Ask Gerald Franklin

Tattoo Designs and Ideals

2011-08-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47dQMcAfy4w

Our First Vollara Monday Night Call!

2010-02-02T11:09:00.001-08:00

Our First Vollara Monday Night Call!

Monday night was our first Vollara conference call, and wow, what a call we had. The line up included our Founder, Chairman, and CEO Joseph P. Urso, Executive Vice President of Sales Bill Coyle, Dr. Troy Sanford, and Dr. Rick Urso, plus Field Leaders Camaron Corr, Jon Bender, Paul Svetz, and J. K. Baker. From our Pre-Launch Event last weekend to our GPA for moving forward together, there was an incredible amount of important information packed into this call, all to help you Unleash Your Dreams with confidence.

If you would like to listen to the recording (you really should take a few minutes to hear this call), or need to listen again, just click the link below.

The time is right. The time is now to FLY!

Join Us

At last the truth about Vollara

2010-01-31T14:42:00.000-08:00

Listen up folks Vollara has been on the hush hush for the past month. EcoQuest Members and many others are left merging into the New Ground Floor Opportunity Vollara.

Vollara in latin means to fly!

Vollara is based in Dallas, Texas
This past weekend they had their first pre-launch convention.
Any network marketer in the industry has heard the words at least once about the next biggest and best company.
The owner Joseph P. Urso has an action plan to make that his goal, saying personally to me this is his last run so jump aboard and take the journey with us.

The company is a product based company in Health and Nutrition from products to vitamins to air purifiers and water treatment systems.

The Master Distributor is Camaron Corr. Mr. Corr has made millions in the industry. He is leading the charge to bring some top internet of offline marketers to the company.

With the compensation plan being a Hybrid UniLevel ~ Binary structure positioning is key. So getting in before the masses do could be rewarding, but the compensation plan the way it is designed for any average person is going to depend on your efforts in bringing others in as well as selling the products. As with any company it should be based on each individual efforts to make money.

Bottom-line: It is a business to improve your health and your wealth.

Alot of people are left wondering why the secret. So what really is the truth about that....

You will have to visit this website to find that out. http://www.joinvollara.com

Join Vollara with us and get positioned before the masses do.

Story By Tim Leclercq

Heartland Select Muscadine Juice

2008-11-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

It's small, it's unassuming and it's a secret grown right in America's own back yard.

"America's First Grape," the muscadine, was already growing wild in America before European settlers arrived back in the 1500's, and they started cultivating it soon after that. Since then, generations and generations of Americans have grown them, but only in the last few years has the true power and potential of this treasure really been discovered.

Muscadine has one of the highest ORAC scores of any fruit produced by Mother Nature.
Provides a superior content of specific antioxidant compounds, which means both a higher level and better blend of antioxidants to fight the free radicals that enter the human body.
One of nature's best sources of resveratrol, and studies on resveratrol have linked it to a healthy heart and blood vessels.*

Where to start ? With yourself.

2008-11-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

To me the best place to start is you. What do I mean by that? If you are not giving you body the correct supplements that it need to stay healthy. You are fighting a losing battle. Your body will not hold up. Take it from me. I know first hand. I'm going to tell you my story. I'm 42 and over weight and my eating habits are not good. Being a store manager working 60 to 70 Hour a week. I'm eating on the go most of the time, and when I get a chance. I always had enough energy to keep up until January. I got sick with the flu for the first time. Never had it before Never want it again. All my energy was gone. At the end of the day my butt was dragging. I wanted to do is go home and lay down. I went to the doctors had had test after test done. Nothing was wrong they said. I try energy drinks, supplement,vitamins and nothing worked. I was at a loss.

First of October my friend Robia Turner came to the store to talk to me about a business opportunity. To keep the story short. I told Robia my story, and I that didn't have the energy to do any thing else. That was when Robia gave me a bottle of Essentials for Life, and told me how they worked. All I can say is that after two weeks of taking the product. I was back to my old self again. With energy to keep going. I would suggest this product to anyone. That brings us to the first Healthy Living Technology.

The ultimate six-in-one supplement for superior daily nutrition and optimal health, energy & vitality.

Infinity2’s Essentials for Life™ is a complete and powerful combination of SIX different natural products combined into one amazing system: InsurePlus™, Chelated Mineral Complex, Digest-a-Meal®, Life Force Super Antioxidant™, Total Flora Support™ and Lipo-chromizyme™. Essentials For Life™ includes all of the vital nutrients below in one convenient system.

Vitamins (InsurePlus™): Complete, whole food multi-vitamins replenish essential nutrients for a healthy body.
Minerals (Chelated Mineral Complex): Patented chelated minerals with maximum absorption to promote energy, stamina, and a healthier you.
Digestive Enzymes (Digest-a-Meal®): Vital enzymes necessary for proper digestion and nutrient utilization of the foods you eat.
Antioxidants (Life Force Super Antioxidant™): Potent antioxidants for complete protection against the damaging effects of free radicals.
Flora (Total Flora Support™): Billions of stabilized flora to help suppress harmful bacteria and promote optimal health.
Fat-Digesting Enzymes (Lipo-chromizyme™): Specific nutrients for metabolizing fat and supporting healthy blood sugar levels.*

Benefits:

Provides all the essential vitamins and nutrients necessary for the creation of energy and overall health.
Replenishes essential minerals needed by the body to promote stronger bones, healthy hair, skin and nails, and help maintain firm muscle tone.
Provides high levels of potent antioxidants to help protect you from the serious health risks of free radical damage, thereby reducing the risk of premature aging, degenerative disease and auto-immune disease.
Replaces vital enzymes to support proper digestion and to receive maximum nutrition and energy from your food.
Replaces beneficial intestinal bacteria to strengthen your body’s immune system and support your overall health.
Increases the body’s ability to make lean muscle and burn fat while exercising.
Patented chromium source is proven to support healthy insulin function, minimize mood swings, support healthy blood sugar levels, and reduce food cravings.

Guaranteed Nutrient Delivery

(Chelate Activated Enzyme Delivery System) guarantees each all-natural ingredient is actually absorbed and utilized by the human body for maximum nutritional benefit.

Forgot to tell you I have lost Ten pounds this month and I haven't changed how I eat.

An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

2008-11-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

What Causes Indoor Air Problems?

