More Cool Web Tricks – Spyware
More Cool Web Tricks
Jim Edwards
If you ask most people what frustrates them most about the Internet, many of them will tell you "Its the little things!"
It seems like all the great tricks and tips that make people exclaim "STOP! How did you do that" never make it into any manual at least where I can find them.
My father and co-author of "Turn Words Into Traffic" calls it the "reverse oral tradition" of computing, where children teach parents the survival skills of PC life.
Well, if you want to look good to your kids or buddies around the water cooler, check out the following cool web tricks.
~^~ Cool Google Tricks ~^~
Virtually everyone knows that Google.com ranks at the top of most peoples search engine lists, but it does a lot more than just tell you where to find vitamins or information on George Washingtons wooden teeth!
Need a map to a specific location
Type in the address, city and state of virtually any location in the US, hit the search button, and Google serves up several different map providers across the Web.
Want to know what software application a certain file goes with on your computer
Input the file name into Googles search box and a number of reference sites will help you know exactly what purpose a file serves.
I actually used this to feature to identify a piece of "spyware" lurking on my computer.
Want to know whos calling you on the phone in the US
You can just input the phone number on your caller ID or cell phone display into the Google search box and get information on listed numbers before your answering machine can even pick up!
Log on to http://www.google.com/help/features.html for more cool search features that harness the search power of Google.
~^~ Text Zoom ~^~
Next time you cant see small text clearly on a website, try holding down the "CTRL" key and then moving the scroll wheel on your mouse up and down.
The text in your web browser and some programs will increase and decrease in size as you roll the wheel back and forth.
This little trick provides an excellent means of quickly getting what you need from websites with tiny text.
~^~ Slow Surfing ~^~
If your Internet Explorer web browser starts giving you problems, you might want to clean up your "Temporary Internet Files."
Most people dont realize it, but when you leave a web page, it doesnt leave you!
Most of the time you keep a copy of websites you visit on your hard drive and, over time, they build up.
This collection of old web pages can eventually cause your surfing to slow to a crawl and even cause errors!
Heres one way to clear out those old files. Click your "Start" button, then "All Programs," "Accessories," "System Tools" and "Disk Cleanup."
After an initial check of your hard drive which can take some time if its the first time youve ever launched the utility, you can check the boxes of the files you wish to delete.
To speed up your surfing, at a minimum, make sure you delete the "Temporary Internet Files."
~^~ Surfing Shortcuts ~^~
To quickly cycle back and forth through a series of web pages youve visited, hold down the "ALT" key and tap your left and right arrow keys.
Left arrow takes you back while the Right arrow takes you forward.
The Page Up and Page Down buttons allow you to quickly move up and down any web page without struggling to find the scroll bar slider on the right side of the page.
About The Author
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist http://www.TheNetReporter.com and is the author of several best-selling ebooks, information products and software programs.
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Psychological Tricks in Selling – Casino
Psychological Tricks in Selling
Stephen Bucaro
In this article, Im revealing six powerful secret psychological tricks that you can use to increase the effectiveness of your advertising and marketing. What if you dont sell anything Should you ignore this information
You ARE selling something. Whether you are a Real Estate agent selling multi-million dollar homes, or a worker trying to sell your boss on the idea that you are a valuable employee, everybody is selling something. So it would be wise to learn these secret tricks and use them to achieve your own personal success.
The secret psychological tricks that I am going to reveal are not really secret. They have been used by shrewed salesman for millenium. Their existence was revealed back in 1984 by Dr. Robert Cialdini in his book "Influence : The Psychology of Persuasion".
You will recognize these tricks being used everywhere in advertising today. Now you will be able to put them to use to enhance your own personal success.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 1: Reciprocity
Reciprocity works like this: you give someone something of value for free. That individual feels an obligation to return the favor. Reciprocity is a very powerful principle.
To use reciprocity as a marketing tool, you give people something of value for free, they reciprocate by purchasing your product or service. But you would be surprised how many advertisers totally blow it. Either they dont understand the concept of "free", or they dont have total faith in the principle of reciprocity.
