, and millions and millions of them well beyond the channel of commercial distribution. The money is in getting the photography in front of the consumer. This is an entirely new kind of market. There are 60,000 to 80,000 commercial buyers of stock in the world. That number doesn’t really change. Now, with a push of a button, we can reach a billion people. Think about that!

John:    I do think about that!

Jack:    We are at a crossroads, an intersection. Very few can continue to have the cool lifestyle of shooting stock that we have had. Now it is about reaching the consumer. It is about building community and then monetizing it. People don’t get this: Our future success has little to do with our past but rather what we do from today on. It is not about your past, what you shot before. It is about what you do from now on. It is about what you shoot now, and how you shoot it. You can’t rely on your legacy. You can be a Micro celebrity on the net in 12 months. It is about developing a fan base. With a fan base of 1,000, or maybe 5,000, you can make a good living.

John:    Micro, RF or RM…or some combination?

Jack:    Add footage to that as well. All of them are going to be around. It isn’t either or, it is a little bit of everything. Some people will do all of it, some will do two or three of them. You have to find out what works for you, what you love to do and then do it. My priority is first footage, then Rights Managed and then a split between RF and Micro.

John:    How about prints? Are you planning on getting into that arena?

Jack:    Yes! Possibly through Imagekind, or something like that. Right now I am going through my collections cherry picking the images that I think would make good print sales. I really believe in merchandising. I have big plans for what people can do with my images. It can be coffee mugs and that sort of thing or it can be a whole lot more. We don’t even know all the ways people are going to be using photos.

John:    Jack, you are undergoing a major re-branding with your website. When do you think you will have that ready for us to see?