Indoor pollution sources that release gases or particles into the air are the primary cause of indoor air quality problems in homes. Inadequate ventilation can increase indoor pollutant levels by not bringing in enough outdoor air to dilute emissions from indoor sources and by not carrying indoor air pollutants out of the home. High temperature and humidity levels can also increase concentrations of some pollutants.

Pollutant Sources

There are many sources of indoor air pollution in any home. These include combustion sources such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products; building materials and furnishings as diverse as deteriorated, asbestos-containing insulation, wet or damp carpet, and cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed wood products; products for household cleaning and maintenance, personal care, or hobbies; central heating and cooling systems and humidification devices; and outdoor sources such as radon, pesticides, and outdoor air pollution.

The relative importance of any single source depends on how much of a given pollutant it emits and how hazardous those emissions are. In some cases, factors such as how old the source is and whether it is properly maintained are significant. For example, an improperly adjusted gas stove can emit significantly more carbon monoxide than one that is properly adjusted.

Some sources, such as building materials, furnishings, and household products like air fresheners, release pollutants more or less continuously. Other sources, related to activities carried out in the home, release pollutants intermittently. These include smoking, the use of unvented or malfunctioning stoves, furnaces, or space heaters, the use of solvents in cleaning and hobby activities, the use of paint strippers in redecorating activities, and the use of cleaning products and pesticides in house-keeping. High pollutant concentrations can remain in the air for long periods after some of these activities.

Amount of Ventilation

If too little outdoor air enters a home, pollutants can accumulate to levels that can pose health and comfort problems. Unless they are built with special mechanical means of ventilation, homes that are designed and constructed to minimize the amount of outdoor air that can "leak" into and out of the home may have higher pollutant levels than other homes. However, because some weather conditions can drastically reduce the amount of outdoor air that enters a home, pollutants can build up even in homes that are normally considered "leaky".

How Does Outdoor Air Enter a House?

Outdoor air enters and leaves a house by: infiltration, natural ventilation, and mechanical ventilation. In a process known as infiltration, outdoor air flows into the house through openings, joints, and cracks in walls, floors, and ceilings, and around windows and doors. In natural ventilation, air moves through opened windows and doors. Air movement associated with infiltration and natural ventilation is caused by air temperature differences between indoors and outdoors and by wind. Finally, there are a number of mechanical ventilation devices, from outdoor-vented fans that intermittently remove air from a single room, such as bathrooms and kitchen, to air handling systems that use fans and duct work to continuously remove indoor air and distribute filtered and conditioned outdoor air to strategic points throughout the house. The rate at which outdoor air replaces indoor air is described as the air exchange rate. When there is little infiltration, natural ventilation, or mechanical ventilation, the air exchange rate is low and pollutant levels can increase.

Read more about ventilation in buildings

Indoor Air Pollution and Health

Health effects from indoor air pollutants may be experienced soon after exposure or, possibly, years later.

Immediate effects

Immediate effects may show up after a single exposure or repeated exposures. These include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Such immediate effects are usually short-term and treatable. Sometimes the treatment is simply eliminating the person's exposure to the source of the pollution, if it can be identified. Symptoms of some diseases, including asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and humidifier fever, may also show up soon after exposure to some indoor air pollutants.

The likelihood of immediate reactions to indoor air pollutants depends on several factors. Age and preexisting medical conditions are two important influences. In other cases, whether a person reacts to a pollutant depends on individual sensitivity, which varies tremendously from person to person. Some people can become sensitized to biological pollutants after repeated exposures, and it appears that some people can become sensitized to chemical pollutants as well.

Certain immediate effects are similar to those from colds or other viral diseases, so it is often difficult to determine if the symptoms are a result of exposure to indoor air pollution. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to the time and place symptoms occur. If the symptoms fade or go away when a person is away from home, for example, an effort should be made to identify indoor air sources that may be possible causes. Some effects may be made worse by an inadequate supply of outdoor air or from the heating, cooling, or humidity conditions prevalent in the home.

Long-term effects

Other health effects may show up either years after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated periods of exposure. These effects, which include some respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer, can be severely debilitating or fatal. It is prudent to try to improve the indoor air quality in your home even if symptoms are not noticeable.

While pollutants commonly found in indoor air are responsible for many harmful effects, there is considerable uncertainty about what concentrations or periods of exposure are necessary to produce specific health problems. People also react very differently to exposure to indoor air pollutants. Further research is needed to better understand which health effects occur after exposure to the average pollutant concentrations found in homes and which occurs from the higher concentrations that occur for short periods of time.
Please Note: The Information provided here comes primarily from EPA's "The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality". The information provided here is based on current scientific and technical understanding of the issues presented and is reflective of the jurisdictional boundaries established by the statutes governing the co-authoring agencies. Following the advice given will not necessarily provide complete protection in all situations or against all health hazards that may be caused by indoor air pollution.

2008-11-13T13:58:00.000-08:00

PowerwoRX e3 Will Lower Your Electric Bill

2008-11-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

The whole world is supposed to be "going green" and supporting the "green agenda". How about instead of fattening up Al Gore's pockets and big industry profits that we do something to lower our own energy costs and therby help the environment!

PowerwoRx-e3 is a new product which provides a Whole House Energy System for the best possible energy savings and protection based upon a unique technology that provides three key benefits:

1. Energy Savings

2. Equipment Protection

3. Electrical Noise Filtration

1. Energy Savings

PowerwoRx e3 is an amazing new product which provides energy savings by reducing the amount of power drawn from your utility with the use of specially designed harmonic resistant capacitors. PowerwoRx e3 systems optimize your home's power factor thus reducing the amount of energy your homes motor loads use such as air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, pool pumps, vacuum cleaners, furnace blower motors, fans, etc. Motor loads require more energy to do their work compared to other electrical equipment in your home. The PowerwoRx e3's "power factor optimization" significantly increases the efficiency of your motor load and stores waste energy resulting in decreased demand and usage of electricity from your utility company. This equates to significant cost savings for you the home owner.

Power factor is the measurement of how efficient your electrical system is using the energy delivered to your home from your utility company. For example, your stove and dryer heating coils and incadescent light bulbs have a "power factor rating" of unity or 1. This equipment converts electric energy to heat and light. Motor loads as described above can have "power factor ratings" as low as .2. This combination of electric loads in American homes results in an average "power facotr rating" of .77 or less. the .77 indicates that your home is using more energy than it should to operate your electrical equipment. The PowerwoRx e3 technology has a proven track record of increasing a home's "power factor rating" to .95 or better.

