Where Greg Cryns (the elder) hangs out sometimes

Famous

2011-10-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

Famous

The river is famous to the fish.

The loud voice is famous to silence,
which knew it would inherit the earth
before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds
watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close to your bosom
is famous to your bosom.

The boot is famous to the earth,
more famous than the dress shoe,
which is famous only to floors.

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it
and not at all famous to the one who is pictured.

I want to be famous to shuffling men
who smile while crossing streets,
sticky children in grocery lines,
famous as the one who smiled back.

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do.

(From Naomi Shihab Nye, Hugging the Jukebox, Breitenbush Books: 1984. As it's out of print, you might click on her name on that Amazon page and check out some of her more accessible books.)

Using Walmart gift cards online

2011-09-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

Plastic Gift Cards:
1. Can be used for purchases at Walmart.com and at any Walmart store in the U.S.
2. Sam's Club members can also use the card at Samsclub.com and at any Sam's Club store in the U.S.
3. They can be mailed to the recipient and take 3-5 days to arrive

Online Gift Cards:
1. Are emailed to the recipient within 24-48 hours
2. Contain a card number and PIN in the email that the recipient can use to purchase merchandise online at Walmart.com
3. Sam's Club members can also use the card online at Samsclub.com
4. We're sorry, but Online Gift Cards cannot be used at Walmart stores or Sam's Club stores

Using a Wal-Mart Gift Card online at Walmart.com is simple:
1. Find a product you would like to purchase and place it in your cart.
2. When you check out, you will have the option to pay for your entire order or a portion of your order with a Wal-Mart Gift Card.
3. Simply click "Use a Wal-Mart Gift Card," and enter your card number and PIN.
4. Your card balance will be automatically applied to your order total.

Note: You may only enter up to 4 gift cards per order.

Note: U.S. Gift cards are not usable in Canada, Mexico, or in International Walmart Stores due to exchange rates.

Note: Canadian gift cards cannot be used on Walmart.com.

Meet the Cryns kids!

2011-09-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

Meet my kids!

Noah Cryns and his son Noah

Greg Cryns

Gus Cryns

Katy Cryns

Liana Cryns

Nate Cryns

Toby Cryns

by age....
Nate

My son, Nate, had a really good band Juvenocracy/aka Spank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXvxPoGqgD0

Noah
My son, Noah (and Nate), covered "Mirage" by Tommy James. Think Noah's is even better!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a8uEs5g4n8

Toby
My son, Toby, wrote the music and directed his own video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqPhTt2Y6xE

Liana
My daughter, Liana, aka Letron, wrote the music, starred in this vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rFuhMvP9vM

Greg
My son, Greg, has his own band in Ocean Beach (San Diego) -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc9PWMRdCfw

Katy
My daughter, Katy Cryns, is working hard on a new TV show - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVAbN4geKPo

Gus
My son, Gus, produced a record for Stretford End -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pe8iFL1t2g

Blackout: What would you do if you lost electric power?

2011-09-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

There are times when you receive an exceptionally crafted email. Unfortunately, those times do not come often enough. Here is one I read this morning from someone I admire, Michael Senoff. Michael provides hundreds of awesome business interviews on his website at no charge to the public. That is a brilliant marketing concept. Give and you will get.

This email has to do with the power shutdown in Southern California yesterday, 9.8.11. It was reported that electric power was lost all the way to Arizona. So, what would YOU do without electricity? Read on....

Reposted with permission from the author, Michael Senoff

From: Michael Senoff
Subject: Blackout . . .
To: "greg" <gregcryns@charter.net>
Date: Friday, September 9, 2011, 12:19 PM

Greg

Who knew?

When would the power would come back on?

I was watching the movie "The Wrestler" on my battery powered laptop when my wife texted me . . .

"Go And Get a Generator."

I only had a 1/2 tank of gas.

I could remember how to siphon gas from my car's gas tank from my teenage years.

I got in my car and drove to the local Ace Hardware Store.

They were closed.

Traffic was bad.

It would've taken me hours to get to the Home Depot on Genesee and Balboa.

Then, I remembered.

There were generators at Kraigan Auto Parts.

This one was right by my house.

I approached the store and saw two workers standing in side looking out.

I asked through the locked doors if they had any generators?

They said "yes".

And they unlocked and opened the door.

They reminded me it had to be cash.

They would only take one customer at a time.

Others waited outside.

I said . .

"Not a problem, I've got cash."

They had two gas generators in stock.

I bought the less expensive one.

$397.00

This was all kind of spooky.

About ten people were crowding outside the door of the Kraigen store.

No doubt, they were looking for ways to power up.

I felt a bit nervous caring out the last generator.

I wanted to get it on my car and get the bleep out of there as fast as possible.

This black out was unprecedented.

And no one really new when the lights would come back on.

Despite what the media says.

I just don't trust the media any longer.

It was time for me to take my "urban survival" into my own hands.

The first problem was food.

I needed to get power to the fridge and freezer to keep the food we had from spoiling.

I had 4 hours.

I got the generator home, unpacked and running.

Was able to power up both the fridge and the freezers.

We had enough gas to run the generator for two days.

And at 1:30 AM that night, the power was back.

Ok . . .

Not the real emergency I thought could have happened.

But what if power was down for a week, ten days, a month?

What if this was a terrorist attack?

Or a virus that destroyed our power grid?

What if ?

Are you prepared ?

Do you have 5,000 to 10,000 in cash on had when you need it in the event of an emergency?

Remember . . ATM machines and banks aren't open when the power is out?

You can't buy anything unless you have cash on hand.

Do you have propane to cook with?

Do you have a way to make electric power?

Do you have batteries to power LED flash lights?

Do you have extra fresh water?

Gasoline?

Are you prepared when the light go out in your town?

Do you know how to make fast cash in the event of an emergency?

If not, go to this link.

It's my series on fast cash money making interviews.

Each interview will show you how to make cash money fast.

Go to

http://www.hardtofindseminars.com/Fast_Cash_Interviews.htm

Southern California's nine hour black out was a wake up call for me.

I was only partly prepared.

But not nearly enough.

I was scrambling.

And I'll bet you're not prepared at all.

Listen to my fast cash interviews.

Pass this e-mail to the family and loved ones you care about.

These recordings will at least give you a plan in the event you blackout.

Go to

http://www.hardtofindseminars.com/Fast_Cash_Interviews.htm

Michael Senoff

About the Author

I've spent the last five years of my life creating fascinating
streaming audio interviews with big name marketers and getting
them to spill the beans on how they got rich and famous and I'm
giving most of my life's work away for free.

These interviews are designed to be superior to any lecture out
there.

They're more informative, natural and the information is more
dynamic and dense.

Michael Senoff is the CEO and publisher of
http://www.myfirsthmaclient.com

The world's leading free digital consulting business library.

Michael is an experienced Internet marketer and talk show host and
a popular professional interviewer. Michael has taught 100% on
line around the country & around the world to more than 50,000
students.

His over-the-top online audio interview web site
http://www.hardtofindseminars.com is listed in the top 1% of most
visited web sites in the world.

Michael has also worked as a coach and adviser to other famous
marketing consultants.

Michael is a husband and father of two young boys in Southern
California. He has a successful audio publishing business.

Michael is originally from Atlanta Georgia and is now based in San
Diego, California. Michael works with small to medium sized
companies on four different continents.

He is the author of the book: "TALK YOURSELF RICH": (86 of the most
revealing, proprietary secrets on the subject of how to make more
money with audio interviews and the soon to be released sequel:
AUDIO MARKETING SECRETS. How To Make Your Own Information Product
Using Audio Interviews. Michael may be contacted at
Michael@michaelsenoff.com or at (858) 274-7851

DO YOU? DO YOU? Do you have the GUTS to forward this hard to find
seminars E-Lert to your friends, family and associates?

Do you? Do you?

Send them to http://www.hardtofindseminars.com

Pay Pal labels

2011-08-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

My wife told me I could but I didn't believe her. I thought I needed a PayPal payment to print a label. This is very important for people who host a lot of auctions because you can also get Delivery Confirmation there for 19 CENTS.

Here is what you do:

Log into PayPal then click on "Merchant Services" near the top of the page--> then click on Multi-Order shipping (on the right side under Shipping & Tax). A Pop-Up box will come up (if you have that allowed). At the bottom of the box there is a button that says "Create" . Click that and fill in the information. You will need to know the weight of your package, of course.

