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John L. Dilbeck's News Archive
John L. Dilbeck's Ramblings
Whatever strange and wonderful ideas tickle this big brain of mine.
ISSN: 1533-8193
Being a voracious reader, I go through lots of news and stories. When I find one of interest that I think will benefit you, I write about it here. Your feedback is always welcome.
News Archives
(See menu at left for the old archives.)
January 2005
Rural Home Business... Room For Hope?
Posted by johndilbeck on Wednesday, January 26 2005 at 6:57 PM
Category: ramblings
Chuck Huckaby writes The Work at Home Secrets BLOG! and regularly posts interesting articles and links.
Recently, he wrote about a study written by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. The study is available in PDF format and is 3.2 megabytes in size. (I'm downloading the report as I'm writing this.)
This article, Rural Home Business... Room For Hope?, has a link to the report.
Those of us living in rural areas have watched our friends and neighbors move from agriculture to manufacturing and now the manufacturing jobs are disappearing.
What's left? How do you earn a living in an area where there are no jobs, or not enough jobs, or jobs that just don't pay a livable wage?
I just skimmed through the 68 pages in this report and there is a lot more information about rural living than just jobs. I'll be spending more time reading this in the next few days. If you are interested in sustainable living in the rural south, even if you don't live in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama (the states covered in this report), you'll find interesting reading.
Updated: After reading more of the report during the last few minutes, I found that this is part of the Kids Count project, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and there is much more information about the project and other projects funded by the foundation on their website.
Why you should start your own blog
Posted by johndilbeck on Wednesday, January 26 2005 at 6:10 PM
Category: ramblings
In his Second income Ideas blog, Dennis Mellersh offers ideas and information about earning extra income.
In his article, Why you should start your own blog, Dennis offers seven common-sense reasons for creating your own blog.
Archaeological Digs!
Posted by johndilbeck on Wednesday, January 26 2005 at 6:02 PM
Category: ramblings
For years, I've been interested in archaeology and the work done by scientists and volunteers to expand our knowledge of what has gone before us.
Lately, I've been reading Paul McLerran's new blog to see what's available in dig opportunities. He says:
Archaeological digs have become an increasingly popular way for retired individuals, students, and others to spend their vacation and travel time and to expand their educational horizons. Look here for archaeological and paleontological dig opportunities and field schools as well as narratives of volunteer experiences and other things ancient.
If you know someone who is interested in this subject, I invite you to spread the word about Paul's new blog.
Why Advertising, Marketing and PR Pros Should Blog by Bob Cargill
Posted by johndilbeck on Wednesday, January 19 2005 at 10:20 AM
Category: marketing
In a three part series of postings in his blog, A Fine Kettle of Fish, Bob Cargill lists 10 reasons why blogging is becoming more important for people in our industry. See Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
I think the reasons he outlines are just as applicable to people in a wide variety of other fields.
Why wouldn't a real estate agent, for instance, maintain a blog of listings and sales? This would provide great information about the local business and it would be a great place to add more information about the area and the reasons to relocate there. Over time, this could be a repository of knowledge that would never make it to a website because it is so much easier to blog than it is to update a website.
The usefulness of a blog for a travel agent is likewise rather obvious, in my opinion. What better way to tell us of new specials or trips the agent has recently taken. A blog would offer a convenient way to inform clients and potential clients of the good, bad, and ugly in the travel business.
I won't continue to list examples. Either you "get it" or you don't.
Customized Replicated Websites for Marketing and Advertising (Part One)
Posted by johndilbeck on Wednesday, January 19 2005 at 10:04 AM
Category: marketing
I'm going to be writing a series of articles about what I've come to call customized replicated websites, for lack of a better term. I'm sure there is a particular name for this, but I'm not aware of it at this time.
An example of this kind of site is Affiliate Showcase. I've been a free member of this site for a couple of years and I'm just now coming to understand how these sites work.
I'm a pretty bright guy, but I've failed to understand the bigger picture until recently.
Basically, as I understand it now, someone creates a site -- in this case an affiliate directory that lists thousands of affiliate programs. Then, they offer a free site to anyone who signs up. This free member can modify any affiliate programs to which they belong so that the link has their affiliate code in it. Anyone who purchases from that link earns the free member a commission. Anyone who signs up for an affiliate showcase of their own will inherit the links from the person who refers them.
