"Your Journey to Freedom" Newsletter #010

Issue #010
4th December, 2003

Recommend "Your Journey to Freedom" to your friends.
All subscriptions simply need to be sent to
freedom@respond-to-it.com

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This issue contains:

A. Dave’s Ramblings
B. Featured Article
C. Fre.e Downloads
D. Feedback Loop
E. Tip Time
F. Legal Stuff

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>>>>>>>>>> Dave's Ramblings <<<<<<<<<<
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Welcome to existing members, as well as all our new
subscribers.

If you are a new subscriber or missed our last newsletter,
you can view it on.line at:
http://www.profitunity21.com/ezine/archives/008.htm

As you may know, it's been a while since I sent out the
last edition of the newsletter. This hiatus was not planned
and was a result of a number of issues that were beyond my
control. However, the newsletter is back stronger than ever
and I plan to be around for a long time to come.

I dearly value your readership and as a result, I would
like to offer an extra special deal as my way of saying
"thank you" for sticking it out!

You may have heard about a product called "The 30 Minute
Miracle". This report shows you how to turn any loser ad
into a 24/7 money making machine. Well this pdf report
normally normally sells for $39.00, check out the price and
the product for yourself:
http://www.profitunity21.com/30_minutes

But, don't worry about the price advertised on this
website. I have setup a readers only special so when you
click on the buy link you will see that you only have to
pay $9.95 and not the normal price of $39.00.

However, I can only leave this deal on the table for one
week. After this the price will revert back to the normal
price of $39.00.

This is not a hard sell, it is mearely a way to thank you
for your continued support. If you think you would benefit
from this report, then purchase it, if not, then don't!
It's totally up to you.

Anyway... let's get on with the show!

Can you believe it, another year has almost bitten the
dust? Just another few short weeks and 2003 will be just a
distant memory!

I don't know about you, but it only seems like last week I
was getting over the dreaded Christmas hangover!

As 2003 winds down to a close and we look forward to the
New Year, it's important that we understand where we've
been and where the we are headed in 2004… so we can be one
step ahead of the crowd and know where to look for the
opportunities next year.

This week's article identifies the possible opportunities
that exist next year and gives you a "minds eye view" of how
one of the top internet marketers sees 2004 unfolding.

The article is a bit longer than normal, but it's
important you don't "skim" through it, as it is an
excellent overview of what may be just around the corner.

I hope you enjoy the article!

Don't forget… If there is any specific area that you wish
to be explained in detail, please drop me an email and I
will do my best to fully explain the steps for you.

And don't forget, if you have something to say or have some
useful tips you'd like to share with others, email us at
mailto:ezine@profitunity21.com with your comments.

Cheers

Dave


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>>>>>>>> Featured Article <<<<<<<<
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The State of the Internet Address - 2003

- by Jim Edwards

(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
http://www.TheNetReporter.com
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As 2003 draws to a close, we've seen a lot of things come
and go this past year.

Decorations for the approaching Holiday season remind us
that another calendar is almost used up and it's time to
start fresh with a brand new year full of promise.

It's been a wild ride through 2003!

Even though we're busy, it often helps to take a moment and
reflect on where we've been, what's happened, and take a
hard look at the current state of affairs so we can predict
what we're likely to see in the coming year.

So what happened this past year online and -- more
importantly -- what can we learn from it and how can we
use it?

Well, pull up a chair by the fire and let your old friend
Jim break it down for you...

~~ The FTC ~~

The Federal Trade Commission weighed in this year and made
its presence known around the world.

Fines, asset seizure, and all-around scary stuff happened
when the FTC decided to crack down on what it termed
"deceptive advertising practices."

Reaction to the FTC's actions made for a very interesting
study of human behavior.

Some people adopted the "ostrich" legal self-help approach
by sticking their heads in the sand and doing nothing.

Others imitated "Chicken Little" by running around
proclaiming that the "the sky is falling... the sky is
falling!"

Still others took legal advice from the online equivalent
of "jailhouse lawyers" by following the rumor and innuendo
found in forums and newsgroups... none of which rate as a
very sound legal strategy.

