Lynette Chandler is hosting a free two-day, weekend quickstart class designed to help you get to know CSS quickly so you can put your new skills to work the following Monday! Now I’ve taken html and css classes before, but I know the benefit of a good refresher class and I’m registered to attend! This class is going to be very useful for anyone who is interested in editing their own sites or blogs and especially great for those who are new to web design or want to fully grasp CSS for their own editing or helping others with their wordpress issues.

This class will be held Friday, February 18th for one hour in the evening and Saturday, February 19th for three hours with breaks and lunch hour in between.

This is a great opportunity for:

• Beginner virtual assistants
• Anyone who’s beginning to offer web development services and SEO
• VA’s who want better grasp at CSS and stop wasting time on trial and error tweaks
• Business owners who want to have their people trained for them

Register and attend for a better understanding of HTML and CSS.
Click here for more details. You’ll be glad you did.

Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Or, you can take a look at some of the useful reviews and tutorials my friend Lynette shares on her TechBasedMarketing.com/blog. She shares informative reviews, time saving computer tips and really helpful video tutorials.

Now, I’m a big fan of the WordPress platform and use it on several of my sites (including this one) and I appreciate useful, quality plugins – like the one Lynette explains in this tutorial below. It’s the Grab & Save plugin and I think you’ll agree that it really helps to expedite the whole blogging with photos process.

Have fun blogging!

My own tutorials are still available online and in PDF format so you can print out and follow in your leisure. You can grab those here.

Since 2007, there have been some major updates to the Artweaver design software which now includes a new “Plus” version. I still use the free version myself. Artweaver now displays more support via their helpful FAQ and new forums, as well as free tools and plugins – all offered on the main site artweaver.de. Also, since my original Artweaver post; I’ve seen many more Artweaver tutorials pop up online. There’s a small collection of video tutorials, like the one below and several posted at DeviantArt.

Over the years, I’ve received a lot of questions about Artweaver’s tools and how to do certain techniques. I try to answer each question individually, or at least post a reply in the comments section. I do plan to continue teaching design and will post helpful Artweaver tutorials and links when I have the time. Please “Like” this article if you find it helpful and subscribe to my updates to stay in touch, thanks.

Where's that line tool?

http://anothercute.blogspot.com/

Blogger gives you a nice selection of themes to choose from, to get your new site going. But, it’s the same selection that thousands of other people are choosing from that very moment as well. It’s nice to get in on a bit more variety, right? Right! So, here are some of my favorite free blogger themes (or skins as they are sometimes referred) sites. Once you’ve found one you want to try out, scroll down here for a simple “how-to” so you can try it out.

eBlogTemplates:
This site requires a quick registration, but then you have access to their free blogger download links. These are some of the best, quality templates I’ve found. They offer wordpress templates as well.

FinalSense: I like final sense because the blogger themes are easy to browse with the categories they set up, like “2-column”, “3-column”, “Animals”, “Country/City” and many more. The “Demo” link is a little slow because it shuffles through an ad first, but by just clicking on the image you like, then the title of the theme below it, you are good to go! This site provides you with an XML code, instead of a file download. For “how-to” on this code, see directions below.

InstantShift: One of my favorites sites, of course they have a post capturing the top blogger themes of 2009! 120 of them to be exact!

Directions on How to install new templates: (don’t worry, it’s easy!)

If you are working with an XML File:
• First, unpack (unzip) the XML file you just downloaded
• Log into blogger
• Click on “Layout”
• Click on “Edit HTML”
• Click “Download Full Template” in case you need to retrieve it later. It’s your backup
• Click on “Choose File”
• Locate your new theme file and “open”
• Click on “Upload”
• Save

If you are working with an XML Code:
• Select (Ctrl+a) all code and Copy (Ctrl+c)
• Log into blogger
• Click on “Layout”
• Click on “Edit HTML”
• Click “Download Full Template” in case you need to retrieve it later. It’s your backup
• In big box of Code, right-click and “Select All” (or Ctrl+a) and Paste (Ctrl+v)
• Save

The last step is to, of course, enjoy!

What Is A Super Affiliate?

Technically speaking a super affiliate is someone who generates a significant amount of profits for the products or services they represent. A super affiliate can make a healthy living from their affiliate business alone while a standard every day affiliate may need to supplement their affiliate income with, gasp…a 9-5 job!