2.Equipment Protection

PowerwoRx e3 technology provides Surge and Spike Suppression, a feature that will help protect and extend the useful life of your electrical equipment. Voltage surges and spikes come from many different internal and external sources such as utility grid changes, damaged transformers or electrical lines due to accidents or acts of God, old or out dated utility transformers that supply electrical power to your home, lightning and turning on and off major motor loads in your home. Typical homes in the United States are bombarded with literally hundreds of surges and spikes a day that damage sensitive electrical equipment over time. A combination of the PowerwoRx e3 harmonic resistant capacitors and metal oxide varistors (MOV's) give the home owner the maximum protection available on the market today. The external lights on the PowerwoRx e3 system provide an easy visual indicator that the system is protecting your home.

3. Electrical Noise Filtration

PowerwoRx e3 technology provides Harmonic Filtration which has become more important since the 1980's and almost mandatory going into the 21st Century due to the proliferation of computers, fax and copy machines and variable frequency drives which are know as "nonlinear loads". "Nonlinear loads" ask for and use electrical current in "pulses" unlike traditional electrical equipment. This pulse use of electrical current creates damaging noise, interference and heat on today's electrical systems causing interference within sensitive electrical equipment or worse causing them to overheat and fail. The use of computerized electronics within the American home has been growing at exponential rates and the need for filtering out the interference, noise and heat created by nonlinear loads has never been greater.

How Would This Help the Environment?

Installing the PowerwoRx e3 system in your home will reduce the need to produce electrical energy reducing the amount of coal and oil being burned to generate the electric energy, resulting in the reduction of environmentally harmful emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide.

If 500,000 homes across the country installed PowerwoRx e3 systems this would reduce the need to generate 17 megawatts of electricity: saving 42,250 tons of coal or 231,500 barrels of oil and reducing by 98,250 tons of carbon dioxide, 42,000 pounds of nitrous oxide and 221,500 pounds of sulfur dioxide of annual greenhouse emissions.

Does the PowerwoRx e3 work in any home?
Yes it does, as long as you have a circuit breaker panel with breaker switches and not the old screw in type fuses, the unit will work on any single-phase electric application for homes. If you say "yes" to only two or more of the following then you could be saving a significant amount of money on your electric bill right now!

Is you home over 2500 square feet?
Is you central air conditioner/heat pump unit 3 years or older?
Is your forced air furnace 3 years or older?
Do you have a pool?
Do you have a well?
Do you use an air conditioner?
Is you refrigerator/freezer not EnergyStar rated?
Do you have moe than one refrigerator/freezer?
Is you washer/dryer not EnergyStar rated?
Do you have a hot tub or Jacuzzi?
Is you dishwasher not EnergyStar rated?
Do you have a number of appliances in your home?

Will the PowerwoRx e3 affect any of my appliances and their normal use?
No, if anything your motors will run about 10% cooler, which is good for a motor because heat is the enemy of a motor.

Is the PowerwoRx e3 tested and approved by independent labs?
Yes, the PowerwoRx e3 is UL Listed and tested. Also, the technology is recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy.

How much can I expect to save per month by using the PowerwoRx e3?
That depends on many factors. The size of you home, the amount of inductive motor load, and the amount you are paying per kilowatt-hour for electricity etc. However, generally speaking users of the product have seen up to 25% in reduced consumption, but the average savings is somewhere in the 8% to 15% range.

How long will it take for the PowerwoRx e3 to pay for itself?
That depends on your individual circumstances, number of appliances and age, electrical cost and usage patterns, but most units are paid within 2-3 years.

Is the PowerwoRx e3 easy to install?
Yes, but the PowerwoRx e3 must be installed by a licensed electrician. Installation requires opening up of the electrical panel, exposing potentially dangerous high voltage wires. The unit comes with complete installation instructions and install in about 15-30 minutes.

How long will the PowerwoRx e3 last?
It has a predicted lifespan of over 20 years.

Why haven't I heard of these products until now?
That's easy; two words "cost effectiveness". Up until recently, electric rates throughout America were cheap, costing 2,3 or 4 cents per kilowatt-hour. Now, electric rates are 8,10,12,14 ad 19 and in some cases New York City is 22 cents per Kwh, and Hawaii is 33.5 cents per Kwh. At the cheap rates the PowerwoRx e3 didn't make sense, but at the current rates, it makes all the sense in the world.

What about PowerwoRx e3 for Surge Protection?
One of the most important features of the PowerwoRx e3 is the ability to protect the entire home against power surges. No longer is there a need for so many surge protectors in the home. The PowerwoRx e3 provides a broad range of protection for hardwired appliances and most home electronics such as appliances, televisions, satellite equipment, entertainment systems, etc. The unit protects from power line surges as well as spikes caused by internal wiring problems, loose connections and fluctuating demand from large motors such as vacuum cleaners, heating and cooling equipment, etc.E3 power.

Gerald Franklin Post The The Ad Surf Daily

2008-07-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

Hello All ASD Members,

This is Andy Bowdoin, President of Ad Surf Daily, Inc., and I want to warmly welcome you to the first broadcast of our "ASD Good News-Letter" that will be emailed to our entire membership on a regular weekly basis from now on.

ASD has established a strategic partnership with iContact.com, which is one of the biggest and most respected companies online that specializes in permission based email marketing campaigns.

iContact.com currently has over 29,000 business clients worldwide, including AT&T, Vonage, Symantec, International Paper, ReMax and Viacom, and they are now helping ASD to stay in positive communication with all our members, while respecting the individual email privacy of our members, protecting the integrity of our mailing list and keeping us 100% compliant with the laws regarding spam emails.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

As you all know, over the past many weeks, we have been experiencing unprecedented expansion and the ASD Membership has now grown to over 120,000 members and is increasing by 500 to 1,000 new members each day. This has resulted in huge increases in all of our financial success, but it has also caused tremendous strains on our existing Website system. For the past 6 days our Website has been slowed down and many times entirely down and offline, which is not okay and unacceptable to me and the senior executives of ASD.

So, we decided that it was now time to locate and work with one of the best technology companies possible, and not just to handle our existing Web problems, but to totally and effectively prepare for the explosive international success we are about to enter into that will continue for a long time to come.

