Are Blogs Better Than Websites, On ARRiiVE Radio

Recently at ARRiiVE: Innovation In Business Radio Show, CEO Scott Andrews discussed the topic: "Are Blogs Better Than Websites?"

Visit http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798 to listen to the show.

Trading A Stethoscope For A Blog

Want an inspiring story about a blogger who entertained so much success he recently quit his M.D. practice to blog full-time?

This is a story first published on July 21, 2008 in the New York Times about Dr. Arnold Kim, the founder of MacRumors, a leading gossip and technology rumor site about Apple, indicating he hung up his stethoscope to focus on growing his blog's success. What blog is it? MacRumors.com.

MacRumors is not an ordinary blog:

By the numbers:

Traffic: 4.4 Million visitors per month (source: Quantcast.com)
Page Views: 40 Million Page views per month (source: Quantcast.com)
Value: Over $25 Million.

(Note: Quantcast tends to estimate traffic numbers LOWER than actual real numbers I've witnessed. Therefore, as of this posting, MacRumors probably has well over 5 Million visitors, making it high enough traffic to easily justify over $10K a month in ADS ALONE!)

According to the NY Times article about Dr. Kim leaving his medical profession to focus on MacRumors:

"The site placed MacRumors No. 2 on a list of the “25 most valuable blogs,” right behind Gawker Media and ahead of The Huffington Post, PerezHilton.com, and TechCrunch. Two of the other tech-oriented blogs on its list, Ars Technica and PaidContent, were sold earlier this year, reportedly for sums in excess of $25 million."

Get this: MacRumors has more traffic than either Ars Technica and PaidContent combined, therefore making worth easily more than $25 million in possible value!

Dr. Kim's secret? TRAFFIC.

On his personal blog, last month he posted this answer to how his blog makes money:

“It boiled down to one simple accomplishment: building traffic. That’s it. If you have a site that attracts a lot of visitors, you will be able to make money. On the Internet, traffic equals power, which subsequently equals money.”

So, if you're wondering how to do this yourself, I'd suggest the following:

1. Find a topic many people will care about. Rumors about Apple, a private company that guards secrets with a loyal following in the millions, clearly is one of those topics.

2. Write well. MacRumors articles are extremely well-written..

3. Write often. MacRumors posts 2 - 4 articles PER DAY. His articles use the short, couple of paragraphs-type format, which makes it easier to post more often.

4. Stay with it. MacRumors started in 2000. That's about the same time I started AspireNow.com. I think if I'd posted as much content to AspireNow as Dr. Kim posted to MacRumors, I'd have a website worth a lot, too.

5. Build a solid website structure. MacRumors is logical, and covers a WIDE variety of sub-topics related to the core - everything from iPhone to MacAir, from WebCam to Earnings Releases.

6. Cultivate a following. MacRumors has an active comment section: some articles get hundreds of comments within just a month or two.

7. Post ads in logical places. MacRumors posts a banner ad across the top of the blog. Another set of Google image ads run smack dab in the middle of his articles. I counted two block image ads that also take a lot of space up. He places Amazon and MacMall ads as his "Mall" in the upper right sidebar - a prime spot on his page. He's gone pro: more than that, MacRumors' advertising is now professionally managed.

Considering Dr. Kim invested over $200,000 in his education and enjoyed practicing medicine, clearly he had to have a lot of success with the blog to justify that switch.

What other ideas do you have for building a website or blog into such a huge success that you can leave your professional job behind?

Comment below to share your thoughts!
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

Why Blogs Are Better Than Websites

Are you trying to figure out the difference between blogs and traditional websites?

Guess what: you're not alone!

We know there are more and more blogs posting content on the web. But why?

The quick and dirty answer is that blogs, over time, create more interactivity and traffic than regular websites, partly because it is easier to post to blogs and search engines love "content-rich" websites. The more complicated version will go into SEO tactics, describe "RSS feeds", talk about the "long tail" of comment responders, and more.

Are you confused yet?

One of my friends wrote me a message over at my Plaxo Group, Blogging for Business this week:

"Hi Scott,

I am fairly confused with blogs.....it seems just like a website, unless you have traffic what is the point? I did use blogcatalogue and have found my name under it when I search....so I think it might have helped? I am still kind of confused what rss feed does?

Slightly clueless,"

Can you relate? I remember when I first discovered how blogs were changing the Web 2.0 world and how I felt similar to my friend who posted this comment. Not only that, but I knew that I had to understand what was going on with blogs when I read how one blogger made over $10K a month off Google ads alone! Well, on my journey, I've spent probably over 500 hours researching blogs, SEO, traffic tactics, and all the related stuff about making money online. In the process, I've become sort of an "expert" on this stuff, to the point where people now pay me (hint, hint) to consult re: how to set-up their blog. So, I bet you're curious to know what I said back, right?