Benefits To Being A Super Affiliate

The most significant benefit to being a super affiliate is the income. Many super affiliates make six figures simply promoting the products and services of others.

Additionally, if you’re one of the main contributors to a company’s affiliate program they’re going to pay attention to you and your needs. You may receive a higher percentage of sales you may receive first shot with new marketing materials and programs and you’ll get the support you need when you need it.

Here Are A Few Steps To Become A Super Affiliate:

Step One – Commit to publishing content every single day. Content has proven time and again to be the best sales tool available to affiliate marketers. Nothing, not even strategically placed ad copy works as well as providing quality content that pre-sells any product that you’re promoting on your website.

Possible content includes:

* Autoresponders.
* E-newsletters.
* Blogs posts
* Social networking via forums, social networking sites, and chat rooms
* Articles
* Press releases

Step Two – Track and test. Make sure you know where your prospects are coming from, what motivates them to click through and what information they read and respond to – then give them what they need. Tracking and testing is the only way to hone your affiliate program into a smooth running, money making machine.

Step Three – Use the provided marketing materials and be willing to take it a step further. Many affiliate programs do a great job of providing their affiliate with ready to marketing materials including:

1. Banner ads
2. Buttons
3. Email copy
4. Articles
5. Free promotional reports

Use the materials your affiliate manager has provided. It’s been tested and developed for results. That being said, be sure to create your own content too. Even as an affiliate you are your own company and your website needs to reflect your personality and brand. Building a community around your website and providing valuable content is a sure way to create a following that trusts you and your credibility – which will result in click throughs and affiliate sales.

Step Four – Pre-sell. The good news is that your job as an affiliate is to pre-sell products and services. Pre-selling means your content, whether it is a review, article, tutorial, course, or blog post, speaks honestly about the products and services you promote. Pre-selling is about providing value to your website visitors and prospects, making them comfortable with you and your authority to generate interest and a click through to the company website, where the selling happens.

Step Five – Follow up. Just like your affiliate manager follows up with you to see how you’re doing and what you need, follow up with your prospects. A great way to do this unobtrusively is to create a lead list by providing a newsletter visitors can subscribe, a free report, or any number of products in exchange for an email address and the permission to contact them with valuable information and special promotions.

Being a Super Affiliate is the only way to go if you want to build a successful affiliate marketing business. Find products and services you trust and believe in and then create a strategy to share information to your target audience. Test and track your efforts, focus on providing value to your prospects and leave the selling to the companies you represent. Helping others live better lives, without having to provide the products or services personally, is a great way to make a living.

Click here for the Affiliate Manager Sweetie Course

This is a happy mailbox. :)

I use Gmail – Google’s Web-based email program – but labels and filters are pretty standard these days.. do you use them? I don’t know what I would do without them these days.

I archive a lot of my mail, but I need an easy way to find them when I want them, and that’s where the labels come in handy. On the right of my screen-shot above, you can see many of my labels. They automatically arrange in alphabetical order and can be color customized. I’ve used white-out on some of my labels because, well, that’s my business. :)

Anyway, labels act like folders.. a necessity for me. I have several domains I work with, manage several client sites, have design jobs to keep straight, affiliate programs, etc, etc.. it all needs a place.

So when I receive an email, I do one of three things:

Dump it, if it’s trash

1. Label it
2. Archive it if I need it for later, or leave it in the In-box if I’m planning to tend to it that day.

See the messages in my in-box? They’ve been labeled, but not yet archived because they are emails I plan to work with first. Once I’ve tended to them, I will either archive them or delete them (usually archive).

Some emails need my attention, but not urgently, so I’ve created a special Label for those called @TO-DO and it sits at the top of my label list on the right.. see it? Also, if I want to archive something into a label (folder) that already has tons of stuff in it.. I sometimes “Star” that item so that it’s a bit easier to locate.

Then to locate any item I wish, I just need to go to that Label and cruise the email, or I can click on “Starred” to see the ones I noted that way for a quick find.

I use a lot of filters too. Filters allow you to pre-designate a place for emails to go when they are received. I have many filters set up to automatically label for me (if sent by a particular email or subject line). This is especially handy for emails from my family and friends.  These emails are received and color coded and never end up in my trash box (because that’s an option you can enable with filters too).

So, I have a system that works well for me. That doesn’t mean it works for you too, but if you needed some help with your in-box organizing, then give it the labels and filters a try. You may like them!