I have some really Good News for all of us, because I am very proud and happy to announce that ASD has now joined forces with a world class Web development firm, Webworld Technologies, to bring forth the much needed and anticipated ASD "Version 2" Web application. This means that all our various Website and Web system problems, issues and challenges that we have been experiencing over the past 4 months, are soon to be a thing of the past.

The following is a statement that Webworld Technologies has prepared for all ASD Members, so that you fully understand the positive impact that they and our ASD "Version 2" Web system is going to have on the continuing success of every ASD Member and our company as a whole.

________________

"For over a decade Webworld Technologies has been handling all phases of the system development life cycle for complex Web applications. Webworld currently has ongoing major projects with the U.S. State Department, National Quality Center "State of New York", NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Webworld has also worked with the U.S. Navy, the Federal Aviation Administration, IBM, Cotton, Inc. and many other government and major commercial clients.

David Aden, Webworld's Chief Technology Officer, a recognized industry expert and long time published technology author, says:

Webworld Technologies is very excited about working with ASD and Andy Bowdoin. The growth they have experienced recently is a perfect example of the kind of interest and passion that can be generated by the Internet. What might have taken weeks or months in years past can now be accomplished in days, hours or even minutes –the huge success in harnessing that kind of potential reflects the brilliance of the ASD system.

This kind of growth also makes for technical challenges that require fast, enterprise-class solutions and we love technical challenges. We are looking forward to working with Andy and the rest of the ASD team to continue to build a site that forwards Andy’s vision and achieves the kind of results everyone connected with ASD expects.

The ASD Computer Systems Programmers, working together with Webworld are now simultaneously retrofitting the existing ASD Web application to better handle the increased expansion while producing the next version. We are all excited about "Version 2" coming online. It will be designed for Indy 500 speeds and member counts in the multiple millions."

________________

Well, there you have it. I can now only ask that all of you please be patient while this is in progress. There will likely be tests where the system is online and then offline. There is no need to send in support tickets at this time and all members will receive Global credits for surfing while this evolution is occurring.

Posting the ad package purchases from the hugely successful Miami rally has been delayed because we are currently upgrading the Website as stated above to handle the explosive growth we are experiencing.

But don't get excited or upset because you haven't seen your account posted with ad packages. We will pay you the normal daily rebates during this time, starting back on Monday, July 14th.

OTHER EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS

We are now preparing for the upcoming Chicago Rally this weekend, which we expect to be another huge success for everyone attending. Next week you will be receiving another GOOD NEWS-LETTER email from me, with a number of other very exciting, positive and important announcements for all ASD Members. One very exciting topic will be the continuing successful launch of the amazing "GreenBackStreet.com" Online Shopping Mall that every ASD Member now has a Free Account with.

Over 10,000 ASD Members have now activated their GreenBackStreet Shopping Mall Systems, and hundreds of members have already started shopping, saving and earning cash back.

Look for the activation email from "ASD-GreenBackStreet" in your inbox from a few days ago, or the next email that is about to be sent to each of you, and then simply activate your Free GreenBackStreet account right away, so you can start shopping online and earning cash back, plus lots of other great benefits from the GreenBackStreet.com program that ASD is now partnered with.

As always, I wish you and all ASD Members great success in everything you do.

Sincerely,

Andy Bowdoin

Gerald Franklin talks about My Vm Team

2008-06-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

"My VM Team" was founded in 2008 By Jim Cobb, "we are determined and devoted to provide training, filling the need and demand of those around the world that need help with their skills in Internet Marketing techniques and Lead Generation. Said Gerald Franklin"

My VM Team is supported by a group of seasoned professionals. Not just by our trainers, but by you and people like you who share the values and vision we have as a community. We do not charge anything for our training and support. It matters not to us what walk of life you are from, what your business is or where you are with your computer and Internet skill level. We are here to help. Without you, we do not exist.

My VM Team was born from the will and desire to help all gain clarity in the skills they where trying to develop. Little did many of them know that no matter what skill they developed in Internet Marketing, it would be lost through one simple, common mistake, not having a professional appearance on the "Net" and not owning their own real-estate on the World Wide Web. I call it "Web-Estate". ( www.mygoogletoday.com )You have to have it if you are serious about earning a living working from home, period

Can you not afford to go to night classes at your local university to develop the skills you need to survive on the internet today?You see, there are dozens of reasons why others do not share with you the skills they accumulated through their experience on the net. Perhaps they see no gain in it for themselves, they're unsure of even themselves, they have poor judgement of you and your ability, they have no time or perhaps they just lack the patience, No matter, Today, all of that changes for you.

If you have a BOSS or an up-line sponsor, then they will reap the benefits for you being here. But, You will win and that's what we will focus on. Our policy is to, "Leave No Student Behind"! At the end of the day, we are only as successful as our newest student is. Gerald Franklin says, "The trainers and I focus upon this daily, altering the training calendar weekly to reflect the needs of our students. Our function is total support."

As we evolve, change will occur. It is more than pleasure we receive in serving you. It is our IDENTITY! You have come to the right place at the right time.....Welcome! You are our newest Lifetime Community Member.

Join us now at: www.MYVMTeam.info /

The remaining 10 common startup mistakes are:

2008-05-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

* Not hiring right away
* Getting to year 1, past year 2
* Not getting involved in the community
* Working in your business instead of on it
* Going wide instead of deep into a niche
* Not using email marketing
* Having a lack of ambition
* Failing to network with others
* Growing too quickly

#10: Not Thinking Survival

2008-05-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

Too many people think that so long as everything is done “textbook” and they have the proper set up, and plans down on paper, that they will succeed. Also, many people have the idea that it is easy to keep it up after they get an initial consumer base. Not true. small businesses are small fish in a big pond, constantly competing against emerging and growing bigger competitors that have the backing, both monetarily and resourcefully, to push them out of the picture.”

#9: Being Overly Enthusiastic and Not Having Realistic Goals

2008-05-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

“A few mistakes that I personally made was the lack of focus on a targeted marketing plan, and the miscalculation on future expected growth.”

#8: Not Looking At Your Competition

2008-05-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

“I think it is a big mistake to start a business without really understand the market.”

#7: Not Marketing Your Business / Expecting People To Come To You

2008-05-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

“A few mistakes that I personally made was the lack of focus on a targeted marketing plan, and the miscalculation on future expected growth.”