My response:

"The biggest difference between a blog and a static 1.0 website is the power of COMMENT TRAILS and RSS FEEDS. (Edit: it is also easier to post articles, widgets, and make changes to website layout, which I failed to mention!)

INTERACTIVITY IS KEY

Comment trails involve people more over time than static web pages. Interactive = success with the Internet. Just remember I for I: Interactive for Internet is always a good rule.

RSS FEEDS SYNDICATE YOUR CONTENT

The RSS feed enables ANYONE else to subscribe to your blog. It also enables people to SYNDICATE your content. This means more people can easily get your news sent to them rather than having to go to your site to get it. Still don't get it?

Watch this:



Watch this, too:



There's a lot more at:
http://arriive.blogspot.com/search/label/Blogging%20For%20Success

Especially, read/listen to this:

http://arriive.blogspot.com/2008/04/blogging-for-business.html

BTW- you're not clueless - just catching up - like many! Dive in and go for it!"

Now, I'm working up a new version of my blogging system, but I'll probably just offer it as a one-time "buy this to get started" kind of thing, rather than a monthly subscription. Why? I'm too busy blogging and helping my customers blog more successfully!

http://www.howbloggersmakemoney.com/

Contact me if you're looking for one-to-one help with your blog or to get help with obtaining Top 10 Google position.
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

How Bloggers Make Money On The Net

Have you been reading about bloggers making money online and thinking about jumping on the blog bandwagon?

Before you do, consider this:

Less than 1% of blogs make any significant money.

Okay, now that you know this, you might want to know what the successful bloggers do to break free from the pack of other bloggers and make more money.

How bloggers make money from web blogs:

1. Successful bloggers use a clean and simple design.

With a design that is easy to navigate and makes it easy to (a) subscribe, (b) follow, (c) read, and (d) drill down into articles, a blog is highly more likely to keep the visitors they attract longer and also draw more repeat visitors.

2. Successful bloggers provide high quality, original, and unique content.

If you're providing information on video cameras, you might provide a series of articles reviewing cameras. Other times, you can provide information comparing one type of camera to another. In other blog posts, you might highlight how people capture images using new techniques. You may engage bloggers by holding contests. You could request a guest post. Or, you might ask other people for feedback about an idea. The more interactive you make your blog, the higher the traffic you'll receive.

3. Successful bloggers publish consistently and often.

I've noticed that the most successful bloggers publish between 5 and 20 articles per week. That's a lot of writing. They are also consistent. I think there are ways to boost production twofold that won't take that much more time, by writing more reviews of books, technology, and techniques. We'll see how this technique pays off in the upcoming months.

4. Successful bloggers optimize by spreading the word.

You can spread the word for your blog by burning your feed to various feedburning engines. Another technique is to post into forums and other blogs, and link back to your blog. Last, you can also use technology, like blog rolls, or directories, like Stumble Upon, Digg, Blog Carnivals, Facebook and other means, to promote the traffic to your blog.

These are the tenements of the blogs I've seen that make money. Most bloggers don't get immediately success. The most successful blogs I've seen took months to build. Some of the best blogs took years before they took off. And, the rules of the game have changed. Many new blogs are taking longer to reach the tipping point because so many more people are blogging. Commit to a long-term strategy and follow your plan regularly, and your blog is much more likely to enable you to make money from your blog.
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

The Best Times To Post To A Blog

Many bloggers have asked me the best and worst times to post to their blog. Amanda at BloggerBuster posted a nicely researched article on the best times - and the worst times, to post.

Compiling data from over 10,000 posts at Digg, Jake Luciani at 3rd rail created a filter of delicious, digg, reddit, and mixx posts to determine the absolute best times and worst times to publish your new articles. Apparently, the best times to post are between 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. PST.

Based upon the filter of his search, Jake suggests that the time period between Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. PST and 2:00p.m. PST Friday is the BEST time to post your blog or website articles.


Conversely, the time period of late at night, early in the morning, on the weekend, or on Monday is probably the worst time to publish your blog posts and website articles.


Although I don't think like a programmer, I can appreciate the common sense to this information. Please give some props to Jake Luciani at 3rd Rail for taking the time and putting forth the effort to answer this question for those of us who are a bit more "non-techie"!


In light of this information, I'll test Jake's theory and publish this article on Thursday at Noon PST.
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.
Want to learn more about blogging? Visit http://www.howbloggersmakemoney.com/.