This means that, assuming I'm the first one to sign up, my free site will inherit all the links from the site owner, which I'll call the top-level.
I can change as many links as I want and I can join as many of the programs as appeal to me. I can also suggest new affiliate programs and they'll go into the database with my affiliate code, if accepted. This means that some of the links on my page are second-level (the ones I modify) or top-level (the ones I add).
(Please note: This has changed since the last time I checked a few months ago. Now, only paid executive members can add links to new programs.)
If you follow my link and get a free site of your own, your pages will inherit the top-level links of the site owner, the top-level links of the programs I'm first to suggest, and the second-level links that I modified.
Thus, I, and you, are free to customize our replicated sites with our own links. We are free to suggest new programs that are not in the database.
But, any links that aren't modified or added, inherit the top-level links from the site owner/creator. I'm not suggesting this is a bad thing. In fact, I think it's proper for the creator/maintainer of the site to be compensated for the work done to create the system and to market it. That's what affiliate programs are all about.
Since I'm free to modify the links I want to, and I'm free to join any of the affiliate programs that appeal to me, then I can get into the compensation chain. When you sign up below me, you can modify and/or join any of the programs you want and insert yourself into the compensation chain.
And so it goes. Someone signs up under you and someone under that person, and so on. Each replicated site inherits a mix of your links and links modified or created by your upline.
By advertising your page, you are marketing for not just yourself, but for those who are in the upline -- and this is normal, too. Some programs don't let you build downlines. Some offer two-level downlines. Others offer multi-level downlines. By advertising one page, you can market a wide range of programs, some of which you'll earn from, and others your upline will earn from.
Obviously, the individuals or team that create the site and hold the top-level positions are in line to earn the most commissions. But, generally, that's not the only income stream. Most of these sites, including Affiliate Showcase, offer paid membership subscriptions. Some offer two or more different paid subscriptions with varying features.
With Affiliate Showcase, you can upgrade to Pro or Executive levels, and each offers more customization of the featured ads on the home page of the site. If you are a free member, you can't modify the most prominent ads, so your upline (all the way back to the first paid member who placed the ads) are the only ones who can earn from transactions initiated by those ads. If you want to replace the ads, you must upgrade to paid status.
Since it's an affiliate program, the person who referred you will earn a percentage of your upgrade payment as a commission. Paid members earn a higher percentage than free members.
Again, I don't think there's anything wrong with this, it's just not obvious the first time you are exposed to the site -- at least, it wasn't obvious to me.
Since the large ads on the home page are the ones most likely to grab your attention, I would think they would be the ones that earn the most. I don't know this for a fact, but I'm considering upgrading my membership to see how well it works.
Two years ago, when I signed up, I had no traffic to my sites, not much experience with affiliate programs, no experience with multilevel or network marketing, and not enough money to upgrade to paid status, so I never really marketed the Affiliate Showcase site.
Now, I'm going to advertise it and see what happens. Since I've joined several hundred affiliate programs during the learning phase of my online marketing business, I'll search for those and upgrade my links. I probably won't add many programs if they're not already in the database.
As an experiment, I'd like to invite you to follow the link and sign up for your free Affiliate Showcase site. Sign up for any of the affiliate programs that strike your fancy, and be sure to modify the link by clicking on the edit link and adding your affiliate code.
Let's see how many levels deep we can build this network in the next six months. Let's also see if we earn enough income from our experiment to make it worthwhile to upgrade to pro status. This is especially useful if you are an affiliate with SFI Marketing Group or Cognigen, both of which are in the database. Search for the program and edit your link so that anyone who signs up under you will inherit your link code.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be talking about other sites that I've found that follow this or a similar system, and we can see how they work, too.
At this point, I'm not asking anyone to upgrade to paid status, unless you can afford it and feel it is worth the risk. In that case, it's up to you.
I'm mainly wondering what happens as we get more people signing up for the free sites and then promoting them.
I'll report back as I see any results.
Over the next few days, I'll be introducing sites that are designed to increase traffic to your sites, build downlines, offer free advertising, and more, and some of these programs are already listed in the Affiliate Showcase.
At this point, I'm not entirely sure it's worth the effort, but I've been talking to a couple of people who swear by it.