I've been doing this for over 3 months now. Once in a great while I need to cancel the printed label. That is easy from the main PayPal page next to your postage paid order. "Void" the label. You will have to wait a week or two for your refund, but it will come.

Later!

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Can Cold Water Clean Dishes?

2011-07-25T11:48:00.001-07:00

This is for all the germ conscious folks that worry about using cold water to clean.

John went to visit his 90 year old grandfather in a very secluded, rural area of Saskatchewan. After spending a great evening chatting the night away, the next morning John's grandfather prepared breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast.

However, John noticed a film like substance on his plate, and questioned his grandfather asking, 'Are these plates clean?'

His grandfather replied, 'They're as clean as cold water can get em. Just you go ahead and finish your meal, Sonny!'

For lunch the old man made hamburgers. Again, John was concerned about the plates, as his appeared to have tiny specks around the edge that looked like dried egg and asked, 'Are you sure these plates are clean?'

Without looking up the old man said, 'I told you before, Sonny, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them. Now don't you fret, I don't want to hear another word about it!'

Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a nearby town and as he was leaving, his grandfather's dog started to growl, and wouldn't let him pass.

John yelled and said, 'Grandfather, your dog won't let me get to my car'.

Without diverting his attention from the football game he was watching on TV, the old man shouted!

'Coldwater, go lay down now, yah hear me!'

/

BookTV: expand your knowledge base

2011-07-25T05:41:00.000-07:00

I spend a good part of my weekends watching and listening to BookTV. I learn a lot there and it is not all political (thank God!).

Some examples:

After Words: Eli Pariser, "The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You" hosted by Clay Shirky

"Idea Man: A Memoir by the Co-Founder of Microsoft"
Paul Allen

How the States Got Their Shapes Too: The People Behind the Border-Lines
Mark Stein

1861: The Civil War Awakening
Adam Goodheart

I "met" Sarah Vowell there. If you like history topics you will also want to meet her. http://www.booktv.org/search.aspx?For=Sarah%20Vowell

Yesterday I met Ben Mezrich, who is a very hot property these days. He told about how he wrote nine novels before he sold his first. He said you need to learn to welcome the
rejections as surely they will come in great numbers.

But he never gave up. Now he is successful: Newest book: Sex on the Moon

*The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal

*Busting Vegas: A True Story of Monumental Excess, Sex, Love, Violence, and Beating the Odds

*Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai

to name a few.

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles

Charity comes in different flavors

2011-07-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

What goes around comes around?

I would rather give money to people than to charities or churches.

For example, on a recent cruise ship vacation, I gave our waiters and additional cash tip as we left. I had already arranged that they receive a bigger tip through our credit card. Somehow that did not seem enough so I was compelled to give a few dollars more.

My point is that we (especally Americans) have so much. Let's be honest. We have tons more than we need. I lost over $100 at the ship's casino over the 3 days and nights. I mean, give me a break. If I can lose money gambling and spend money to rent snorkel equipment, then I ought to give a healthier tip.

Agree or disagree?

Travel Tip - disembark early

2011-07-13T03:31:00.000-07:00

My very smart wife taught me this one.

If you are pricing airline tickets you might find that your destination is one which has a layover for another location.

Let me explain: my dear wife, Yvonne, is extremely resourceful. She was visiting the usual travel haunts (Priceline, etc) to find the lowest air fare to Chicago.

She stumbled upon a flight with an ultimate destination of Milwaukee that had a lower airfare than she could find to Chicago. So, she booked her flight to Milwaukee. When she arrived in Chicago she simply got off the airplane and did not get back on.

Think outside the box!

Greg

Don't Believe Them

2011-07-13T03:17:00.000-07:00

I am stuck in Atlanta. My plane had a mechanical problem so the good people at Delta Airline paid for the stay at a local hotel. I love my life in America. Extremely sorry that greed ruined it.

Online marketers are people who are trying to make your wallet thinner.

They often claim to have the golden key to making money online. They tell you if you do this or that you will achieve lasting success.

Don't believe them.

Scoop: they have experienced some success but that does not mean that the techniques they want to sell you still work. Let me put it this way.

If you were earning a fabulous amount of money with your Internet techinques, would you want to share them with the world? Many of these marketers simply found a small wormhole where they could fool Google into getting some clicks to their website.

These people are modern day snake oil salesmen.

Don't believe them.

Visit: http://www.workathomeprofiles.com

How to Motivate your direct sales team through communication

2011-03-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

from Steve Martin's LA Story

Do you have a direct sales team working with you? Perhaps this will help.

Motivate Your Team Through Communication

It's almost impossible to build a successful direct sales team without communicating with your team members. Communication is key to building a good team of sales consultants who are motivated to build their own businesses, and who will build yours by doing so.

There are three aspects to communication that every team builder should recognize and use if they want to build and motivate their team:

1) Commitment to communicate

For the best results when you begin building a group of quality team members, you need to determine that you will communicate with your team on a regular basis. Once you've made that commitment, make it a part of your daily routine.

Jot down notes to yourself on your planner or set up an automated system on your computer so you will remember to send out birthday or anniversary cards to team members. Call your consultants to congratulate them on their first party, sales goal, recruit, or any other important milestone.

Email your entire team every morning. You can send success quotes, motivational thoughts, contest news, or deadline reminders. It doesn't have to be long, but the idea is to stay in touch so your team knows you're available and are committed to communicating with them.

2) Communicate clearly

If your communications are hard to understand, poorly written, sloppy or simply disorganized, they won't be nearly effective as clear, concise communication with your team.

Keep your sentences short when writing. Use spelling and grammar checkers. And proofread your writing before sending it out. These simple task will take only minutes, but will pay off greatly in building rapport with your team. If writing and grammar are not your strong points, enlist the help of a proof reader.

Team members need to know that you have valuable information to share with them, and that you can help them succeed. This is much simpler when you can express yourself well and communicate your message clearly, whether on the phone or in writing.

3) Communicate consistently

Consistent communication might be the most important aspect of building a good team. Even poorly written communication is better than no communication at all. Never let your team feel you just signed them on and forgot about them. Communicate with them on a regular basis for the best results. Never let the words “sorry I've been out of touch lately” ever be said by you!

Consistent communication might include a weekly newsletter, a blog that is updated regularly, note cards, text messages, email updates, telephone calls, or anything else you can use to encourage team members and let them know how important they are to you, as well as how much you appreciate them.

Communication truly is key if you want to build a successful sales team. In today's age of speedy emails and texting, there is no reason not to communicate with your team on a regular basis. Doing so will motivate them to build their own businesses, which will build yours as well.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles - an inexpensive direct sales club - Join Us!

Quality Website Content is Back

2011-03-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

The Death and Resurrection of Quality Content
Copyright (c) 2011 Bill Platt
the Phantom Writers
http://thePhantomWriters.com/

No matter where you go online, you are bound to find someone
complaining about the quality of content available online. When
we want to find information that answers our questions for us,
the last thing we want to do is to land on a MFA (Made For
Adsense) website with questionable content. And yet, many of the
people who complain about this state of affairs also contribute
to the problem.

Believe it or not, you have the ability to become part of the
solution, rather than to continue being part of the problem. Keep
reading to learn how...

As the people who create the content that the world consumes,
through the World Wide Web, we are in a very unique position. We
have the power to change the future of the Internet... We have
the power to change the world for the better...

We have the power to turn the Internet into something our
children and grandchildren could value...

People who do not market goods and services online wonder why the
Internet has become a cesspool or irrelevant and badly written
content... They wonder why the information they find online is
littered with so much junk and garbage... They wonder why
marketers are willing to ruin the Internet in a quest to make a
few extra dollars...

Google, more than any other website, understands the battle that
they must win... They must devise systems that will conquer and
destroy the wealth of junk content online... It is a battle that
that Google must win, in order to ensure the longevity of its
value in the marketplace...

Over the last year, Bing has been eating into Google's market
share, in its effort to capture more eyeballs and more
advertising dollars...

The wizards behind the curtain at Google understand that Google
needs to change to survive. They know that Bing is winning market
share, because Google's search results are littered with a vast
empire of junk content, masquerading as quality content.
Information consumers have begun to take notice the heaps of junk
in Google's search results... And they are starting to notice in
large numbers...

Google must adapt or die...