In the end, most took the sensible approach and took time
to educate themselves on the real dangers of running afoul
of the FTC by adding the proper disclaimers and disclosures
to their websites.

They also modified their promises and statements on their
websites to ensure a more compliant positioning with FTC
advertising rules.

The current situation:

Basically nobody is really talking about the FTC anymore
because nobody we've heard of has gotten stung with court
papers... but that doesn't mean the FTC stopped watching!
All that means is you haven't heard what they're doing or
who they're watching.

And even if they aren't doing anything, the actions they
took should burn a message into everybody's brain as a
warning against making the same mistakes got others got
whacked for good and hard.

My predictions for the FTC in 2004:

The FTC will continue watching for any flagrant violations
of their fair advertising and other rules and, if they get
enough complaints (not sure how many "enough" is), will act
swiftly to smack down anyone they see acting
inappropriately.

The moral of the story: Don't let your guard down and think
"Big Brother" isn't watching... because he IS!

~~ The "Canned Meat" Avalanche ~~

Spam!

It's gotten so bad that the U.S. Federal Government
actually wants to weigh in and try to help solve the
problem. Unfortunately, in my opinion, any legislation
currently under debate won't help much... and may even do
more harm than good.

I personally saw the amount of UCE (Unsolicited Commercial
Email) triple in my email box this year. Every morning I
wake up to find 250 to 400 messages waiting... when I get
done deleting the sp~am, I usually end up with 35
legitimate messages.

Amazingly BAD ratio!

The current situation looks pretty grim for actually
solving the problem.

Services like Sp~amCop often succeed in blocking legitimate
email while the sp~ammers just keep merrily sending their
avalanche of messages guaranteed to help you get filthy
rich, meet interesting people, find the world's smallest
automobile toy and, of course, make certain body parts
bigger!

My predictions for SPAM in 2004:

The problem will only get worse if you don't take any
action to protect yourself.

I personally plan to revamp my entire email setup after the
holidays by eliminating almost all of my existing email
accounts (which web spiders harvested from my websites).
I'll then "cloak" the addresses appearing on the pages so
they can't get read by anyone but a human being who intends
to email me personally.

(I plan to document what I do and share it at a later
date).

A whole bunch of "snake oil" solutions will appear claiming
to solve the problem... but the amazing thing is that the
majority of them will get sold via SP~AM!

Additional Resources:
Here's an article with some basic help
"SPAM Killers"
http://www.thenetreporter.com/spamkillers.shtml

~~ Lights, Camera, Action! ~~

In case you didn't notice, a lot more audio, video, and
multimedia appeared online this year... due largely to
improvements in streaming technology. Connection speeds
didn't get faster, but the software used to deliver the
content sure did!

We've seen audio testimonials, multi-media newsletters -
like my ground-breaking www.IgottaTellYou.com newsletter -
and a host of downloadable products incorporating much more
than written words on digital paper.

As the hardware gets cheaper (computers, microphones, sound
boards) and the software gets better and more universal
(flash, mp3, etc), you'll see a lot more people jumping on
the audio/video bandwagon.

My predictions about Multi-Media for 2004:

1. You'll see an ever-increasing number of multi-media
products. Unfortunately, many of them will absolutely bore
you to tears!

Fair Warning: Anyone who wants to create multi-media
products or newsletters should invest time learning how not
only to educate people... but also entertain them!

2. A lot of really cool tools will come out this year to
help the technically challenged (like ME) do some really
awesome things with video and audio.

3. High-quality, full-motion streaming video will NOT make
it to dial up connections this year (like it has for high-
speed)... but 2005? My guess says... YES!

~~ Block Those Pop Up's ~~

Ah yes... pop-up windows.

Nothing short of a good insult toward someone's mother will
get people to express an opinion about something faster
than mentioning pop-up windows.

In fact, they're such a hot topic that AOL and Netscape use
their "pop-blocker" software as a marketing benefit for
people to sign up!