Can I Make Money Blogging?

Ask people like ShoeMoney.com, who has made six figures blogging, and he'll likely say, "Yep. It's possible to make money blogging."

ShoeMoney, a site where a geeky blogger racked up a check from Google for over $100,000 (and continues to rake in the bucks), simply offers ways to make money online through blogging, marketing, and so forth.



Ask Steve Pavlina. He has a site, http://www.stevepavlina.com/, where he boasts that he made over $10K a month from his Adsense off his blog.

Ask Darren Rouse. As of the time he posted this article, he claimed that "AdSense is how I earn around 35% of my income" and knowing that he also has claimed to earn over $250K a year blogging, that means he's scoring over $85K a year from Adsense, alone.

These bloggers are all making money from the flagship blog approach, where one giant blog in a market niche draws enough traffic to warrant significant advertising opportunities.

Other people have quit their day job to be bloggers:

Labnol shares how he makes money from adsense and also some numbers from other blog-related sites.

Learn more about a guy who quit his day gig to blog full-time here: ZenHabits.com story.

You can create programs for affiliate income off of your blog, too. Here's a printout of the money CashForBloggers.com made from an affiliate program:

$1,910 just from one month of promoting a model dating site.

Sure, there's other ways to make money from blogs, whether guest posting, creating multiple niche affiliate blogs, Splogs (automated blogs), or even maintaining blogs for other people. All of these are ways to make money from blogging. In addition, the voice of the blog may lead to consulting agreements or other contractual work in the off-line world that could develop into a healthy income for you, too.

Blogs also help you create e-books and books about various subjects.

There's many benefits from blogging. But, in case you haven't seen the numbers before, I just thought it might be worth sharing a few examples of people who are making a ton of money blogging.

Is this inspiring to you? It was to me!
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

Blogging For Business

Want to learn why more and more businesses are jumping on the Blogging bandwagon?

Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions recently spoke to a group in California on this subject. This is a talk that Scott normally charges $30 per person to attend. For a short time only, Scott is offering the talk here for free:

Visit Talkshoe for the recording of the talk on Blogging For Business:
http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/audioPop.jsp?episodeId=106803&cmd=apop

To View the Blogging For Business related Slides:
http://www.slideshare.net/ARRiiVE/blogging-022408-344962/ or just click here:

View Upload your own

Please let us know if you have any feedback regarding this talk, or contact http://www.arriive.com/ for assistance with your own business blog.
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.
Follow the ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Show at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798.

The Surest Way To Blogging Riches

You're invited to "The Surest Way To Blogging Riches," a Teleconference Call on Thursday, February 21, 2008, at 5:00PM PST.

(Click here to order the audio recording of the teleconference for $29.00 + $6.00 in Shipping and Handling and skip reading this post.) (Note: Orders are to AspireNow Publishing.)

Much of my success blogging on the web comes from my ability to create and implement a simple approach to blogs in order to quickly build a list and make money online with my blog.

I'm not really a problogger by trade and I can say that you don't have to be a blogging guru to build a nice-looking, streamlined blog that puts cash in your pocket and builds traffic (and business) for your organization's website.

You do; however, have to know techniques available to you... even a poor job blogging is greater than no blog at all.

Discover why blogs have grown from less then 1 million blogs in 2000 to over 70 million blogs in November 2007. Are you missing out? Not only that, but if you’ve started a blog, and you’re floundering around the net spending hours upon hours trying to figure out how to launch your blog the right way, this teleconference is certainly for you.

What can you expect to learn on this powerful web & telephone conference session:

> Find out if blogging is for you and your business … know if you should spend time (and money) blogging.
> How to master blogging if you are on a limited time or money budget… get your blog designed twice as good in half the time.
> Create better layouts… capture more leads, create better blogging atmospheres.
> Eliminate loopholes in blogs… keep visitors on your site and gain more selling opportunities.
> Learn the TWO TOP ways to monetize your blogs… learn how to make money from blogging.
> Discover the BEST PLACEMENT for ads… maximize ad revenue from ads.
> Learn this one secret to getting traffic to your blog… if they don't know you exist you can't sell them anything!
> Find out the secret ways you can expand your business blogging… learn what the experts hardly ever tell you. YOU MUST LEARN ABOUT THIS IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO BUSINESS BLOG SERIOUSLY.

I learned this information hard way: through hours and hours and hours of my precious time spent digging around on the web, probably getting coke-bottle-thick glasses and most certainly sore eyes. You don’t have to do that!