As a result, Google is becoming somewhat more aggressive to weed
out the kinds of content that people are afraid that they cannot
trust...

There are still vast opportunities for marketers to take
advantage of Google, in order to convince Google's search
algorithms that a filthy, stinking piece of dog poo is good
quality content... So if this has been your business model until
now, you will still have opportunities to play that game into the
future...

But the reality is that the dog poo method of creating content
for the Internet is one that can only promise short-term gains...
Up until Google figures out how to recognize the dog poo on the
Internet...

As online marketers, we are in a unique position of power... If
we are willing to make a commitment to raise the bar on the
quality of content we provide to the global community, we can
start cleaning up our own corner of the Internet, one day at a
time...

And if we are willing to make a commitment to better quality
information, we can ensure a more long-term viability for our
online businesses, because our content will be at a level where
Google does not feel a need to whack our brand of Internet
Marketing...

When the Google Spam Team looks out on the vastness of the
Internet and sees our content as an example of the kind of
Internet they want to endorse, we will find Google technicians
making a commitment not to cleanse our websites from its search
results.

As web content creators, we have the power to raise the bar... We
have the power to create the kind of content that our children
and grandchildren will be happy to share with their
grandchildren...

We have the power through the words that we choose to improve the
quality of the Internet, and to make it a community more people
are happy to participate...

We have the power, and our power begins with a simple idea:

If we make a commitment to using less automation and investing
more personal time into our topics, with more regard for building
an audience and less focus on trying to snatch another link, then
we could position ourselves to ride the wave of great content to
personal financial success...

Yes, it really is that easy...

We only need to make a decision to do the right thing, lead by
example, and take action to bring the dream to life...

---------------------------------------------------------------------
This simple guide will teach you how to create good-quality,
profit-producing articles reliably and in 20 minutes or less:
http://thephantomwriters.com/article-writing-guide/
Sign up to receive our FREE twice-weekly marketing tips
via email: http://forms.aweber.com/form/20/1353305320.htm
If you are available on Fri or Sat night, join Bill Platt
and other online marketers at: http://LiveMarketingChat.com/
___________________________________________

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles (an inexpensive membership website for people who work at home)
.

A few Twitter tips for businesses

2011-02-04T04:04:00.000-08:00

Picture taken by Greg Cryns at Ocean Beach, CA.

I read a lot of stuff about how Twitter can be used as a marketing tool. I've seen Twitter work for a few people, but for most of us, well, just refrain. Here is a nice article about how Twitter can be used for worthwhile purposes.

Top Five Twitter Tips For Business (With A Healthy Dose of Skepticism)

eMarketer recently reported that many of the smallest businesses in the United
States don’t believe that their customers can be marketed to on social
networking sites.

Yet research also shows that social sites are being used to find local
businesses, especially by younger customers.

So how should a small business approach Twitter? These are my top tips:

Three Do’s:

1. Do Use It For Research, Not Just Marketing
You’re probably already using Google News Alerts to keep up with the latest on
your clients and areas of expertise (if you’re not, you should be!)

Twitter is great for tapping into the chatter on these things too. Apps like
Tweetdeck and Hootsuite allow you to set up search columns which automatically
display the most recent tweets on any subject of your choice. See the latest
buzz, and keep an eye on the competition!

2. Do Time Your Tweets
92% of retweets occur within the first hour. So the time at which your tweets
go out is pretty important.

Think about the “peak viewing time” of your target audience(s) – are they
business people or busy moms? Which time zones are they in?

Use an application such as Hootsuite to send out your pre-written tweets at
optimal times. You can send out the same tweet more than once to hit different
markets, but don’t continuously recycle the same message – you’ll get flagged
for spam.

3. Do Track Your Results
Any tweet that you want to bring traffic to your website, generate sales or
leads, etc. must contain a clickable link (too many folks forget to include this
call to action and lose out on opportunities).

It’s really important to track what you’re doing to evaluate results – you want
to know what types of tweets work for you, and what times of day are best to
send them.

So, you also want to keep an eye on your Web traffic reports to evaluate your
Twitter success. Do visitors from Twitter mostly leave your site immediately,
or do they produce the outcomes that you want?

Since you’re restricted to 140 characters, using a free URL shortening service
like Bit.ly is very helpful – and it also gives you automatic click-through
tracking for every link.

And Two Don’ts:

4. Don’t Be Seduced By Big Numbers
It’s a wonderful ego boost to have hundreds or thousands of followers. In fact,
Peter Shankman recently referred to this as “the new penis envy!”

But bear in mind that lots of people follow you because they expect you to
follow them back as the accepted convention. So they don’t necessarily care
that much about what you write . . .

Notice who does respond or retweet your postings and celebrate your loyal
followers. Just remember that quantity doesn’t guarantee quality on Twitter.

5. Don’t Have Unrealistic Expectations
A recent survey found that over 70% of tweets get no response at all, and an
average of only 6% are retweeted.

Think about it – how many people are you following? How many tweets do you
actively read every day, let alone click on any links, retweet or reply . . .

Of course, it only takes one response that’s exactly the right one to make a
huge impact on your business.

But don’t expect every tweet that you send to be life (or business) changing!

© 2010, Philippa Gamse. Reprint rights granted so long as the article and
byline are reprinted intact and all links made live.

Philippa Gamse, CMC is a web strategy pioneer, consultant and speaker who has
critiqued over 5,000 websites in North America and Europe. To learn more about
how Philippa can improve your website results visit
http://www.websitesthatwin.com and while you're there check out her popular web
strategy audio guides at http://www.websitesthatwin.com/web-strategy-store.html

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
.
.

My Lucky Day

2011-02-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it does pay to get up and get out.

Recently I bought a used book in a second hand book story. The cost was $1.00. The book was published in 1963. I suspect it was in many personal libraries and book stores over the years and it may move on to even more interesting resting places since I tend to donate my books to the local library.

I skimmed the pages as I always do before I decide to spend much time with a book. I saw something green flash so I skimmed it again, flipping the pages with anticipation.

There they were. Three crisp, folded once, $20.00 bills that were made in 1963. It's one thing to win a turkey when you buy a chance, it's another to come across serious hard cash. For me, $60.00 is serious money.

I told the story to my doctor this morning in her office. She told me a story of her own. Seems she knows a lady whose husband died a few years ago. He was in real estate and did quite well, said my doctor. His wife was gathering the information for the IRS to determine the estate tax damages.

The lady knew she had to account for the contents of their two safety deposit boxes, one for her and one for him. She knew he would put some cash into the box whenever he had extra.

She found $40,000 in cash in the box.

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
.

Get some free (and good) advertising at Google Places

2011-01-17T05:43:00.000-08:00

It's a Small Small World

Have you taken advantage of Google Places for free advertising on the Internet?

See how it works. Do a search in Google for "Scentsy in Paso Robles, California". On my browser Yvonne is also #1 for "Scentsy in san luis obispo" which is a bigger town down the road. What do you see? You should see my wife's name at or near the top of the search results. You can probably get the same result for your company and city. Did I mention it is FREE?

But first, why is it a good idea to make this happen? If you believe, like I do, that a fair number of people are searching for reps in specific places, then you might as well get it done asap. Sure, you may not get much action right away, but what if just one person found you that way each month. How many might join your team?

Did I tell you this is very easy to make happen and it takes maybe 15 mintues of your time?

So, first do a search for your company and city like I did above. See what your competition is. You will probably see just a couple of people (at most) unless you live in a large city.

Then go to this Google web page:

http://www.google.com/support/places/bin/static.py?page=guide.cs&guide=282471

Do what Google says in the instructions. In a short time, maybe a week or two, your listing will also be up there where Internet searchers can see you.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

I have no secrets - youtube clip

2011-01-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

I am a big time Youtube fan. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Happy New Year!

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
.

.
.

Learn from the experts and do what they teach

2010-12-27T17:43:00.000-08:00

Follow The Experts Who Do What They Teach
Copyright (c) 2010 Willie Crawford
Willie Crawford Incorporated
http://WillieCrawford.com/ezine.html

As I'm sure that you realize, not all online marketing experts
are the same. Some are only interested in your money, and they
know that the quickest and easiest way to get it is to sell you
"the dream."

Many so-called experts have never done what they teach. They come
online, survey the landscape, and decide that teaching is easier
than doing. So they hire a ghost writer to write an ebook, or
worse, they write an ebook filled with their theories. Then they
roll this ebook out with lots of fanfare, selling it to
unsuspecting newbies.