Undeniably, however, pop-ups rate as one of the best ways
to build a targeted optin list by making a VERY specific
offer to each targeted website visitor.

In truth, the vast majority of my subscribers come from
exit pop-up windows on my websites.

So it seems the online world finds itself engaged in a
standoff... "to POP or not to POP - that is the question!"

My predictions about Pop-up's for 2004:
We've already seen some interesting contributions to the
pop-up window issue, on both sides.

Armand Morin and Corey Rudl both sell software to help you
get around the majority of pop-up blocking software.

On the other hand, major players like Google and Alexa
offer free pop-up blockers integrated into their toolbars.

Bottom line: somebody will come up with a solution that
rates as effective as pop-ups, but it won't offend people.
(And whoever does that will enjoy my undying gratitude!)

~~ Sold to the Highest Bidder ~~

Did you realize that eBay, the web's leading auction site,
ranks as the 6th most popular site on the Internet
(according to Alexa.com).

In fact, according to Alexa, more people go to eBay's
website than even AOL or CNN!

Think about that for a minute. The website that started out
selling beanie babies and old stuff from people's attics
now gets millions of visitors every single week... and the
majority of those people WANT to BUY something!

Think about all that targeted traffic - with credit card
and checkbook in hand - going to one central spot to spend
their money... in some cases FIGHTING and COMPETING against
other people for the right to spend their money. Amazing!

The biggest challenge any online business owner faces,
ultimately, comes down to getting traffic to their
websites. Just think if you could get some of those
millions of visitors who hit eBay every week to come take a
peek at your website! Well you can (and many people do)!

My prediction about eBay for 2004:

eBay will just keep on getting bigger... and bigger... and
bigger!

If you're looking to start an online business and you're
starting from scratch (or even if you're already
established) - take a hard look at incorporating eBay into
your overall marketing strategy.

They've got the targeted traffic you may need to launch a
successful business quickly or take your existing business
to the next level.

~~ Google takes over Top Spot as preferred search engine ~~

Google. The name strikes fear into the heart of other
search engines and creates dreams of riches and untold
avalanches of traffic for online marketers.

Not since Yahoo! dominated the search scene 4 years ago has
one search vehicle held such power to make or break online
businesses.

Unfortunately, as more and more businesses come online,
competition for the elusive TOP 10 spots on Google seems to
bring out the predator in every marketer.

Add in Google's "Ad Words" and you incorporate the other
main ingredient in search engine marketing, pay-per-click.

To increase their overall marketing reach, Google
syndicated not only their search results, but also their
pay-per-click Ad Words results across major sites.

My predictions for Google in 2004:

Google will only get bigger.

Their Ad Words and Ad Sense, along with their regular
"free" search engine listings (how long can that last?)
make them "THE" search vehicle to watch.

The smart marketers will invest time in understanding HOW
Google works... so you can make it work for your business.

~~ Are eBooks dead? ~~

I've had a lot of people ask me, "Are ebooks still an
effective a way to publish and sell information... or has
their time passed us by?"

My answer: YES - ebooks still rate, in my opinion, as the
best way to get started selling information on the
Internet.

Why?

Because ebooks require the least amount of technical
expertise to create and distribute.

Also, the people who buy ebooks now have the technical
ability to download and read them.

A few years ago ebook authors (like myself) spent half
their time just explaining to people HOW to download the
ebooks and read them! Instead of feeling like an author,
you felt more like a tech support rep for Internet 101.

Now, the average user who buys ebooks has very little
problem in buying your information and using it.

Also, cheaper and easier technology has evolved to make it
VERY easy for the average ebook author to set up a truly
auto-pilot ebook delivery system.

A simple website, a ClickBank account, and a decent
autoresponder - and you're in business with a real,
legitimate, functional online business.

On the downside, because the price of entry has gone so
low, anybody can create an "ebook" and go into business
online.

A lot of crummy ebooks get hawked around the Internet every
day, and a lot of them really stink! But there's a silver
lining to that cloud too...