#6: Losing Momentum

2008-05-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

“Being satisfied and content with functioning can lead to “big headedness” and false hope that it will always be this way. You need to constantly improve your product/service, research your around-the-clock changing market and competition, and promote innovation and forward progress amongst your management and team.”

#5: Not Seeking Mentors

2008-05-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

“I think having a mentor - a much more experienced entrepreneur that can give you some valuable advice is so IMPORTANT…especially when you are a young and overly ambitious… and with so many challenges to meet on the way to success.”

#4: Doing It All Alone

2008-05-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

“Lots of CEO personalities think they have to be the answer to all problems, and this is not the case. Their pride and mindset of “I must live up to this role” is skewed and they may fail to tap the most important and valuable resources that surround them in their management team and affiliates.”

#3: Not Having Enough Money

2008-05-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

“I think this is big for those businesses that have the incentive to only reap the benefits and not focus on the longevity of your venture. Taking out $10k now may prevent making $100k in a few months. Mindsets should not be “Yeah I own a buiness I make this much” but rather “Yeah I own a business, we invested in XYZ and were able to afford this new service/expand here/etc” Also, too many people plan on the basic expenses of starting up, and don’t think about the increased expense that come with a more successful, growing, developing business.”

#2: Surrounding Yourself With People Who Don’t Believe In Your Idea

2008-05-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

“Another mistake would be surrounding yourselves with people (whether by accident or because they’re family, etc) who don’t believe in your idea. You need to be around positive feedback all the time.”

#1: Not Having a Clear Plan or Vision

2008-05-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

“The biggest mistake people make is not looking far enough ahead in your market. So many businesses are losing ground to new technologies as example, so think ahead on how to better utilize these new technologies. With the current recession, how many planned for it? Every business will go through cycles of growth and market demize, just as we are all now seeing, so again, think ahead, have vision beyond today is one of the keys to success.”

Top 20 Entrepreneurs Mistakes

2008-05-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

I read this on GetEntrepreneurial.com So for the next 20 day I will give you one a day.

Young Entrepreneur: After polling our Young Entrepreneur readers, here is our list of the top 20 mistakes that startups make when creating a new business. I’ve also included a few of the comments that were left for some of the top points.

4) Punish Yourself For Not Sticking With It.

2008-05-12T01:30:00.000-07:00

This may seem a little weird, but it will work if you give it a chance to. For example, let's say that you need to get something done by a certain date and you don't. To make things more productive for you, punish yourself for not getting it done! I personally love those Little Debbie "Star Crunch" cakes. I usually have one every day. One time I told myself, I said, "Self, if I can't eat a Star Crunch unless I get these webpages uploaded by 5:20 today!". And when 5:20 came, I didn't have it done. So I punished myself for not completing the task by the time I set. I didn't eat one that day. Let's say you have a favorite TV show you absolutely love watching. You must complete 3 things on your list before you can watch it. And stick with it! Believe it or not, it actually works! But only if you stick with it.

Having many distractions can make things a bit more difficult with productivity when spending your time online. The first things to do to solve the time management problem is to identify what things are keeping you from being productive in your online business. The next step is to avoid these things at all costs. The hardest part is identifing these distractions. But after you do, more than half the battle is already over! I wish you much success with your businss and all your on and offline goals!

3) Give Yourself A Break!

2008-05-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

This may sound a little contradictory, but it's very true. If you have been working consistently for a few hours online, and find yourself to be slipping into the "dull glare" mode, give yourself a break. Step away from your computer for 30 mintues, and move around. Go to the fridge and grab a nice cold drink, and relax a bit. When you get done, you will feel more fresh and will be more focused on your list that you've already made to complete your daily business tasks.

2) Set a time Limit

2008-05-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Let's say you spend on average 2 hours browsing forums and discussion boards on a daily basis. Is this really necessary? I mean, there are alot of good resources out the on forums, and you get to interact with like-minded individuals.. but is this helping your business?

The best way to stick to a plan is by giving yourself a specific amount of elotted time for each activity you conduct online. If you normally spend 2 hours in forums, and think this is simply taking too much away from your business, set a limit on how much you do it. Say to yourself, "Ok Jason, I will participate in forums for no more than 45 minutes. From exactly 12:15 to 1:00 today, I will spend this time browsing forums and being an active member." And stick with it!

1) Make A List:

2008-05-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

You've probably heard this before and with good reason! Write the things you need to do with your business down on a piece of paper. List in order the things by two factors. One is the importance, and the second is which of the things you least would like to do.

Once you have your list, put them in order of the things most important and are you're least favorite at the very top of the list. This way, the more important things that need to be done will get done first, and you won't procrastinate because it's written down. As you progress with your list, you'll find that the last things you need to do will go by very quickly because you'll enjoy doing it.

Time Management For Home Business Owners

2008-05-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

As each day passes, and more and more things need to get done with your business, you may find yourself alittle overwhelmed with how much is left to be done. This is nothing new, and a problem that almost every home business owner encounters.

There are too many things to do, and such little time! So how does one get all of these things done without interfering with family and friends time? The answer is simple enough, but not very easy to do. It's called Time Management. Managing your time to make your time spent during "business hours" the most productive it can be.

There are many distractions when running an online business that many people easily become victims of. Some at home examples are things that consist of your everyday. Things like the chores that need tending to, eager kids simply wanting your attention, the television blaring, dogs barking, errands that need to be ran, and on down the line.

Some classic examples of distractions that occur online are not as easy to identify, but can consume many hours if you're not aware of this. A good example includes just "surfing" for something, and you get sidetracked and end up reading something that you weren't even looking for to begin with! Another classic example is how many times you check your email a day, or how much time has passed before you last checked it. How much time do you spend visiting discussion boards or online communities? What about the emails you respond to? How much of your time is consumed by that? These are all examples of distractions that can get in the way of your businesses productivity.

Google Me Baby

2008-05-02T03:27:00.000-07:00

If it a sign that you have actually “made it” when your name is incorporated into a song, then I would say that Google is there…not that there was really any doubt. I heard Teyana Taylor’s new song “Google Me Baby” on MTV Hits today, and thought it would be fun to share…

Google Me Talk Radio Jim Killeen

2008-04-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

Jim Killeens adventure through the search engines of GOOGLE to the
far corners of the Earth have given him a knowledge one can only
obtain throughout the journey.