Buyers of the above ebook, read maybe half way through it, spot
another shiny object, and are off to try what sounds like a
faster, easier way.

So how do you avoid falling into this and a dozen other traps?
There are two ways that I'll recommend.

1) Use tools such as the search engines to investigate the
marketer or company before spending a penny with them. The
internet is very inter-connected AND transparent. It's nearly
impossible to have a serious online presence and not be very
visible in the search engines. For example, if you were to
"google" my name, you would find over 2 million returns, and
most of them would be me!

If I googled someone, or a company’s name, and couldn't find it,
I'd definitely ask why. I'd also probably start running in the
opposite direction as fast as possible, with one hand on my
wallet.

2) Follow the experts who actually do what they teach. If you
can't see that they do what they teach, there is a good chance
that they don't, and the reason may be that they are not sure
that it will work. As you look to see that they are actually
doing what they teach, also put it through the common sense test.

As an example, many of my friends and mentors teach that your
business cannot grow beyond a certain point with you trying to do
everything in your business. When you first read that, you may
ask yourself if this is just a sales ploy. So you observe top
online marketers and notice that they have copywriters,
programmers, operation managers, affiliate managers, webmasters,
graphic artists, ghost writers, email managers, virtual
assistants, etc., working for them.

Then you shift to the offline world and notice that in the most
successful restaurants, the owner is not in the back washing
dishes, cooking, or supervising waiters. He is not on the cash
register or waiting on tables. Instead he may be wandering the
floor and "hob knobbing" with customers, making them feel
important. He may be just observing his business, looking for
areas that can be improved and places where employees may need
more training.

I'm sure that you're beginning to get my point now. You often
wonder if a marketer recommends that you do something because it
will make him a profit, or if he really believes what he is
recommending. Observing that he is actually doing it himself...
that he believes in what he teaches enough to use it in his
business, is very powerful.

As a personal example, I preach that you should outsource as much
as possible, and focus on growing and managing your business. I
know how to do many of the day-to-day tasks of running an online
enterprise. After 14 years I've tried doing many of them, and
become very good at some of them. However, I personally outsource
most jobs related to graphics, copywriting, webmastering,
programming, building mini-nets, keyword research, and customer
service.

I have full-time people working exclusively for me, who handle
most of these tasks. It took a while, but I finally realized that
these people don't cost me money, they make me money.

I do what my good friend Maria Gudelis calls engaging in talent
arbitrage.

Maria has a very in-depth, yet inexpensive, course on being an
offline consultant. I've gone completely through that course a
dozen times, and have it memorized, AND do what she teaches. One
of the things that she teaches is that you land offline
consulting clients, and define what they need, etc., but that you
don't do most of the work. You pass it off to outsourced talent
as soon as possible, but you pocket most of the fees collected at
the same time. I follow Maria because I can see that she does
what she teaches.

By the way, I encourage you to check out Maria's course in being
an offline consultant. You'll find it at: http://timic.org/Maria

I mentioned earlier that you should check out the person that
you're following. Another way that I do that is by looking at
whether or not what they teach agrees with what other verified
experts teach. One of my favorite experts is Dan Kennedy, and
Maria's teachings totally agree with what Dan teaches as far as
how to leverage your business, and which segment of the market
you should go after. Incidentally, you should go after segments
of the market that HAVE money and are willing to spend it on you
and your products or services.

I'll wrap up this article, but share more of my thoughts and
observations soon. In the meantime, develop the habit of really
noticing whether your favorite guru actually does what he
teaches. That could make a huge difference in your bottom line.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Willie Crawford is founder of The Internet Marketing Inner
Circle, a membership site where some of the world's sharpest
marketing minds gather to network, brainstorm, and jointly
grow their businesses. Join The Internet Marketing Inner
Circle today for $1. Complete details at: http://timic.org/
----------------------------

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
Wahm Search Engine
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The Spice Trade Expedition

2010-12-23T04:49:00.000-08:00

In production, this new and unique behind-the-scenes look at the flavor industry. "As proof of how awesome and specific the flavorings can be, he relates smelling one that is identical in essence to a grilled hamburger. Crazy."

The Spice Trade Expedition from anfw on Vimeo.

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
.

Small Business: You don't outsource some tasks? What are you waiting for?

2010-12-18T10:58:00.000-08:00

Out sourcing some of your work can give your business a big boost

When I sold insurance I was fearful about hiring a secretary at first. Besides thinking I could not afford one, I didn't think she would earn her keep. After hiring my secretary I wanted to kick myself for not doing it earlier.

Many extremely successful internet marketers say they would do one thing differently if they could. They say they’d outsource earlier in their business. In fact, many experts advise outsourcing almost from the very beginning. If you’ve come to a point where you’re ready to seek outsourcing help, congratulations! This is an important step. Where you go from here will help determine your success.

Your First Step

Your first step may be surprising. It’s not to start asking for referrals or to do a Google search for freelance help. Your first step is to sit down at your desk and plan.

You want to begin with a definition or a list of the tasks you need help with. These tasks will also likely include systems or a step by step of how you want the task to be accomplished. For example, if you’re outsourcing your customer service, you want to outline your customer service system so whoever you hire can step right in and do the job correctly.

You also want to plan how you’re going to outsource the task. For example, are you going to start small and outsource only a portion of the responsibility? Do you want to be able to add tasks and responsibilities as you develop a working relationship with your help? Do you want to be able to add more tasks as you can afford them? What’s your long-term outsourcing plan? That takes us to your second step.

Creating an Outsourcing Budget

How much can you afford to pay? This is going to involve two key questions:

* What is the task worth to you? (This is in terms of both time and money.)
* What is your hourly value? (How much do you make per hour?)

Your hourly value can be calculated by dividing your profits by the number of hours you work each week, month or year. For example, if you make $50,000 in profits annually and you work 2080 hours annually, then your hourly value is $24/hour. This information can help you decide if it makes financial sense to outsource a task. If it costs more than $24/hour then it might not be a wise financial step.

Where to Find Outsourcing Help

Once you have determined exactly what you’re looking for and how much you can afford to pay, then it’s time to start looking for outsourcing help. You can find good contractors in a number of places.

1. Ask associates for referrals
2. Network online
3. Search engines
4. Freelance websites like Elance
5. Search engines

Evaluating Your Candidates

Once you have a few candidates in mind, review their work samples and references and consider giving them a test project. You want to evaluate their communication skills, professionalism and ability to do the job you requested.

Maintaining the Relationship

Once you’ve had the opportunity to work with a few contractors and you’ve found the people you work best with, there are a few things you’ll want to do to ensure they stick around. The first thing is to work together to determine a method for communication that works for both of you. Some people communicate well with email. Others prefer phone calls or instant messaging. Make sure this communication system is established and works for both of you. Additionally, flexibility, constructive feedback and consistent work all help keep a contractor happily working for you.

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
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Why don't you outsource in your business?

2010-12-18T10:57:00.000-08:00

How Google Buzz Can Help Your Small Business

2010-12-18T10:50:00.000-08:00

In an effort to get into the social media trend, the folks at Google created Google Buzz. However, unlike most mainstream social media sites, Buzz offers users the ability to cross platforms. It is designed to offer more usability, and experts expect it to compete with sites like Facebook and Twitter. As a small business owner, Google Buzz may be another great tool to add to your marketing strategy.

What Is Google Buzz?

Google Buzz is an application Google created for Gmail users. It gives them the to the ability to share updates, photos, videos, links and more instantaneously online. Additionally, it is mobile friendly and can be used on both iPhones and Android phones.

How Can a Small Business Owner Use Google Buzz?

There are essentially two main ways a business owner can take advantage of Google Buzz. The first is to use it like any other social marketing tool. Use it to connect with your prospects and customers by posting relevant and valuable information.

The second use lies in Buzz’s ability to be accessed via a mobile device. You can take advantage of geographic location and send instant messages to specific users. For example, you could create a special promotion for people who just experienced a hurricane and send it via instant message.

Like other social media sites, business owners can also send private or public messages. This provides you with the ability to connect personally with a prospect or customers. For example, if you’re reading an industry magazine and you see information a client might appreciate, you can send them a quick link to the content. These personal touches can go a long way toward building a lasting relationship.