For example, consider the offer "get a free camera when you subscribe to our magazine for two years." Thats not free. Or, "free installation with a one year commitment." Thats not free. The customer is paying with an obligation. No sale.
Consider the offer,"receive the latest issue of our magazine absolutely free. No bill will be sent." If the prospective customer finds the magazine to be of value, they feel an obligation to subscribe. Or, "one month of free Internet service. No credit card required." If the Internet service performs well, the prospective customer feels an obligation to sign up.
The trick is to create something that has high perceived value to a prospective customer, but costs you little or nothing to produce. Free information is a good example. Here again many advertisers totally blow it. The free information turns out to be nothing more than blatant advertising.
Free samples of your product or service is another good example. Again, many businesses blow it. They either produce a cheaper version of their product to use as free samples, or they use the free sample campaign as a means to dump reject product.
The largest Internet Service Provider is well known for giving away hundreds of hours of service for free. No credit card required. The largest cookie company is famous for giving away free cookies. Reciprocity is a very powerful marketing strategy.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 2: Scarcity
Scarcity works like this: There is a limited amount of the item available. After those are gone, the item will not be available. "urgency" implies Scarcity. For example, "this offer will be honored only for a limited time".
The effectiveness of the scarcity principle is well demonstrated by the large segment of the population involved in pursuing antiques, collectibles, and memorabilia simply because these items are scarce. Scarcity is often contrived, as when a company produces a "limited edition".
For example, when Disney releases a limit edition of one of its classic stories - yes, limited to a production of more copies than they could ever possibly sell - then it goes in the "vault". And how fortunate well be a few years from now when they decide to do us the favor of taking it back out of the vault.
Note: Manufactured items, especially DVDs and CD-ROMs, cannot be "scarce". Its a simple matter to put the manufacturing dies back into production. All scarcities of manufactured items are contrived.
One popular incarnation of scarcity is the "going out of business sale". Customers somehow dont pick up on the fact that the mark-downs are not that great, or that the store has new merchandise coming in the back door to take advantage of the increase in traffic.
Scarcity is a very powerful marketing tool. There are many ways to contrive scarcity. You can create a limited edition, or for items like information products, scarcity can exist in the form of urgency by creating a limited time offer.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 3: Commitment
Commitment involves getting a prospective customer to take a tiny step towards a goal. For example, you might get them to request free information, or fill out a survey. When the prospective customer takes that first step, they have made a commitment, however tentative, towards the goal you have set out for them. They are likely to take another step.
One example of this process is the "two step" method used in mail order. When a mail order marketer runs an advertisement, they dont even try to sell the product. Instead, the advertisement offers free information. A prospective customer makes that first commitment towards purchasing the product by requesting the free information. The free information they receive is designed to entice them to take the next step.
Another example of using commitment as a marketing tool is a survey. By checking a few boxes and answering a few questions, a prospective customer takes that first step towards a commitment. The result they receive from the survey is designed to entice them to take the next step.
Yet another example of using commitment as a marketing tool is a lottery. For example, people enter their name and address on a ticket for a chance to win a new car. A salesman uses that information to contact them. By entering their name and address on the lottery ticket, the individual has made a commitment to own that new car.
The most common example of the principle of commitment are those long-winded full page advertisements in magazines. The prospective customer invests a great deal of time reading through the entire advertisement. That investment of time represents a commitment. They are likely to take the next step, responding to the advertisement.
To use the psychological power of commitment in your advertising, dont try to sell your product or service in your ad. Instead, use a survey, contest, or free information to get a prospective customer to make that first step towards a commitment to purchase your product.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 4: Consensus
Consensus involves getting prospective customers to believe that "everybodys doing it". Everybody is just waiting in line to purchase your product. Everybody cant be wrong, so the product must be fantastic!