Computers are now a focus of our daily lives rather than an
addition to the tasks we perform each day. Strictly checking our
occasional emails has become a thing of the past. Bringing the
computers out of the den and into the main living area of the home
for researching information, watching videos and sometimes
gathering advice on the many websites available through the
world-wide web. GOOGLE has produced the greatest impression and has
enabled web users to connect, seek, and ultimately locate each
other.

GOOGLE Me The Movie, Jim Killeen, and Blog Talk Radio are merging
together for a one night event on GOOGLE Me Talk Radio! Thursday
night April 24th at 8pm ET. This will be an exciting evening with
the host of GOOGLE Me Talk Radio, Jim Cobb and The GOOGLE Me Man
with the plan, Jim Killeen. Be sure to spend some time at
http://www.GoogleMeTalkRadio.com for the entertaining evening.

How Dose the Spider Buffet Work

2008-04-15T05:51:00.001-07:00

Lets Say little Miss Muffet was setting on her tuffet, and in her bowl was a Spider Buffet. When the spider got there and look in the bowl he was happy. The bowl was full of links. Links Going out to JIM, Steph, Gerald, 7 Sins, And the whole VM Team. When he got to there links there was another buffet. so the spider is eating good and is happy.

So now we as a team will have a huge web of links for the spiders to crawl. Spider love big webs

What Dose This Do For You

It give you a instant link, and back links to everyone on the team. It will help by keeping new content on your blog.The more new content and links that you have will cause the Spider to come back more, and this is a good thing.

Get your Spider Buffet at http://spiderbuffet.net

Take Care
Gerald Franklin Google Me

What Are Search Engine Spiders?

2008-03-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

A spider, also known as a robot or a crawler, is actually just a program that follows, or "crawls", links throughout the Internet, grabbing content from sites and adding it to search engine indexes.

Spiders only can follow links from one page to another and from one site to another. That is the primary reason why links to your site (inbound links) are so important. Links to your website from other websites will give the search engine spiders more "food" to chew on. The more times they find links to your site, the more times they will stop by and visit. Google especially relies on its spiders to create their vast index of listings.

Spiders find Web pages by following links from other Web pages, but you can also submit your Web pages directly to a search engine or directory and request a visit by their spider.

Why Are Links Important?

2008-03-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

Links Are Like Footnotes In Books

During the development and evolution of the Internet, it has become routine for site owners to give credit to other sites for the material or content they publish. Website owners do this by putting a link on their site to the web page of the other site. One could consider links to act like a footnote in a research paper, as a way to reference the work of someone else. Before, there used to be a time when links didn't matter, though at least not like they do today.

A few of the search engines looked at back links for a portion of their algorithms, but it didn't carry the same weight as it does today. Now, in order to be competitive in nearly any online industry, back links are essential. Back links do not only give the search engines a barometer of a site's popularity, they also aid in determining the topic, and relevance of a site in relation to its targeted keywords. Though the art of SEO is, and will always be very important, gathering relevant back links is steadily increasing in importance.

What are Feeds? What is RSS?

This video does a good job describing how feeds work.

Below is similar information, in a boring textual format.

Offline Subscriptions

In the offline world we subscribe to our interests by

paying for magazine subscriptions
watching TV channels and shows that interest us at the same time each week
reading all books created by a favorite author

Online vs Offline

Online individuals and companies create a vast sea of content. Too much content perhaps. To keep up with all the new content every day I could visit SeoBook.com, sethgodin.typepad.com, SearchEngineLand.com, SEOMoz.org, Shoemoney.com, TropicalSEO.com Wolf-Howl.com, and a bunch of other great blogs and news websites.

Or, to keep myself organized, I could subscribe to feeds from all these great sites and access them all from one place. Feeds allow you to subscribe to information you find relevant and useful, and be notified when your favorite websites are updated

Instead of needing to visit all the above websites every day you could just go to Google (Google Reader or iGoogle), My Yahoo!, or Bloglines and read all the news at any one of these sites. You do not need to visit all 3 sites to read the news. Just pick your favorite one and subscribe to a bunch of your favorite sites. If you are an avid online reader using RSS subscriptions to keep track of the news can save you hours a day.

So what exactly is social networking?

2008-03-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

Social networking is a topic that has been gaining much interest and publicity lately. It seems that social networking will be a common part of our lives. A huge benefit of those utilizing social networking is connecting with others that have the same interests or are part of the same industry.

So what exactly is social networking? Simply, social networking is a way to seek connection and bond with others. A very well known social networking site is the hugely popular Friendswin. Although the field of social networking is a broad one, it basically consists of two areas: socializing with friends and professional networking. The true power of social networking is the unhindered connection of people with similar interests. It is about meeting those that have like interests and being free to express yourself. It has become a part of people's identities.

Joining a social networking site enables you to gain introductions to many people who you would not otherwise be able to gain access to. Social features provided by most community sites are blogging, email, groups, classifieds and forums. One of the amenities provided by some community sites are free chat rooms or conference rooms. It is the easiest way to share photos, journals and interests with a growing network of mutual friends. And you thought social networking was all about text-messaging among bored teenagers. The goal of virtual networking is to get noticed, to meet people and to develop relationships on your own time and in your own space.

If you haven joined a social networking site yet, I highly recommend that you try one today. The friends that you can make are just one of the many benefits to social networking online. To join a social networking site, you will have to go through a registration process. To start finding new friends, you must create a profile first and tell others a little about yourself. Without a personal profile, it is difficult or impossible to tell what your interests are. Just remember that although online communities are a great place to meet other internet users, they can also be dangerous. One way to protect yourself, is to only use your first name in your profile. In your profile if you are required to list the city and the state that you live in, you may want to think about using a nearby city or town, especially if you live in a small town. In addition to the above precautionary measures, it is advised that you do not post detailed information on your children, the location of your home, your income or when you will be gone for awhile.

Gerald Franklin
You Google Me

Why is Visualization important in internet marketing?

2008-03-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

The art of visualization is a subject that may not be widely advertised on the internet, but it is one area that I think must be pursued for a person to become success either online or offline. Visualization marketing is the simple process whereby a person visualizes the success of an online opportunity that they are pursuing, thus setting up the key elements in life geared to producing those results in real life.