Tips to Use Google Buzz

Like any social networking site, there are a few rules of thumb and tips to optimize the tool.

1 - Limit who you follow. Follow too many people and it becomes difficult to create real connections.

2 - Participate. Simply existing on Buzz isn’t enough. You want to also contribute to the network by posting information and by responding to posts.

3 - Mind your security. You can set your security features to keep your followers private. This helps prevent the mass follow trend that is prevalent on other social networking sites.

Like any social networking site, your results depend largely on what you put into it. Google Buzz is no different. Posting quality content and providing value to your followers is the key to success. If social networking is a large part of your marketing strategy and you have a Gmail account, check out Google Buzz.

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
.

Home Business Tax Deductions

2010-12-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

Home Business Tax Deductions

Here is the framework for possible deductions related to you home-based business. Note: never buy into a home-based business because you can get deductions. Not smart. Also, if you have a significant income I suggest investing in CPA services. My CPA charges $400 a year. I consider this a bargain because she is very experienced and has saved me much more money than that.

Tax season is right around the corner. If you own your own home-based business or are looking to start one, it’s time to take a look at what you can write off.

Your Home Office

If you have a home office, you can deduct a portion of your mortgage equal to the size of the space you use. In order to qualify for this tax deduction the space must be:

* Your primary place of business
* Where you meet with customers
* Used solely for your business

Transportation and Meals

You can deduct the cost of transportation, meals and even lodging if they are part of your business. For example, if you’re attending a seminar or meeting with a client off site you can deduct:

* Gas
* Parking fees
* Depreciation and repairs
* Tolls
* Train, bus or airfare
* Hotel bills
* Food
* Taxi fares
* Phone calls

Insurance Expenses

You can and should deduct your insurance premiums. Here’s what you can consider a business expense:

* Medical
* Motor vehicle (if your car is related to your business)
* Theft
* Any additional insurance you may need for your business. For example, property insurance if you rent an outside space to store your inventory.

Deductions for Retirement Plans

You can also deduct contribution to retirement plans. These include:

* Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan
* Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE)
* Qualified plans (i.e., Keogh and self-employed 401(k) plans)

Other Deductions You May Qualify For

Interest Expense – If you applied for a loan to start your business, you can likely deduct the interest you’re paying on the loan.

Bad Debt Expense – If you have a customer who has defaulted on money owed to you, you may be able to deduct it from your income taxes.

Legal and Professional Fees – Payments to accountants, attorneys, and contractors used to help run your business are also considered expenses.

Before You Do Your Own Taxes

Before you file any taxes, consult an accountant to find out if you qualify for these expenses and deductions. You may also qualify for more than what’s listed here. An accountant’s expertise is invaluable. Make sure you’re compliant and get help from a qualified tax accountant. They can help you get the best tax return ever.

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
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How I Saved $50/month Switching from AT&T to T-Mobile while Still Using my iPhone

2010-12-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

Picture by Yutaka Tsutano

Guest post by Toby Cryns

How I Saved $50/month Switching from AT&T to T-Mobile while Still Using my iPhone

My AT&T iPhone bill for the month of November, including taxes, was $97.70. That included 450 minutes, 1500 SMS messages, and unlimited 3G internet access. After a quick switch from AT&T to T-Mobile, my bill for December will drop to around $60…AND I will have an upgrade in service!

Below I outline how you, too, can save $50/month or more.

When your contract expires, do not upgrade your phone.
I have and will continue to use an iPhone 3G that I purchased 2 years ago.
Move to a cheap month-to-month cell phone plan with T-Mobile or another provider that your existing phone is compatible with.
In my case, my iPhone 3G works perfectly on T-Mobile’s network.
Drop unneeded services.
I dropped text-messaging (SMS) completely and went with a 200 MB data plan with T-Mobile

That’s it! Here is how my costs broke down on my recent upgrade:

I WAS paying $39.99/month for 450 minutes; I am now paying $39.99/month for1000 minutes. That’s 550 additional minutes per month, which I will use. I was always counting my minutes and regularly exceeding the 450 minute allotment.

I WAS paying $15/month for 1,500 text messages; I am now paying $0 for zero text messages. I was receiving around 250 text messages per month and sending 10 per month. I will not miss text messaging.

I WAS paying $30/month for unlimited internet access; I am now paying$10/month for up to 200 MB of internet. I was using around 400 MB/month, but I plan on making up for this by using WiFi rather than 3G access.

On top of all that, if I were to get another nice smartphone such as the MyTouch 4G or the G2, I would be paying another $250 or around $10/month for the phone, plus another $20/month that T-Mobile tacks on to contracts that include a discounted cell-phone (plus I would be locked into a 2-year contract!). So, I am, in effect, also saving another $30/month of which I will only include $10 in my equation since it complicates the math a bit. But know that the actual savings is around $70/month! Wow!
When all is said and done, I am saving $45/month before taxes (or $65/month if you include the hardware discount noted above), which will easily end up rounding out to around $50/month after taxes are added in. PLUS, I am getting more of the service that is most valuable to me – minutes!

To accomplish this, I switched from AT&T to T-Mobile. NOTE: You will want to wait until your contract expires before doing this, or else you will be hit with a cancellation fee from your current service provider. It also required me to unlock my iPhone, which was a single click using the free Blackra1n software.

When I got to thinking about it, I realized that the main things I use my iPhone for are:

Directions/maps
Checking email
Playing mp3s and podcasts
Making phone calls

As such, I don’t require a whole lot of internet access, nor do I particularly enjoy text-messaging. For me, this decision was a no-brainer. I got more of what I wanted (minutes) and save $50/month!

Visit Toby's website
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Category: Phone, iPhone, text messaging
You can leave a comment or trackback from your own site.

How I Saved $50/month Switching from AT&T to T-Mobile while Still Using my iPhone

2010-12-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

Guest post by Toby Cryns

How I Saved $50/month Switching from AT&T to T-Mobile while Still Using my iPhone

My AT&T iPhone bill for the month of November, including taxes, was $97.70. That included 450 minutes, 1500 SMS messages, and unlimited 3G internet access. After a quick switch from AT&T to T-Mobile, my bill for December will drop to around $60…AND I will have an upgrade in service!
Below I outline how you, too, can save $50/month or more.

When your contract expires, do not upgrade your phone.
I have and will continue to use an iPhone 3G that I purchased 2 years ago.
Move to a cheap month-to-month cell phone plan with T-Mobile or another provider that your existing phone is compatible with.
In my case, my iPhone 3G works perfectly on T-Mobile’s network.
Drop unneeded services.
I dropped text-messaging (SMS) completely and went with a 200 MB data plan with T-Mobile

That’s it! Here is how my costs broke down on my recent upgrade:
I WAS paying $39.99/month for 450 minutes; I am now paying $39.99/month for1000 minutes. That’s 550 additional minutes per month, which I will use. I was always counting my minutes and regularly exceeding the 450 minute allotment.
I WAS paying $15/month for 1,500 text messages; I am now paying $0 for zero text messages. I was receiving around 250 text messages per month and sending 10 per month. I will not miss text messaging.
I WAS paying $30/month for unlimited internet access; I am now paying$10/month for up to 200 MB of internet. I was using around 400 MB/month, but I plan on making up for this by using WiFi rather than 3G access.
On top of all that, if I were to get another nice smartphone such as the MyTouch 4G or the G2, I would be paying another $250 or around $10/month for the phone, plus another $20/month that T-Mobile tacks on to contracts that include a discounted cell-phone (plus I would be locked into a 2-year contract!). So, I am, in effect, also saving another $30/month of which I will only include $10 in my equation since it complicates the math a bit. But know that the actual savings is around $70/month! Wow!
When all is said and done, I am saving $45/month before taxes (or $65/month if you include the hardware discount noted above), which will easily end up rounding out to around $50/month after taxes are added in. PLUS, I am getting more of the service that is most valuable to me – minutes!
To accomplish this, I switched from AT&T to T-Mobile. NOTE: You will want to wait until your contract expires before doing this, or else you will be hit with a cancellation fee from your current service provider. It also required me to unlock my iPhone, which was a single click using the free Blackra1n software.
When I got to thinking about it, I realized that the main things I use my iPhone for are:

Directions/maps
Checking email
Playing mp3s and podcasts
Making phone calls

Category: Phone, iPhone, text messaging
You can leave a comment or trackback from your own site.