Of course youre smart enough to know that everybody CAN be wrong. Everybody thought that SUVs were safe vehicles they roll over. Everybody thought Enron was a great investment it went bankrupt. Everybody thought Iraq had weapons of mass destruction well maybe not everybody. Youre an independent thinker.
Here are some examples of headlines using the consensus principle: "Its the new sensation crossing the country", "People are signing up in droves", "People just cant get enough of them", "Record sales", "Unbelievable response!" and "Join millions of smart consumers". Combine this with a stock photograph of a large group of people, a long line of people, or a crowd of people, and you have a powerful consensus message.
Note: Many people dont think theyre having fun unless theyre in a large, noisy crowd. Unfortunately, every large crowd contains a few lunatics. When things go wrong, the crowd stampedes and people get hurt, or killed. When I see a large crowd, I head the other way.
Fortuately, most people are not independent thinkers. They act like a herd of cattle. Use the consensus principle in your advertising, and people, like lemmings headed for the sea, will come in waves to buy your product.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 5: Authority
Authority involves getting prospective customers to believe that someone who is knowledgeable or famous uses your product or service. If a knowledgeable or famous person uses your product, then it must be fantastic!
The bigger the authority, the more powerful the advertising message will be. For example, doctors are authorities. "Most doctors prescribe Tylenol for arthritis pain". Large organizations are authorities. "The National Heart Association says - Quaker oatmeal is good for your heart." The Federal Government is an authority. "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says whole wheat bread is part of a complete diet". If only we could think of a way to use God as an authority!
Heres how to use the principle of authority in advertising: search the Internet for any references to your product or service. Find an article that alludes to your product being of value. For example, lets say you sell black T-shirts. You find an article by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that says "bees are attracted to bright colored clothing". Your copy: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture that says my T-shirts protect you from attack by stinging insects."
Most advertising using the authority principle is taken out of context and exaggerated. Some advertising uses totally fake authorities. "My dog biscuits are recommended by the International Association of Dog Nutritionists" an organization I started last week. Some advertising uses a "study" as an authority. "A recent study found that my lemonade tastes better than any other brand" my mother liked it better.
I dont recommend that you use a fake organization, a fake study, or take information out of context or exaggerate, but if you can locate a legitimate authority or study related in any way to your product and quote it without exaggeration, you will have a powerful authority message.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 6: Greed
Greed involves taking advantage of many peoples belief that there is a secret short cut to wealth. They believe that wealthy people didnt earn their wealth, instead they know a "secret".
Note: I am not recommending that you use the principle of greed because it is used by unethical scammers. Im simply informing you of its existence in order to make this series of articles complete.
The simplest method of using the principle of greed is the chain letter. You have no doubt received a chain letter at some point. A chain letter contains a chart specifying the massive amounts of money the recipient will get when they follow the instructions. The first instruction is to send money.
The multi-level or network marketing scheme works similar to a chain letter. The prospective recruit gets a chart showing the massive amounts of money they will receive when they join the network. After parting with their money, the victim is instructed to con their friends and relatives into joining.
Another method of using the principle of greed is the lottery or casino. The odds of winning most lotteries are about the same whether you buy a ticket or not. A casino allocates only a tiny portion of its customers money to winnings in order to create the illusion that the odds of winning are good. Many people dont understand statistics. In their mind, the phrase "win a million dollars" translates into "get a million dollars".
Another example of the principle of greed is the business opportunity scam. We know it works because successful scammers invest millions to run business opportunity infomercials, and they make hundreds of millions in profits. They prey on people who believe there is a secret short cut to wealth. The scammers think people who fall for their scam are stupid, lazy, and greedy, so they deserve to get ripped off.
The way to use the principle of greed is to contrive a "secret plan". Run an ad describing how the plan requires absolutely no work to make massive amounts of money. Include a few bogus testimonials and a legitimate looking chart that shows the massive amount of money the plan will bring. Some scammers include pictures of fake checks or fake bank statements.
