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Advertising on a Shoestring Budget When You Can't Afford the Shoe or the String
The best way to make money with your website, no matter what the business, is to get it noticed. To get it noticed, you need to advertise. But how do you do that when you're on a shoestring budget that's so tight you really can't afford the...
Finding A Free Host - Part 1: Requirements for your host
Finding A Free Host Part I: Meeting Your Needs Introduction People on the internet are greedy. They want some ultimate free host, with “unlimited” storage, “unlimited” bandwidth, and no ads. That will never happen, unless it is some private host...
Gambling
Some people view gambling as "the work of the devil", others view it as a pleasant past time, and still others who seem obsessed, will bet on anything. Gambling, regardless of your views, is here to stay. Did you know - The total sales of...
Pop-Under Windows - The Latest Pop-Window Trend
Although there has been a great deal of controversy over the use of pop-up windows, the fact remains; pop-up windows are highly effective. The latest pop-window trend to hit the Internet is the pop-under window. Pop-under windows are less...
The Best Simple Software For The Busy Webmaster
Here are a few programs I can't do without. They're free, and make being a webmaster much easier. CGI-Telnet http://www.rohitab.com/cgiscripts/cgitelnet.html A cgi script that allows you to run commands on your server, even if your web host...
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When Adding Your Phone Number To Your Website Is a Big Mistake
I had been listing my phone number on my website for a while,
but when traffic took a surge, I knew that it just wasn't going
to work. Being a staff of one, I soon found out that this would
be more than I could handle.
That 'Foreign' Guy
I still feel so badly about this, but I couldn't understand a
single word from a man who called me one day inquiring about
either 'tampelaters" or "timpolters". He had a thick accent
which I was completely unprepared for. I assumed he was talking
about buying templates, but other than that I just don't know!
The only thing I could do was say 'yes' repeatedly until he
finally said in a somewhat normal cheerful tone, "A thankoyoua
mamma" and that was that. He sounded content with our
conversation, so I guess that's all I could hope for. This
problem occurred a few times.
Advice Seekers
I don't know how many times people would call just to talk about
their problems! They didn't want to buy anything, they just
wanted advice on everything from, "How do I increase my
pagerank?" to "Can you help me figure out this cgi code?" Don't
get me wrong, I enjoy helping people, but I can't sit for hours
with one person on the phone trying to help them solve problems
which could easily be resolved with a trip to Google.
God's Gift To Women
Oh my, I've had a few interesting calls from guys who just
wanted to see if they could "have a date" (which is putting it
mildly). One even offered to send me a Paypal payment. Yikes.
Telemarketers
I didn't mind these guys as much because they're pretty easy to
handle. If they persist after repeatedly telling them "not
interested", I simply tell them where to put their script and
hang up the phone. I don't have time for their nonsense.
Pranksters
I
Crashing On Couches To Talk To Musicians
Jason Crane of <em>The Jazz Session</em> interview podcast is touring the U.S. via Greyhound bus.
Around The Jazz Internet: May 18, 2012
Ten albums for newbies, the hated Cabaret Card and composer/arranger Gil Evans' centennial.
guess kids still get their kicks pranking people on the phone.
What's not funny is when you're alone in the house and someone
is claiming they are standing in the bushes watching me as they
talk on their cell phone. (My paranoia had been fueled by a
documentary I saw on internet stalkers who become obsessed with
people they meet online even by just looking at a photo - eek!)
Midnight Callers
Despite putting a notice on the site along with a clock showing
the actual time in my area, I had a number of people call late
at night. The lesson here being: Don't count on people reading a
single word on your site, but do count on them bugging you
because they can't seem to figure out that the FAQ section was
created to specifically answer their questions.
In the end, I had a decision to make - get an extra phone line,
or simply remove my phone number. I decided removing my number
was the best choice because the majority of legitimate calls
could have been easily addressed through the FAQ section and by
email. This would also eliminate the problems I was experiencing
with strange callers, people I simply couldn't understand, and
other annoyances.
Maybe it was all just bad luck?
If you've published your phone number online for a while and
haven't had any problems, then you likely have nothing to worry
about. But if you are new to web business, especially if you are
a woman, you might want to consider having a separate phone line
or simply not publishing a phone number online at all.
About the author:
Carole Nickerson has been a web developer and internet marketer
since 1998. She now spends her days actively filling up her new
blog with all she has learned. To find more free internet
marketing tips and resoures, visit:
http://www.CaroleNickerson.com
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