You can become a millionaire, maybe

2010-11-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

Picture I took on a Carnival cruise ship last January.

One of the problems in the US society is the myth that anyone can become a millionaire. Let me rephrase that, not everyone can expect to become a millionaire. Or rather, no matter how hard you try, you may not become a millionaire. This leads to such strange happenings like not wanting to tax the richest 2% more. The arguments against taxations are absurd.

Having said that, some people do become millionaires. The exception proves the rule, right?

Mommy Millionaire’s - a few very short examples....

Often when people think of millionaire business owners, they think of the men who have achieved this status. However, all around the world moms are making millions from their hard work and inspiration. In fact, mom inventors have changed the world. They seek to solve problems, to make being a mom or a parent easier and to help others. Here are three real life examples of mommy millionaires.

Mommy Millionaire #1 - Teri Gault found that her passion for saving money on groceries could help others. Her hobby turned into the million dollar business known as “The Grocery Game.” The Grocery Game is a membership based website where members receive lists of coupons, stores and promotions.

Members have access to the largest coupon database on the world. Gault offers a four-week free trial. After that, membership is $20 a month but promises to save you hundreds monthly on your grocery bill. Gault has also written a book, sells advertising space on her website, has a blog and has been featured in a number of articles. She has received worldwide attention from the news media. This empire was built on the single idea that a family can and perhaps should be able to save money on groceries.

Mommy Millionaire #2 - Dr. Kathleen Hall is founder of The Stress Institute (www.stressinstitute.com ), Alter Your Life and The Mindful Living Network (www.mindfullivingtv.com ). Dr. Hall took her education, experience and desire to help people and created an empire. She has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Jacksonville State University, a Masters of Divinity from Emory University and a Doctorate in Spirituality from Columbia Theological Seminary.

Her advice has been featured on major media all around the globe; she’s a contributing writer for several websites and magazines and has authored a number of books.

Mommy Millionaire #3 - Elon Bomani, aka "The Dynamic Diva" is a self-made millionaire. She took $36, all that remained in her checking account, and in 18 months created The Dynamic Diva.com & Papyrus Publishing: “an innovative publishing company dedicated to writing books, CD, DVD, creating e-commerce website and services that will educate, empower and inspire individuals to fulfill their greatest dreams beyond their imagination.”

She took her goal and desire to inspire women to become more healthy, wealthy, and wise and created a multi-million dollar business. She’s been featured on major media outlets and has a cameo appearance in "The Louise Hay Movie," where she shares her rags to riches story.

These three women are just a small example of the power moms can have on the world around them. Whether they want to help people save money, inspire or help people manage stress, they have all found a solution to a prevalent problem and made financial empires.

There are women millionaires who made it working in direct sales and MLM. They are a quiet bunch but they do exist. I know a couple of them.

What’s your passion? What problem can your experience, skills and knowledge solve? How can you offer value to the world and build your own million dollar business?

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
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Virtual Assistant (VA) - How to find a good one

2010-11-29T09:47:00.000-08:00

Apron lady at Paso Robles, CA

How to locate a good Virtual Assistant

I am personally learning what a good VA can be expected to do. Why? Because I challenged my engineer brother to hire one for his business. He left to do some business in China yesterday so he called me on Friday to ask to handle his emails. "Sure!" I said. I probably should have asked how many he gets a day. He gets a lot of email requests for quotes and follow-ups.

To the point....

A good virtual assistant can be the answer to an online marketer’s prayers. However, finding a good virtual assistant isn’t always easy. You want to find someone who can handle your tasks competently and professionally. You also want someone who is easy to communicate with and charges rates you can afford. Here’s how to find a great virtual assistant.

Step One: Define what you need. Before you go on a hunt for someone to help you, determine exactly what you need help with. Each virtual assistant is going to have their own strengths. Some virtual assistants might offer a variety of services ranging from basic to quite technical and complicated. Other virtual assistants may specialize in an industry or a specific type of service.

For example, one virtual assistant may specialize in editing, proofreading and transcription. Another may specialize in forum management or WordPress installation. In order to determine who to hire, you need to first determine what you need them to do.

Step Two: Begin the search. In addition to perhaps posting the job on classified job sites, social networking sites and your own website, start searching. Ask associates who they recommend. Use a search engine to find service providers. Start gathering candidates for the position.

Step Three: Narrow the field. Once you have a list of candidates, start narrowing the field. Use references and recommendations to shorten the list. Consider speaking with the top candidates on the phone to find out how they work, what their policies are and to see how they communicate. Half of an effective relationship is communication. You must be able to clearly and effectively communicate with each other.

Step Four: Test the waters. Ask the top two or three candidates to manage a small project for you. The purpose of this is to essentially test how you work together, how the virtual assistant manages the project and their professionalism. If you end up with two or three perfect virtual assistants, that’s okay. You can then choose the one that offers the best rates or the one that you most connect with personally.

Step Five: Keep your new VA busy. Once you’ve found a great virtual assistant, or two, then keeping them busy is a great way to keep them. Service providers need to keep their schedules full to keep their business alive. If they can count on you for a certain amount of work each week or month, they’ll make a consistent place in their schedule for you. This means you’ll be able to receive your projects on a timely, and consistent, basis.

Great virtual assistants can be difficult to find. Additionally, a good working relationship with a virtual assistant is a two-way street. You want to be able to provide clear and consistent communication about what you need accomplished. Consider creating a system for your virtual assistant to follow. Once you’ve found a great VA, take the steps necessary to keep them.

Greg Cryns
WorkAtHomeProfiles
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Blog comments make me either laugh or barf

2010-11-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

just another strange graffic

I was reading an interesting email today. The topic was "how to manage your email". As usual, there were a few lines of text from the blog and then a link to read the entire article. I don't have any problem with that. In fact, this article was short and very sweet. The blogger put it all together in marvelous fashion. Not only that she provided a good solution.

But then came the comments from her adoring followers:

"What a great idea." said the first.

"this is a terrific idea." said another.

"Gotta love the timing of your post" piped in another because she just happened to be thinking about email solutions (time to roll your eyes)

"This is a great idea and I plan to do it more." but then the commenter called it a "poor man's approach".

on and on...... the people could not comment without adulation.

But I do love the really funny comments I read at places like YouTube.

For a video about "business card etiquette (in the asian culture)" some comments were:

"what about if a women puts your card in her bra does that mean she is putting your face in her tits"

" 'Its like sitting on a persons face' hahahaha "

"She's a total jerk.and idiot also :) she's a dumb ass."

"Can someone help me translate to Spanish this video? Can anybody tell me briefly what this video?"

"this is a joke right?"

Overall, comments can be both educational and entertaining but too often they are just plain boring.

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
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New tax laws for home business in 2011

2010-11-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

My pug dog, Fred, monitors my blogging.

Next year, 2011, there are new IRS rules coming that you need to be aware of. Here is an guest article to help you understand what will occur.

Home Business News - Are You Ready For The New Tax Laws?

by Steven Wagenheim

Leave it to the federal government to make things more complicated than it has to. If you think record keeping for your home based business is a nightmare now, wait until 2011 hits and the new tax laws take effect regarding PayPal, if they pass of course. You'll be inundated with more paperwork than ever imaginable. This article explains.

In a nutshell, here's how this disaster works. Starting in 2011, all income that comes through PayPal is going to have a 1099 attached to it IF you earn over $20,000 and have over 200 transactions. PayPal will be required to send a 1099 on your behalf to the IRS. Now, on the surface, this doesn't seem like such a big deal. The problems, however, are plenty.

For starters, if you've been doing your taxes as you should have been doing from the start, and are making any kind of decent money (actually, anything over $600) you should have already been sending a 1099 to the feds to let them know what you've been earning and/or paying out to contractors. So now, the feds are going to be receiving a 1099 from the people who have already been sending them PLUS a 1099 from PayPal. That translates into duplicate paperwork.

But it's not JUST duplicate paperwork. How is the IRS going to know what is a duplicate and what is in actuality a different 1099? How are WE going to let them know this so that they don't end up thinking that we're just paying part of our taxes? Oh, but the nightmares don't end there.

Let's say you spend more than $600 with any one vendor through PayPal, regardless of whether it's business related or not. For example, I play a video game online where I could easily spend over $600 a year on game tokens. I'm going to now have to report THAT because of the fact that the payments go through PayPal and THEY are going to report them to the IRS. This is where it becomes messy. Now we're not just talking business expenses. We're talking ANY amount of money that goes through PayPal in excess of $600 a year to one vendor. Have fun with that one.