Since so many bad ebooks get circulated online, when people
find a good one, they are actually MORE impressed than in
the past. It's actually EASIER to stand out now than it was
a couple of years ago because people crave good content!

My predictions for eBooks in 2004:

eBooks will not only survive in 2004, they'll get published
in record numbers.

Many of them will significantly change how we use the
Internet and some of them will even make their authors rich
and famous around the world.

eBooks still rate the #1 way for smart, dedicated people to
start a highly profitable business selling information on
the Internet. I don't see this changing in the foreseeable
future.

Additional Resources:
Here's an article that should interest you
"Let's Get One Thing Straight About Being A Published
Author"
http://www.infomarketingupdate.com/published author.txt

~~ My personal thoughts on the coming year, 2004 ~~

I see three trends driving people's behavior in the coming
year. You should take these into consideration when
planning your Internet business and other web activities.

First, in general, the Internet has gotten "noisy" and
crowded. People get bombarded with information every single
day. Even with information they want to receive, it's easy
for people to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data
coming their way.

Second, since they get bombarded daily, people's level of
skepticism and mistrust towards just about everything seems
to increase daily. It's just plain harder to get and hold
people's attention, let alone their trust, for an extended
period of time without constant effort.

Third, people are drowning in a sea of information, but
they are thirsting for knowledge. In other words, they've
got plenty of information already, but what they need is
someone to show them how to APPLY it to their unique
situations.

What does this mean to you?

Make sure whatever you do or create online (website, email,
ebooks, articles, etc.) helps people make sense of what's
going on and doesn't add to their confusion. The people who
help bring order from the chaos will turn out the big
winners when we look back a year from now.

The key to success in 2004 is not more information... a
better sales pitch... or a website that burps and sings
with more bells and whistles than anyone else's.

The winners in 2004 will be the people who get back to
basics and:

1. Find out exactly what people want...

2. Sell it to them the way they want it...

3. Treat people with honesty and integrity...

4. Don't settle for anything less than the absolute best
they are capable of producing!

To YOUR success!

--
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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Please Note - You are free to reproduce this article in its
entirety on your website or in your newsletter, provided you
include the author’s bio at the bottom of the article.
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>>>>>>>>>> Feedback Loop <<<<<<<<<<
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This is a Brand New section we've just introduced. This
area is just for you to speak out. Comment on articles
we've run in the newsletter, give us your thoughts on
changes or new things, etc.In other words, just talk to us.

Be sure to include your website address too, because if we
use your comments in a future issue of the newsletter, we'll
thank you by posting your address so that you can get
additional free traffic to your site!

Email your comments to:
mailto:ezine@profitunity21.com?subject=Feedback Loop

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>>>>>>>>>>>>> Tip Time <<<<<<<<<<<<<
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When including an email address in your email articles or
website, and you request a response from your visitors or
subscribers, just place the following simple bit of code at
the end of your email address and it will automatically
include the topic in the subject heading.

?subject=Tip_Time

For example your email address would look like this:
mailto:youremail@address.com?subject=Tip_Time

The above address will place the words "Tip_Time" in the
subject line of a new email and will help you identify the
reason that your visitor or subscriber sent you the email.
Tip Time is a section where each week we will provide a
useful tip that will help you save time in your busine.ss
or in your everyday life.

Tip Time is a section where each week we will provide a
useful tip that will help you save time in your busine.ss
or in your everyday life. If you have any useful tips that
you would like to share with us, please send them to the
following email address and we will include them in a
future issue.

Don't forget to include you website address, as we will
include this so you can gain fre.e exposure for your site.

Send your tips to:
mailto:ezine@profitunity21.com?subject=TipTime

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>>>>>>>>>> Legal Stuff <<<<<<<<<<
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We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content,
profitability or legality of any published articles or
advertisements contained within "Your Journey to Freedom".

And, although all of the articles have been selected for
their content, the publishing of such articles within this
newsletter does NOT constitute a recommendation of the
products or services mentioned or advertised within those
articles.

Be responsible! Always do your own Due Diligence before
responding to any offer.