Many mental masters throughout history knew and wrote about the importance of visualizing what is desired to come into a person's life. This simple act of quieting the mind and thinking about the success of a certain element in life, such as a healthy body, more money, obtaining that job or that new car...all these thoughts that are rampaging through our consciousness 24/7 can be directed to our ultimate harm...or our ultimate good.

The choices that we make today were quite possibly thought about years ago and are just now manifesting themselves into reality today.

If a person is constantly worried and fearful about losing their health, it is an all too often occurrence that happens that they lose that good health. If one feels fearful about an event that they think is going to happen, it probably will.

Conversely, we as human beings are able to project good thoughts in place of those bad and start visualizing what we want to accomplish. We may think about making money, or good health, or losing weight...whatever the reason...when we begin to visualize the act happening, it will happen at some point in the future

Certainly there is no way to predict when the actual event will take place, but it will happen with consistent visualization practices

The art of visualizing what you want to accomplish is very simple.

Before arising in the morning...simply take a few moments to think about and imagine what you want to accomplish that day. If you want to make money...see the money coming to you...taste the money...smell the money...rub the money all over you. You have just set into motion the very techniques that I use every day in my life. It works every time like clockwork. I know that it will work for you
Gerald Franklin
You Google Me
423-426-5141

Here is some other great info on the art of writing an effective press release:

2008-03-17T02:56:00.000-07:00

Press Release Format Guidelines FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Headline Be creative and keep it to one sentence.

Capitalize the first letter of all words but do not use all caps

Exclamation marks (“!”) only sell your release as advertising, not news.

Paragraph 1 City, State, Month, Day, Year – Begin with a strong introductory paragraph that captures the reader’s attention and contains the information most relevant to your message such as the five W's - who, what, when, where, and why.

This paragraph should summarize the press release and include a hook to get your audience interested in reading more.

Paragraph 2, 3, 4, … These paragraphs should contain more detailed important information, and make up the body of the release.

Make sure you use correct grammar so as not to affect your credibility negatively.

Use quotes or information about businesses, and most importantly have an angle that will appeal to journalists (often by connecting your release to current events or issues).

Effective releases usually utilize a strategy known as the inverted pyramid, which is written with the most important information and quotes first.

The body of your release should be more than one paragraph.

The final paragraph should restate and summarize the key points of your release.

Additional 1 Provide avenues for the reader to obtain additional information, demos, samples, etc., but please DO NOT include Internet links.

Additional 2 Trademark acknowledgment, product or event timelines, availability, logistics, etc

Additional 3 Background information about the company featured in the release, if appropriate, as well as any applicable safe harbor statement. ### (end with these characters) A FINAL NOTE: With an effective release, it should be possible to cut off the bottom half of the release and still provide journalists with sufficient information.

Writing good effective press releases is one of the most important aspects of internet marketing.

2008-03-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

A press release, when properly written will often come to the top of a search engine relatively quickly. Here are a few guidelines to follow when approaching this often overlooked, but highly effective means of getting one's website noticed.

1. The first lines of your press releases shall include: "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" (or FOR RELEASE Dec 25, 2002) and "For more information, contact:" followed by your contact information.

2.Craft a compelling headline. The headline makes your release stand out. Keep it short, active, and descriptive. If you don't know how, read a number of compelling headlines till you get some idea.

3.Hook reader with the first paragraph. A first paragraph shall summarize the five W's: who, what, where, when and why. In fact, most readers will give up if you haven't "hooked" them in the first few lines.

4. Put the most important information at the beginning. This is a tried and true rule of journalism. Never hide golden points to the end.

5. Don't sell but answer questions! Making over-inflated statements is helpless to your business. Write a release that answers questions about your business, rather than piling flowery adjectives without saying why.

6. Don't say it, show it. Avoid saying something is "unique" or "the best". Instead, show how people will benefit - i.e. save time, save money, make their life easier, etc.

7. A 'non- biased' source like university professor or software reviewer is very helpful.

8. Provide all possible contact information including mail address, telephone, fax, e-mail and web site (especially for online business).

9. Proofread & Proofread! Do remember to proofread your press release for typographical errors before you send them out.

10. End your press release with "###" (without the quotation marks) after your last lines of text. This symbol lets the editors know they have successfully received the entire release.

11. Use good relevant and original content in your press release. This is NOT the place for copying and pasting...search engine spiders can tell the difference...

12. Don't do what everyone else does...never SELL in a press release...just put good information and approach this area as if you are funnelling people to where you want them to eventually land

13. Think differently about your project. You simply cannot sell anyone anything at any time. Once you begin to understand this, the process becomes simple.

Gerald Franklin
You Google Me
423-426-5141

Why Blog?

2008-03-13T05:13:00.000-07:00

It seems everyone these days is talking about blogging. Everywhere I go, I find articles and forums devoted to this craze. I also have heard from many home business owners who are trying to figure out what a blog is and how they can use one to their benefit.

The term "blog" is short for "weblog", which just means an online journal or "log". You can jot down personal thoughts and notes, post articles you've written or keep track of interesting websites you find. The sky is the limit, it seems, when it comes to blogging. A blog is something entirely of your own creation and you can use it to share your thoughts with the world, well?.with anyone you can get to read it anyway.

One of the main debates going on about blogs is whether blogging can be done to improve Search Engine rankings for businesses or to create a buzz about business websites. Both of these can be true if the blog is used correctly. Many resources show that once a blog is created, many times it is listed in Search Engines within 48 hours.

These are many ways to create a blog. The easiest by far is to use one of the free tools available online, such as Google's Blogger. You can create your blog for free using their online tools and templates(nothing to download). After you have created the blog, you can then publish your blog through them and "Wa-La" ? your blog is posted online for the world to see.

Once you've created your blog, you will need to decide how you will use it. Will it be a personal blog, full of thoughts and comments for yourself alone or maybe your family? Or will it be a business blog, with articles and tips for potential customers? If you want your blog to be found by others, blogging experts recommend that you begin by setting the title and descriptions for your blog. These are similar to the the title and descriptions you set for your website. Try to make them meaningful because they are what people will see when your blog is returned in a Search Engine. If your description is simply "my blog", you may not draw the attention you'd like.

If you are blogging in the hopes of attracting customers, make sure to use wise use of words and links in your blogs. Try to avoid the "click here" link. Instead, opt for links within descriptive sentences. Add the HTML link within the sentence and attach it to the words that are closely related to the page or site you are linking to. For example, to link to my website I would not use "click here" as my link. I would say, "Please visit You Google Me."