My main strategy is still to build sites and blogs with good content and optimize each page for good search engine placement. But, I can see the benefit of trying some of the customized replicated sites, too.
Feel free to tell me your experiences with these types of sites and what you think about them.
Cherokee County Mountain Lions Fundraiser -- Murphy, NC 28906 -- January 15, 2005
Posted by johndilbeck on Friday, January 14 2005 at 3:46 PM
Category: cherokee_county_nc
The Cherokee County Mountain Lions will be selling candy at the Murphy Wal*Mart on Saturday, January 15, 2005 from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm.
Please help us help others see. Your support is greatly appreciated.
For more information, call Evelyn at 828-837-8808.
Chamber of Commerce Fundraiser -- Murphy, NC 28906 -- February 24, 2005
Posted by johndilbeck on Friday, January 14 2005 at 4:33 AM
Category: cherokee_county_nc
The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce is expanding its offices and visitors' center -- its first facelift in almost 30 years.
Chamber board members have already raised $9,000 towards the estimated price tag of $60,000 - $70,000 for the project.
An auction of donated items to help raise funds will be held at the Ballroom in downtown Murphy on Thursday, February 24, 2005 (time unknown). Admission is $15 per person or $20 per couple.
For more information, call 237-2242.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast -- Texana Community -- January 17, 2005
Posted by johndilbeck on Friday, January 14 2005 at 4:10 AM
Category: cherokee_county_nc
Martin Luther King, Jr. will be remembered at the annual breakfast at the Texana Community Center on Monday, January 17, 2005 starting at 8:00 am.
At the 13th annual remembrance breakfast, there will be singing, fellowship, and a message from guest speaker Claude Stewart, interim pastor at Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Murphy.
The founder and organizer of the event, Ella Jackson, invites people to come and talk about Dr. King and how he and what he believed in has changed their lives, according to an article in the January 12, 2005 issue of the Cherokee Scout written by the new editor, John Carson.
The price of the breakfast is $5.00. No reservations are needed and all are invited to attend.
Churches Sponsor Free Dental Clinic -- Peachtree Community
Posted by johndilbeck on Monday, January 10 2005 at 5:05 PM
Category: cherokee_county_nc
Truett Baptist Association of Churches is sponsoring a dental clinic to be available for working people who are not eligible for Medicaid or who do not have dental insurance.
This clinic will be staffed by volunteer dentists, assistants, nurses, and clerical personnel. The start-up date will be February-March, 2005.
The fully-equipped dental office is being donated by Murphy Medical Center and the Clay County Health Department. So the only funds needed will be for dental supplies, equipment, and salary for dental assistants.
Patients will be required to bring proof of income to meet the guidelines.
Any person or business who would like to be part of this effort may send tax-deductible donations to Truett Baptist Association of Churches, 2235 N.C. 141, Marble, NC 28905.
For details about eligibility and appointments, call the association office at 828-837-5401.
Are you serious about building a home business?
Posted by johndilbeck on Friday, January 7 2005 at 5:05 AM
Category: home_business
If not, stop reading.
I'm looking for serious people who are willing to spend at least one hour per day marketing their home-based business and at least one dollar per day investing in it.
Angel Food Ministries January Order -- Murphy, NC 28906 -- January 10, 2005
Posted by johndilbeck on Friday, January 7 2005 at 4:41 AM
Category: nonprofits
The deadline for placing your order for Angel Food Ministries January delivery is Monday, January 10, 2005. The cost for each box is $25.
All orders must be in the office of First United Methodist Church in Murphy, NC, no later than noon on Monday, January 10, 2005.
The distribution day for your order is Saturday, January 22, 2005. If you are picking up an order, please bring a large box for the food.
Send checks for January menu items to First United Methodist Church, Attention: Roger Williams, Angel Food Ministries, PO Box 86, Murphy, NC 28906.
For more information, call Roger Williams at 828-837-5921 or call the church at 828-837-2718.
Angel Food Ministries has a website at www.AngelFoodMinistries.com which has more information.
Angel Food Ministries reserves the right to substitute any of the above items. Food stamps will also be accepted.
New Articles Published on AYearFromNow.com
Posted by johndilbeck on Wednesday, January 5 2005 at 12:04 PM
Category: ramblings
I published several new articles on A Year From Now this morning.