I pity the poor person who takes payments from thousands of people in excess of $600 a year (think the poor guy who owns the Warrior Forum and the WSO section) who is going to be inundated with thousands of 1099s from all the people who spent more than $600 per year. He's going to need a team of accountants just to sort through that nightmare.

Yeah, leave it to the federal government to totally screw things up beyond belief. Anyway, that's what you're in for next year IF this new tax law regarding PayPal goes through.

Heaven help us all.

Looking for a solid 4 step plan to building your own business...FREE? Pick up my free report at http://www.stevewagenheim.com/4steps.html and get started TODAY!
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Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
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Social networking post titles

2010-11-14T05:47:00.000-08:00

What makes a good Twitter or Facebook Title?

I guess you know one when you click on one.

Twitter titles- You be the judge. Would you click the link next to it?

1, Social Media vs. SEO: My Approach

2. DIY 'Hackers' Tinker Everyday Things Into Treasure. Sunday inspiration from NPR

3. Magic Exit Code - Create Exit PopUps.. Use On Sales/Squeeze Pages Even Wordpress Blogs!

4. Canon EOS 50D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) 15.1MP

5. 5 Reasons Why a Realtor® Should Tweet

Facebook titles:

1. There do seem to be lots of earthquakes today around Yemen. What is going on?

2 A new fortune cookie has been delivered.

3. Who is more intelligent: men or women?

4. New cover on Wired magazine - caught MY attention! :

5. Get six pack abs at home

What do you think? Is it important to have a good title for your social networking posts?

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
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Yahoo News as an online research tool

2010-11-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

Yahoo News has similar features to Google News and it’s probably just a matter of preference on which you’d want to use. Yahoo allows you to search top stories by category, search by keywords, see the most viewed stories, most recommended stories and displays trending topics. But one thing we’ve noticed is that Yahoo seems to have more flexible RSS options than Google.

Go to http://news.yahoo.com and the categories can be found near the top of each page:

…and you can search for videos, photos and blogs too. If you want to search by keyword, the search box for the News is part way down the left side. The search box at the top right is a web search…rather than a news search.

You’ll find the RSS subscription options at the bottom left of each category page:

Or you can go straight to the RSS – Yahoo News page at http://news.yahoo.com/rss to select the feeds you want.

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
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Twitter Search and Trending Topics as an online research tool

2010-11-12T21:55:00.000-08:00

Twitter Search and Trending Topics

Twitter is a large social networking site where users share “what’s happening”. Find out the most popular topics being discussed on Twitter. You can also search for discussions on specific topics.

Go to http://search.twitter.com and use the search box to find discussions on certain topics and see the most popular topics:

Click through any of the “Trending Topics” to see the recent tweets in real time:

In the top right corner, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for any of the queries you choose (even ones that are not trending):

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Technorati as an online research tool

2010-11-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

Technorati serves as a directory of blogs, but also organizes topics through tagging and ranks blogs, according to its own algorithm. It is useful for searching for blogs by category and for finding blog posts on certain topics.

You can browse by category at the top of the page. Just put your over the main category to see the subcategories.

When you click on a category, you can see who the top movers (ie. blogs gaining in popularity) are:

And you can search for topics or blogs, by clicking the appropriate button (“blogs” or “posts”) the search bar:

You can also look at popular tags by clicking “Tags” on the top menu. That will bring you to a page with a huge listing of popular tags over the previous month:

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Reddit as an online research tool

2010-11-12T21:43:00.000-08:00

Reddit is a social bookmarking site that allows you to what users are bookmarking and content gets ranked by what users consider to be “good” and what they consider to be “junk”. Although it may not give you a true picture of popular trends like a keyword tool could give you, it is a very popular website and can give you indication of the types of content users are interested in.

You can browse by category. At first, the categories might be hard to see, but they’re crammed at the top of the page:

You can browse by “what’s hot”, “new”, “controversial”, and “top.”

You can also use the search box in the top right corner:

You can then sort your results by relevance, how new the content is and how popular:

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Magazines.com as an online research tool

2010-11-12T21:39:00.000-08:00

Magazines.com is a huge website where you can browse and purchase a variety of magazine, journal, book and newspaper subscriptions. This site can be a handy tool for researching niche markets with the theory being if there are magazines or other publications in a particular topic and advertisers paying to be in those publications, there is money to be made.

For example, let's say I am working in a health and fitness niche. I can go to Magazines.com and browse the magazines available.

Prevention Magazine caught my eye.

Here are just a few article titles for one issue: 1. More energy and less stress!, 2. Doctor approved natural cures, 3. Turning her back on Botox for good, 4. Vitamin Shocker - what works and what doesn't.

If I was looking for blog topics, these headlines alone from just one magazine would be enough to fuel some research on a single topic. See how that works?

In addition to finding topic ideas, you might also explore the publications so you can submit your own articles, press releases or seek out advertising opportunities. In short, Magazines.com can be a very helpful resource for an online business.

The top categories are listed on the left side of the page, but if you navigate to http://www.magazines.com/browse/ you can access all the categories and use a more powerful search.

You can browse by publication type and category. Below we’ve chosen hobby magazines:

Or you can scroll down further to view all the categories and their subcategories:

Once you click through, listings are automatically sorted by “Bestselling”, but you can sort alphabetically, by price, and more.

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles

Google Trends as an online research tool

2010-11-12T21:35:00.000-08:00

Google Trends allows you to see some of the most popular keyword searches and see their popularity over time. It also allows you to compare the popularity of keywords as well.

You can get started at http://google.com/trends. On the main page, you’ll “hot topics”:

And then more specifically, you can see the “Hot Searches”:

At the top of the page, you can enter your own keywords and compare them if you wish. Just separate each keyword by a comma:

By default, Google Trends shows you the data over the past few years:

As we can see in the above example, Santa Claus is the most popular with a spike at the end of the year. The Easter Bunny is next most popular with a smaller spike in the springtime. The Tooth Fairy is searched the less with only a few very small spikes in traffic in 2010.

In the top right corner, you can change the time period shown in the data. Your options include:

You can also view popularity of phrases by region or specify your search to a particular region.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Google Suggest as an onilne research tool

2010-11-12T21:31:00.000-08:00

Google Suggest

While it is now integrated into regular Google search, “Google Suggest” is a tool that suggest popular keyword phrases based on what you are entering into a search engine.

Just go to http://google.com and start entering keywords. In our example, we enter “Amazon Kindle” and see what comes up:

You can keep entering words and more suggested searches will come up, if they are available. This is a very handy tool for quickly looking for potential keywords and even content ideas.

Using another example, you’ll also notice that as you search, the search results for the first suggested keyword phrase appears below until you make your choice. You can also scroll down the suggestions and quickly preview the search results. This might be helpful in locating an article to use as a reference or for further ideas.

Greg Cryns

Google News as an online research tool

2010-11-12T21:28:00.000-08:00

Google News shows the top new stories from around the world. You can browse and search for certain locations, publications and more. It’s a good resource for finding current events and issues around which you can shape content. You can sign up for alerts via email, RSS and even on your mobile phone.

Go to http://news.google.com to get started. On the left side of the page, you can browse by category. You can choose a particular country from the drop-down box if you’d like.

“Starred” means stories that you have starred or bookmarked for later reference.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed of any category page. Just scroll to the very bottom of the page to find the RSS link:

You can also search by keywords using the search box:

And if you choose “Advanced news search”, you can search by specific keyword combinations, location, publication, author and more:

Greg Cryns

Google Keyword Tool as an online research tool

2010-11-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

The Google Keyword Tool allows you to see popularity of keyword searches and will even suggest possible keywords for your own web pages. It’s useful in generating content ideas because you can focus on keyword searches that have decent volume and not too competition. But do note, the competitive analysis this tool offers is for their pay-per-click advertisers, not for organic (free) search rankings.

You can start by going to https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and entering keyword phrases or your web page in the search boxes:

If you click the “Advanced options” you can get more specific with your search like locations, languages, mobile search and other specifics.

Once you click “search”, you’ll get results that look like this. You can sort any of the columns. And if you click “views” on the far right, you can customize which columns appear.