Never divulge any details of the plan in the ad. The prospective customer is required to send money to get the plan. The typical plan instructs the purchaser to run the same scam.
The principle of greed is very powerful. People who have been ripped of by this scam a thousand times before will, like hypnotized zombies, send you their money. They think THIS TIME they will receive the REAL secret plan.
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About The Author
CopyrightC2004 Bucaro TecHelp.
To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com.
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Tips and Tricks To Getting Top Money for your Domain Names – Domain Name
Tips and Tricks To Getting Top Money for your Domain Names
Dayne Herren
Would you like to be that lucky person who sells their domain for thousands or even a million dollars It IS possible to find quality domains and resell them for huge amounts of money. The time is ripe for acquiring top domains and selling them. Now that the Internet Boom is behind us, valuable names expire everyday. The best way to find these domains is to use services on the Internet such as DomainsBot to weed out the bad names. Or just check out Hot Lists on sites like Namewinner or Pool.
So what makes a "good" domain name Usually short, single word domains and 2-3 letter .coms, .nets, and .orgs are the best. The more specific the better. These can be hard to come by but when you find them, you can almost guarantee that you can make good money from them. Once you have purchased a nice domain name, get a good appraisal of the name to get an idea of the possible worth see AppraisalBlast.com. In order to sell your newly appraised name, you have to find a buyer. Here are your basic options for selling your domain name in a nutshell:
1. Sell it on Ebay
This is the easiest and quickest way to sell your domain name. There are several tricks to landing a good sale at Ebay. One is, start your price low. People want a bargain. Once you have received an initial bid, it will draw peoples attention to your name and create more bids. You may want to set a reserve price if you want to make sure you get X amount of dollars. When selling your domain on Ebay, make sure your domain name is in the title of the description. Also, include an appraisal to show to possible buyers the value of the domain. Keep your description short, clean, and really emphasize how important and rare your domain is. For example, if your domain is 3 letters and ends in "I", stress how most 3 letter domains that are highly valuable end in "I" because it usually stands for "Incorporated". If it ends in "E" it could stand for "Enterprise". A little bit of marketing saavy can go a long way. I once sold the domain 0pp.com for over $200. It even has a number in it making it worth very little. But I emphasize its possible uses and potential. Also, spend the extra $1 for the Bold Listing and make sure your auction ends on a Sunday afternoon or evening. This is when most people are browsing Ebay. It will make a big difference.
2. Sell it on Domain Sites
The only sites you should even consider putting your name up for sale is on ebay.com, Afternic, or Sedo. These are the most popular and where some huge sales have taken place. The only downside is that there are high numbers of domains already for sale and usually the site will get a commission of something around 10%. There also may be a small fee to join. Appraisal Blast charges a minimal fee but no commission. Your domain will get more exposure there just because there arent hundreds of domains for sale. You may also have luck selling it on forums such as DomainState. The prices of sales there seem to be lower.
3. Contact Large Businesses with Deep Pockets
This approach takes some time and patience. Lets say you have acquired a great domain name that would work great for any business in the field of the stock market. You may want to locate some of the bigger sites or businesses and make an offer to sell your domain name. Make sure the name you own doenst have any elements that are already trademarked because you may be forced to give up the name. You may want to go on the Internet and look up current websites that deal with stocks and find ones that dont have the greatest domain names. Make offers to these sites stating how your domain is much better and will HELP them. If you get a company to bite, the rewards are usually very generous!
In summary, selling domains for high amounts of cash depends on two key elements. First you must have a quality domain, one that doesnt have numbers or isnt too long. It must be clear and easily recognizable. ".com" is the best, but even domains such as the ".us" are gaining popularity. The second key is Marketing, Marketing, Marketing! I cant stress that enough. You have to create a good reason for someone to buy your domain. How can THEY benefit from it. When these two steps are fulfilled, a sale is almost guaranteed!
About The Author
Dayne Herren is a domain seller and buyer, web developer, and artist.
Professional Domain Name Appraisals http://www.appraisalblast.com