I know, it seems almost too good to be true that I’d share all of these secrets on a teleconference for only $29, but I’m in a generous mood, and I’m also trying to eliminate the number of pre-calls for the Profitable Business Blogging Program, so it serves two purposes at once to offer this at such a great price. Not only that, but I’m going to be offering several exciting discounts and affiliate programs for my flagship turnkey blogging system, http://www.howbloggersmakemoney.com/ during the conference call.

Get a discount on 1-on-1 follow-ups, hot-seat coaching calls, and more during the conference call.

And, as always with all of my training calls, much, much more!

I’m limiting this opportunity for this call to only 10 people, so we can keep questions focused and have time to help everyone. I’m expecting this to sell out quickly, so click here to sign up now and get scheduled for the call!

(Note: Orders are Payable to AspireNow Publishing)

Common Questions – Better Answers!
“What Widgets Should I Put On My Blog?” -- “The XXXX-XX Box Is Your Most Important Widget. I’ll show you where it needs to be and ways to format this widget for success.”
“How Do I Know What To Write?” – “People often suffer writer’s block. I’ll help you learn how to blow through blocks and create story lines that attract attention.”
“How do I know which ad programs to join?” – “Some ad programs might make you money, but take hours to administer. I’m a little lazy and way to busy to mess with things that don’t work. I’ll show you what I do to cut the cr*p and get more $$ in less time.”

By now, you probably realize that the best way to teach you all of this would be do a “Vulcan Mind Meld” and transfer all of my knowledge to you. But, I can’t do that because my name is Scott, not Spock (Hee Hee Hee). So, the next best thing is to hear it from my mouth. I’ll also be offering some website references, links, and an online slide show to help reinforce what I’m talking about during the call.

There’s a lot of information we can cover in two hours, and we’ll have both a web-chat room to type in questions during the conference call, and on-line slides to help follow the main points, as well as the phone line where you can dial-in direct and ask me questions.

Normally, I charge $200 an hour to pick my mind about ways to market your business. This group rate at $29 for 2 hours lowers my rate to an effective rate of only $14.50 for this call! It’s a steal and the line will fill up fast, so get signed up today:

(Note: Orders are payable to AspireNow Publishing)

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Copyright © 2007-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Want More? SUBSCRIBE.

ARRiiVE helps you grow traffic and money from blogs. Visit: Profitable Business Blogging.

When Not To Blog?

Recent conversations about blogging have caused me to find many businesspeople think that blogging will burn too much time. This led me to ponder the topic, "When Not To Blog?"

Seriously, is there a BAD business concept or a WRONG person for blogging?

Truthfully, the answer is YES. Some people would be better off NOT blogging than blogging.

Before you jump up and say, "Aha! I knew it. Blogging is a waste of time for a company like mine," I'd like to clarify what I mean by addressing a few of the myths about blogging:

1. "Blogging is a time-suck." If you are too busy to blog, you probably shouldn't blog. That said, I thought I was too busy to blog when I started blogging. But, I started blogging anyway. As a result, I now have over three hundred blog posts and heading towards my goal of 500 on a pretty decent clip. It started with creating the blog, then creating the blogging practice. I don't watch as much television. I don't play music quite as much as I used to. And, I don't goof off. I am very alert of how I spend my time, and spend it wisely. I also allocate time for blogging, so that it isn't like I'm blogging 24/7, either. So, before you discount blogging as a time-suck that you can't afford, consider TRYING it for a couple of months FIRST.

2. "Blogging isn't a fit for my industry." I've heard this for the real estate market, especially. Most people who think blogging isn't good for their industry do not understand the power of a blog. First of all, a blog is about TELLING A STORY. You can create a character and tell a story easier on blogs and on e-mail marketing than in any platform ever available to marketers before in history. Even Direct-Mail isn't as good, because Direct Mail is expensive. Why don't realtors see that they could feature a "deal of the day" or "home with a story" or featured listings on their blog? Why don't realtors understand that if people don't feel like they know you they might not feel like doing business with you? This applies in other industries, as well. So, if you can say you have a story, you could have a blog.

3. "Blogging will take too long to produce any rewards or ad money." Well, if your sole purpose in blogging is just for the ad money, I'll agree that blogging isn't really the best form of getting rich quick. In fact, some bloggers never make money from their blog (although, I'll argue that they probably haven't optimized their blog for high growth yet - my firm can help - hint, hint). Keep in mind that the rewards you get from blogging are NOT just ad revenue. You will also be positioned as an "expert" in your industry from your blogging articles. In addition, you'll gain stronger backlinks to your website - a crux of strength for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and you'll gain an easier way for people to post comments about your content. It's far better than website feedback. Last, you may get jobs from blog posts that you would not get from a website that functions as an "online billboard".