You can also search by category on the left side. Just choose a category or subcategory and the keywords will appear on the right.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Google Insights for Search for online research

2010-11-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

Google Insights for Search allows you to compare search volume patterns across regions, categories, time and more. Go to http://www.google.com/insights/search/# to get started.

The following screen shows how you can narrow down your data:

Here’s an example of a Location Search. We’ve chosen the UK and England as our location. We’ve chosen “Web Search” (as opposed images, news or products) and “iphone 4” as the keyword tool. We’ve also chosen searches in the last 12 months and kept the default of “All Categories”.

The results include a graph mapping the interest over the chosen time period. It also shows the most popular categories.

The tool also breaks down the interest into smaller regions. You can view that information in text:

Or on a map:

It also shows you the popular search terms:

And finally, it shows you searches that are on the rise:

You can choose to embed either of the 2 search term tables to your website. Just click the “Embed This Table” and follow the instructions:

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Google Blog Search - online research tool

2010-11-12T21:07:00.000-08:00

Google Blog Search uses Google’s search technology to index and display content from blogs around in the world, in a variety of languages. It’s useful for finding popular stories in given categories and an on certain topics. You can also find out what the popular blog searches are.

Go to http://blogsearch.google.com to get started. You can search topics by keyword phrase:

By clicking “Advanced Blog Search”, you can refine your search by specifying exactly how close the search must match your keyword phrase, date published, language and more.

You can also review blog posts by category. The categories are listed on the left side of the page:

Right below the categories list on the left side, you’ll see an RSS option. You can subscribe to the RSS feed of each category’s top stories. Just go to the category page and click the “RSS” link:

When you are on a category page, on the right side of the page, you’ll find “hot queries” showing what topics people are searching for:

The above is useful for finding out what those using Google Blog Search are looking for.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Google Alerts - online research tool

2010-11-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

Google Alerts are a handy way to receive updates on newly indexed content on topics / keywords of your choosing. Updates are sent via email, at a frequency you choose. Go to http://google.com/alerts to get started.

For example, if you have a site about dog booties, you might set up alerts for things like “dog clothing”, “dog booties”, information about specific breeds, etc. It allows you to see what kind of content other people are creating and how you might adopt some of those ideas or use them for commentary on your own site.

All you do is fill in the form to set up an alert or if you log into your Google account, you can manage them from there.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Ezine Articles as an online research tool

2010-11-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

Ezine Articles is a human-edited database of articles of nearly 300,000 thousand authors. It’s useful for finding ideas for your own content and seeing which keyword phrases writers are targeting. Many authors try to use Ezine Articles authority to gain top rankings for keyword phrases and those keyword phrases often appear in the titles of articles.

Go to http://ezinearticles.com to get started. If you’re looking for topics, you can search by category:

Click a category and a list of sub-categories appears:

You can also search by keywords phrases. It is powered by Google Search, but it returns results from Ezine Articles (surrounded by ads, of course!):

For subscription options, look on the left menu for:

“Ezines/Email Alerts” and “EzineArticles RSS”. Click those and you’ll find options to set up subscriptions for specific categories and sub-categories.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

eHow as an online research tool

2010-11-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

eHow.com is a large website with “how to” articles on a wide variety of topics and is a good source of content ideas. They are known to have good search engine rankings and provide clues to some of the more popular topics you might create content about.

You can browse through topics by category. The category listings are found no the left side of the page:

…and more categories can be found on the website.

When you click through to a category, you can subscribe to that category via email or RSS feed. Or you can create an eHow account by clicking “Subscribe”.

You can also search for topics. Once you select your topic, you can customize your search for articles or videos.

Greg Cryns

eBay Pulse as an online research tool

2010-11-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

Another online research tool is eBay Pulse....

eBay Pulse

eBay Pulse at http://pulse.ebay.com allows you to see the most popular searches, largest stories and most watched items.

You can view the same results by category as well:

This information can help you decide what items to sell on eBay or if you’re an eBay affiliate, it may help you shape the content you create. It can even help you come up with info product ideas (ex. “how to sell XX on eBay”, “how to find cheap XX on eBay”). It’s a huge marketplace and the opportunities are endless.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Digg - an online research tool

2010-11-12T19:05:00.000-08:00

is a more sophisticated bookmarking site where you users bookmark and rank content as well. You can customize your experience at the site and you can subscribe for category updates via RSS.

You can browse by category down the left side:

…and then sort by “Most Recent”, “Top in 24 Hours”, “7 Days”, “30 Days”

Digg.com

You can also click the “My News” to customize your experience. You simply create an account and you see content matching your preferences when you visit the site.

You can search by keyword and you’ll find the search box at the top right of each page:

And at the very bottom rights of the page, you’ll find an RSS box. The RSS feed matches with the particular category page you happen to be on. For example, if you’re on World News, the icon will be for the World News feed.

You can also log in with your Facebook or Twitter account to take advantage of extra features like following certain Digg users, “Digg” stories yourself and more.

Greg Cryns

Delicious online research tool

2010-11-12T18:49:00.000-08:00

Delicious

Delicious is a bookmarking site that allows users to bookmark pages that they find interesting. The site makes it easy for you to see what is most popular amongst users, what they’re posting on Twitter about those pages and easily view other pages using the same tags. They claim to have the “biggest collection of bookmarks in the universe.”

When you visit the site at http://delicious.com, you can immediately see some of the most recently bookmarked pages. You can also choose to view the “Hotlist” and “Explore Tags”:

The Hotlist allows you to see the most popular bookmarks right now and if you look to the right, it will show you the popular tags as well:

If you log in with your Yahoo account, you can also bookmark your own pages to refer to later and keep as content ideas and fodder. You can even mark your bookmarks as private, so you can take note of possible plans for using the content.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Comscore online research tool

2010-11-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

Comscore

Comscore provides information on the behaviours of Internet users and consumers worldwide. The data is based on approximately 2 million consumers who have volunteered to have their behaviour tracked.

If you navigate to the Products & Services page at http://comscore.com/Products_Services, you can see the main categories of intelligence they provide.

Currently the categories include:

Advertising Effectiveness (digital and cross-media campaigns)
Cross Media Measurement (Internet, mobile, radio, print)
Custom Research (leverage the panel for custom research)
Marketing on the Internet
Media Planning & Analysis
Mobile Media
Search Marketing
Technology Tracking
Video & Distributed Media Management

They’ve also got free insights and information on their “Comscore Voices” blog. Subscribe via RSS, email or Twitter to stay up to date.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Clickbank for online research

2010-11-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

Clickbank is a marketplace of digital products (software, information, etc.). What’s handy about the marketplace, in terms of generating content ideas, is that they list products according to popularity.

Of course, that is not a foolproof way to see what topics are most popular (as opposed to who has better marketing/copywriting), but it can help you put together some possible ideas and observe the marketing and sales copy of those top sellers as well.

To search ClickBank, navigate to the Marketplace at https://www.clickbank.com/marketplace.htm and you’ll see the categories on the left side.

When you click through to a category, you can then sort by “popularity”, which is the default. Sorting by “gravity” will also help you determine some idea of popularity.

You can also search by using keywords and search the entire marketplace or just the current category. You can also choose English, German, Spanish or French from the dropdown box:

If you want to track Clickbank through RSS, you can create a RSS feed of the categories you want at clickbank.rssfeedsgenerator.com .

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles

Amazon Bestsellers

2010-11-12T18:31:00.001-08:00

There are lots of good reasons to perform research on the Internet for businesses. You may want to find out what people are buying, for example. One good way to find out is to explore Amazon Bestsellers.

Amazon Bestsellers

Amazon allows you to view the bestsellers in all its categories and sub-categories. It’s a very powerful tool, whether you’re looking for physical products to sell or write about. It’s equally powerful if you’re thinking of creating an information product on a certain topic.

To use the Amazon Bestsellers tools, navigate the to Bestsellers page at http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/

As you can see above, you can also search by “Hot New Releases”, “Movers and Shakers”, “Most Gifted” and “Most Wished For”, giving you even more possibilities to few trends and find topics and products to talk about.

To use the Bestseller tool, simply choose your choice in the top menu. In this case, we are searching “Bestsellers” and then we choose a category on the left. We are choosing “Camera & Photo” below:

As you can see, we can dig deeper into subcategories like “Accessories”, “Binoculars, Telescopes & Optics” and more.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles
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