Palm To Exhibit at NAR

Are you headed to the NAR conference this week? Want to learn a bit more, “hands-on” with a Treo?

You might want to check out the Palm exhibit. According to a news release that landed in my inbox, Palm will be demonstrating the Treo 650 as a Real Estate tool, and will be giving away a Treo 650 to boot.

You have read what I’ve said, but you can’t actually play with a Treo here on WickedTreo.com — maybe at NAR you can give one a test drive.

And, for those of you headed to San Francisco…Have a blast!

Business Blogger Encourages Others to Enjoy Blog Benefits

(Dunnville, KY – August 31, 2005) Many business owners hesitate to blog because they feel they aren’t ‘good writers’ or they don’t want to ‘open up’ to the world. Marketing consultant, Angela Allen of WickedWordCraft.com, encourages website owners to utilize the blog format to share their knowledge in a blog. Why? Because it works. Angela L Allen, of www.WickedWordCraft.com , is a writer and Internet marketing consultant who encourages her clients to communicate and keep a constant content flow on their websites to attract visitors. “Keeping content fresh and interesting keeps people coming back,” explains Allen. She discovered how this approach works for her own business when, on a whim, she added a blog to “play around” on the backend of her business site.

She discovered how effective it could be for business when WickedBlog, her personal and marketing blog, started getting more hits than the other sections of her business site. “The popularity of WickedBlog over the past few months encouraged me move the blog to it’s own domain,” said Allen. WickedBlog was introduced as an unadvertised “backend” feature of WickedWordcraft in 2003, although it contained archives from a previous personal blog dating back to 2000. Later, Allen added a link to the blog from the index page, but says it was being ‘Googled’ before it was linked to the main page.

The popularity of the site encouraged Allen to launch www.WickedBlog.com as an independent site last month on a separate hosting account. “I never thought I’d get ‘fan mail’ for a blog,” said Allen, “but it happens quite a bit these days. And the blog format lets me do what I enjoy most – write. It provides an informal format that invites me to share information on a variety of topics on a regular basis.”

This original WickedBlog was recently joined by sister-site www.WickedTreo.com, a specialized blog dedicated to helping real estate agents, consultants, entrepreneurs and writers use the Palm Treo 650 to manage their mobile careers.

Allen uses GeekLog, an open source weblog system to power both blogs. “Geeklog is a great format. This system lets me write live online from my office or on the road using my Treo. The blog helps keep me connected and expressive,” said Allen, who admits she’s kept journals since the age of seven.

“Many of my clients hesitate to blog because they feel they aren’t ‘good writers’ or they don’t want to ‘open up’ to the world,” said Allen. “I urge them to utilize the blog format to share their passion for their business and encourage them to be confident enough to show their more ‘personal’ side. Why? Because I know it works.”

Allen says potential clients usually contact her after reading one of her articles, a few blogs entries, or being referred personally by another client. She says these clients express that they feel comfortable working with her because they already feel that they know her. “In a service industry like mine,” said Allen “that’s a serious advantage over the competition.”

Angela L. Allen is a writer, Internet marketing consultant and consummate technology hobbyist/geek. She has published articles in print media, online and writes monthly columns for the real estate industry, agents and brokers in ePOWER! News. WickedWordCraft.com is located on a rural farm in the beautiful backwoods of Dunnville, KY, 42528 and serves clients across the globe.

Why did I start Wicked WordCraft?

As I prepare to launch the new “makeover” of WickedWordCraft, I notice how much “sleeker” the new site feels, how it’s less “fluffy” around the edges. It’s less “cute” and I feel a bit nostalgic about the beginnings of Wicked and why I took this path, several years ago. And, I notice all that’s changed for me, for my business and for the Internet since I did.

Like the recent “facelift” here at WWC, the Internet is an example of “new school” over the traditional advertising and print media models that we all know. The Internet is a complex, organic media and it requires a complete rethinking of traditional concepts of marketing. What worked a few years ago — a photo and text printed on the traditional printed page, doesn’t work now. Effective modern modes of marketing require more fluid, dynamic and interactive approaches to communication. Continue reading

Outsourcing Leaders Join to Launch Network of Remote Specialists

Outsourcing veterans launch a new membership-only network for outsourcing specialist, experienced virtual assistants and skilled offsite providers.

(PRWEB) July 20, 2005 — Outsourcing is no longer exclusively a tool of corporations. Small businesses are discovering a competitive edge through access to the talents of specialists. The difficulty for small businesses is the time and effort involved in sifting through thousands of offsite options to locate those providers best suited for their needs.

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Black Hats and SEO Blues: Forums Heat Up Over Search Engine Tactics

What will be the outcome of Microsoft’s latest controversial approach to high ranks in Google’s search engine? SEO expert forums are buzzing over these alleged “black hat SEO” tactics.According to the Information Security Glossary, White Hat hackers are those who perform hacking for legitimate reasons — like testing security systems for flaws and holes. Black Hats, on the other hand, perform clandestine activities for malicious reasons.

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