So, before you discount whether or not blogging is for you, consider challenging these common myths. If you need any assistance with setting up a new blog, try http://www.howbloggersmakemoney.com. There's going to be a whole new launch initiative for that site on February 19, 2008, so keep your eyes peeled!

When deciding when to post to your blog, I have found that I prefer to post late at night or early in the morning, as more people will read the blog posts first thing in the morning when they check their email. However, I see the best boost from articles posted during the week than articles posted on the weekend. I will sometimes break that formula with my self help blog, AspireNow. So, experiment with the best time to post to your blog and have fun with it.

One last thing: If you've dabbled in blogging and decided that YOU don't personally have time to blog for your business, that still doesn't mean that a blog wouldn't benefit your business or business website. If you think about it, how many jobs in your company do you handle yourself? Perhaps, hiring an outside blogger to help you write your blog posts is the answer for you. If so, I have a network of Freelancers who can help you. Contact me and I'll hook you up.

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Copyright © 2007-2008 Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Want More? SUBSCRIBE.

ARRiiVE helps you grow traffic and money from blogs. Visit: Profitable Business Blogging.

An Inspiring Story

Here's a guy who left his day job to focus his efforts 100% on blogging, of all things:

http://zenhabits.net/2008/01/so-i-quit-my-day-job-holy-cow-i-took-the-plunge/#comment-25294

ZenHabits.net is a very nicely designed website. I like it for the simplicity of design.

If you dream to fire your boss, like Leo at ZenHabits did, consider shaving months of investment time off the process by using the Profitable Business Blogging system at http://www.howbloggersmakemoney.com.

Kudos to Leo - we wish Zen Habits a ton of success!
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Copyright © 2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Want More? SUBSCRIBE. We care about your success: share your success stories with us and we'll replublish a link to your site!

Syndicate Your News with RSS Feeds

The Secret Power Behind Blogs: THE RSS FEED

Ever wonder why a blog is better than a website? Well, if you ask me, it's mostly because it's (1) easy to publish articles and (2) people can find you.

"Come again?" you might ask. Yep, people find you. Not like a normal website, but through the POWER OF THE RSS FEED.

RSS - The best definition of RSS FEEDS means Really Simple Syndication. That's right, you're now in the business of syndicating.

Here's a video that explains it further.

Now you know more about how RSS works. Remember, it's like going to your favorite sites to get the news, but better yet, the news comes to you!

What's really cool about this is that through the power of the comment trail, the RSS, and easy posting, a blog can grow traffic exponentially.

Let me know how your own blog grows.
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Copyright © 2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All rights reserved. Video Copyright © 2008 by Lee LeFevre (the CommonCraft Show). Thanks, Lee (no infringement intended).ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

SUBSCRIBE to boost your blogging success. See also Profitable Business Blogging.

Blogs In Plain English

Are you interested in blogging? One of the best introductions to blogging I've found is through Common Craft, who in this short video demonstrates the simple power of blogging and ways to get started:



What's great about this intro is how Lee shows you the various ways you can start blogging, and pretty much directs you to either blogger, which this blog currently uses, or WordPress, which many established bloggers use. Both services are free and get you up and running with minimal hassle (blogger being the easier of the two, WordPress offering more robust features).

If you're seeking additional techniques to jump into the Blogging foray more quickly, you may be interested in my upcoming teleconference on Blogging For Business. I'm sharing secrets and proven techniques that may help you make a lot more money in a lot less time from your blog.

Learn more by Googling in "ARRiiVE" and "blog" or if you want the robust system of how bloggers make money I've been developing, visit http://www.howbloggersmakemoney.com

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Copyright © 2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All rights reserved. Video Copyright © 2008 by Lee LeFevre (the CommonCraft Show). Thanks, Lee (no infringement intended).

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Blog Better Now: SUBSCRIBE to boost your blogging success. See also Profitable Business Blogging.

A Year's Worth Of Blogging Ideas

Several real estate professionals have recently asked me how a Realtor might approach blogging. Well, here's one blogger who has some ideas, and has compiled a year's worth of blogging ideas in one link:

http://www.rsspieces.com/a-yearrs-worth-of-real-estate-blog-ideas

This blogger, Mary McKnight, if focusing on ways real estate professionals might blog. Of course, her blog is more of a blog about blogging, and is intended to lead you to purchase a website design. Nevertheless, I found a few nuggets browsing through this link.
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Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

New to blogging? Save yourself time and hassle: http://www.howbloggersmakemoney.com/

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

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