Romeo Downer tells us it is never too late to achieve those dreams of our childhood. Learn from his tale of becoming a Caribbean Artist.
R. G. Srinivasan urges us to dream big. Don't let others kill your dreams and rob you of achieving what you truly want.
Rena Klingenberg writes, "My handcrafted jewelry business has evolved from a few pairs of earrings displayed on a craft show table, to having my gemstone creations worn by customers in at least 18 countries around the world..."
Colin Dunbar tells us that setting personal goals is very important or your chances of succeeding are reduced dramatically...
Colin Dunbar tells us that a goal setting system should never be complex to use; in fact it should be very easy...
Look for more articles in the near future.
Blog readership jumped 58% in 2004
Posted by johndilbeck on Wednesday, January 5 2005 at 5:33 AM
Category: rss_syndication
It looks like I picked the right year to focus on adding more blogs and more RSS (also known as XML) feeds to my sites!
From the Pew Internet & American Life Project site:
By the end of 2004 blogs had established themselves as a key part of online culture. Two surveys by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in November established new contours for the blogosphere: 8 million American adults say they have created blogs; blog readership jumped 58% in 2004 and now stands at 27% of internet users; 5% of internet users say they use RSS aggregators or XML readers to get the news and other information delivered from blogs and content-rich Web sites as it is posted online; and 12% of internet users have posted comments or other material on blogs. Still, 62% of internet users do not know what a blog is.
If you're one of the 62% who don't know what a blog is or what RSS is all about, let me recommend the following sites to start learning about them.
RSS was co-developed by Dave Winer and you should read about Radio Userland, the product I use to manage this blog and nearly 5,000 pages on several websites. Also, be sure to read All about RSS.
Another good resource, and one that keeps getting better, is written by Ken Evoy. One of Ken's claims to fame is presiding over the company that developed Site Build It!, which I think is the best web design, hosting, and promotion service on the planet. I am one very happy customer. The product just keeps getting better. Visit the Site Build It! link first so you can see where he's coming from. Then, go read the information he wrote about RSS: Really Simple Syndication for his Site Build It! customers.
I spent several months in late 2004 developing my blogging infrastructure and staking my claim on several blogs at blogger.com. Now that the development work is mostly done, I can pass along newsworthy information to a wider audience faster and more efficiently than ever before.
Also, from the other side of the story, I use Radio Userland to read others' RSS feeds using the news aggregator that is built in. I subscribe to a little over 50 feeds and read them on a more-or-less daily basis. It's a lot easier to read the RSS feed and then click on a link that interests me than it is to remember to go to all 50 of those sites and try to find the new information.
I'm to the point now that I'd rather get newsletters and site updates in an RSS feed than in an email message or newsletter.
I have commented on quite a few blogs and I always meet an interesting person on the other end when he or she responds to my comments.
One of the most interesting recent developments -- for me at least -- has been the addition of RSS feeds to the Site Build It! customer forums. Now, instead of having to go to the forum every day, I added the RSS feed and I can easily read down the list of posts to see which ones I want to read and perhaps respond to. This is a very busy forum, and the addition of the RSS feed has shaved a couple of hours off my forum reading time every day.
I think we'll be seeing much more about blogs (also known as weblogs or journals), RSS, XML, and similar topics this year.
If you have a business with information that changes on a regular basis, you should look into blogs and RSS syndication.
Many announcements from SFI Marketing Group this weekend.
Posted by johndilbeck on Monday, January 3 2005 at 10:52 AM
Category: sfi
Gery Carson, founder and president of SFI Marketing group, announced many new changes to the company this weekend. I won't go over all of them here, however. You can see some of the changes in my SFI Blog.
Here are the headlines:
If you're interested in becoming an SFI affiliate, I'd love to welcome you to my team.
Forum is working, again
Posted by johndilbeck on Sunday, January 2 2005 at 5:05 PM
Category: news
I don't know how long my Forum has been unable to display any of the topics in the various boards, but I just tracked down the bug and stomped it.
The forum should be working again.
If you encounter an error, please let me know. My contact info is on the privacy page.
You're invited to join and participate. If you don't see a discussion for something you're very interested in, let me know and I'll consider adding it.
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