There are many ways to get your blog noticed outside of optimizing them for Search Engines. For instance, there are entire websites devoted to listing blogs dedicated to any topic that you can think of. You can also use free tools such a FeedBurner.com to track the traffic on your blog and to create a dynamic title box that can be used to display your blog headlines on your website or even in your email signature. Each time you update your blog, these headlines are instantly updated.

There are many ways to use a blog for either personal or business use. If used correctly, a blog can be a terrific tool to inform potential customers of your business. Be sure to update your blog at least once a week so that the content remains fresh and you remain in the Search Engines.

Gerald Franklin
You Google Me

Online Branding Strategy

2008-03-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

No matter what you sell, this is one of the most important aspects of your business. What am I talking about? Your online branding strategy. It is one of the most basic components of all companies, and is so important, that it could in fact make the difference between succeeding and succumbing to your competition. But what exactly does it mean? And how do you make sure yours is what it should be? Read on to learn more.

Your brand is what makes you and your company different from anyone else’s. While it might be more of a perceived difference than an actual one, its significance is vital nonetheless. Why should a customer buy your product instead of the one sitting right next to it on the store shelves? Why should they walk into your store instead of the one across the street? The answers to these questions lie in the brand that you are promoting.

You need to position your company in a certain way that will make it stand out from the rest in the industry. Do you want to be the young, innovative, and edgy company? Or is yours more of a traditional and trustworthy company? Are you out to offer the customer value and low prices? Or is yours for those who are willing to pay more for higher quality goods? These are all questions you need to have the answers to before you can get your company’s brand on track.

Think of your online branding strategy as the way in which you are going to communicate your brand to the market. How are you going to get your message across? Who do you want to reach? Where and when are you going to distribute your messages? And, finally, what exactly is that message? You need to be sure of these questions before you begin, because consistency is one of the key elements of a successful strategy.

The value of a brand lies in the very fact that it is something that should always be with your company. If you are changing your company’s brand every month, then you might as well not have one. A brand needs to be consistent so that it can grow over time. That does not mean being inflexible to the changing times, but rather staying on course.

Brands allow your customers to get a sense of your company before they ever step into your store or buy your product. That intrinsic value can often propel companies to the top almost overnight. Just take a look at Coca-Cola and Nike, two of the most powerful corporate brands in the world.

If your company is going to succeed out there in the fiercely competitive market, it is going to need a strong oline branding strategy. Get a solid grasp of what you want your company to be about, who you want to reach, and what makes you special and different from the rest. Without that, there is no hope of ever rising to the top.

Gerald Franklin
You Google Me

Branding Yourshelf

2008-03-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

Branding yourself is a concept that represents everything about your business or company. It sets your business and products apart from the competition. Only the businesses who communicate the real value of their product in today's world of high expectations will accomplish everything they want. So, what makes you and your product different?

The main goal of branding yourself is to own a product category. By branding yourself, you are identifying and defining everything from packaging to public relations. Your brand should epitomize the personality of your company.

Since it will have a huge impact on your bottom line, it is very important that you create a solid brand for yourself and your company. When your targeted customer becomes loyal to your brand, price will become less of an issue for your company.

There are many different elements that go into making a successful brand. First, there is relevance. Do your target customers believe that they need your product in their life? Will it make a positive difference in their daily life? Will it make their life easier? Will it make them feel good about themselves?

Another element is differentiation. What makes the benefits of your products or services different from the competition? Next there is brand awareness. Do your potential customers even know that your company or products exist? Brand awareness will lead to a preference for your brand because it will be the first thing that comes to mind when they think of your product or service.

Lastly there is consistency. If you are inconsistent in your business communications and products, then your potential customers will be confused and it will have a negative impact on your brand identity. This makes it important to define who you and your business are to set yourself apart from the competition.

What happens once you know who you are and you have branded yourself? Once you have defined yourself and your company's products, then you need to focus on the above issues to help separate yourself from your competition. Your logo should help your potential customers define your product at a glance. Make sure that you create the best image to represent your company and its products. You should create a tag line. A tag line is a sentence or phrase that describes your products or services and helps your customers identify it anywhere.

Careful and controlled branding can result in an increase in sales, more customers, and an ability to increase the value, and thus, the pricing of your products or services

You Google Me

The Importance of Online Branding

2008-03-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

When was the last time you bought a can of cola online? A television? Signed up for legal representation? While internet marketing (Google) is a great way to drive traffic to your website to generate sales or leads, there are still many people who either won’t or can’t purchase online. However, many of these people will do research online before going a bricks and mortar store to make their purchase or before picking up the phone to make an appointment. That is one reason why more and more businesses are actively using the internet to get their brand in front of a growing number of targeted eyeballs.
Branding helps because:

It is your identity
It communicates your message to others
It builds reputation and trust * It separates you from your competitors
*Your online brand should be aimed at your target audience on Google And Yahoo.

Keep in mind that your online brand is more than just your website. Consider all the other online avenues that your company and others use to publish information about your brand. Information within your control such as press releases, company blogs, articles, etc., can all find their way into Google and Yahoo search engine results. Information out of your control such as product reviews and customer opinions can also find their way into the results. Because there are external factors involved, many organizations are now monitoring what people are saying online about their brands.

A growing group of brand advocates on – individuals who are inspired spokespersons on behalf of a brand, are rapidly gaining the attention and consideration of many businesses. Businesses are learning to nurture these advocates by feeding them the latest news, providing advance knowledge of updates, and most of all, listening to their opinions and ideas regarding products, services, advertising, and other aspects of the company-client relationship. These brand advocates can make or break the success of online brands.

The development of advocacy creates increased opportunities for the branding message to be passed on virally or by word-of-mouth. Web 2.0 or social networking sites play a pivotal role in the rapid spread of consumer related information about brands. These types of sites were developed so that individuals could communicate with others who shared similar tastes or outlooks.

Online Branding can no longer be thought of as something that can immediately be transferred from offline to online. Online branding in the Web 2.0 age requires a change of focus away from the company’s branding message towards the message formulated by the consumers of the brand. The strongest online brands are built on a foundation of brand advocacy coupled with a solid, consistent branding message from the parent company.

Gerald Franklin