Social bookmarking sites generally organize their content using tags. Social bookmarking sites are an increasingly popular way to locate, classify, rank, and share Internet resources through the practice of tagging and inferences drawn from grouping and analysis of tags.

History

The concept of shared online bookmarking dates back to April 1996 with the launch of itList.com. Within the next three years online bookmark services became competitive, with venture-backed companies like Backflip, Blink, Clip2, Hotlinks, Quiver, and others entering the market. Lacking viable models for making money, most of this early generation of social bookmarking companies failed as the dot-com bubble burst. The contemporary concepts of social bookmarking and tagging took root with the launch of the web site oneview in 1999[1] and del.icio.us, in September of 2003.

Functional Overview

In a social bookmarking system, users store lists of Internet resources, which they find useful. Often, these lists are publicly accessible, and other people with similar interests can view the links by category, tags, or even randomly. Some social bookmarking systems allow for privacy on a per-bookmark basis.

They also categorize their resources by the use of informally assigned, user-defined keywords or tags (see folksonomy). Most social bookmarking services allow users to search for bookmarks which are associated with given "tags", and rank the resources by the number of users which have bookmarked them. Many social bookmarking services also have implemented algorithms to draw inferences from the tag keywords that are assigned to resources by examining the clustering of particular keywords, and the relation of keywords to one another.

Advantages

This system has several advantages over traditional automated resource location and classification software, such as search engine spiders. All tag-based classification of Internet resources (such as web sites) is done by human beings, who understand the content of the resource, as opposed to software which algorithmically attempts to determine the meaning of a resource. This provides for semantically classified tags, which are hard to find with contemporary search engines.

Additionally, as people bookmark resources that they find useful, resources that are of more use are bookmarked by more users. Thus, such a system will "rank" a resource based on its perceived utility. This is arguably a more useful metric for end users than other systems which rank resources based on the number of external links pointing to it.

Automatic Notification

Since the classification and ranking of resources is a continuously evolving process, many social bookmarking services allow users to subscribe to syndication feeds (see RSS) based on tags, or collection of tag terms. This allows subscribers to become aware of new resources for a given topic, as they are noted, tagged, and classified by other users.

Disadvantages

There are drawbacks to such tag-based systems as well: no standard set of keywords (also known as controlled vocabulary), no standard for the structure of such tags (e.g. singular vs. plural, capitalization, etc.), mistagging due to spelling errors, tags that can have more than one meaning, unclear tags due to synonym/antonym confusion, highly unorthodox and "personalized" tag schemas from some users, and no mechanism for users to indicate hierarchical relationships between tags (e.g. a site might be labeled as both cheese and cheddar, with no mechanism that might indicate that cheddar is a refinement or sub-class of cheese).

The separate (but related) tagging and social bookmarking services are, however, evolving rapidly, and these shortcomings could possibly be addressed in the near future.

I have read with a tinge of sadness the numerous articles about acne. My sadness stems from the fact that many don't seem to get it. But I'll say it one more time because it is that important.

Acne originates from diet. There…I said it again.

The foundation from which acne makes it appearance stems from diet. I say this again also, you are what you eat. Its as simple as that. Our problem could be that we are missing the forest because there are too many trees.

Don't look for the complex explanation for why acne makes it appearance. Look to the simple explanation first.

If your light bulb goes out when you're in bed reading, do you immediately call the electrician? No…of course you don't. You check to see whether the bulb has blown first. If the bulb is intact, then you check the fuse box right?

Why are we so bent on finding some complex explanation for the cause of acne. Its staring you right in the face.

Understand this; if you sit down to a daily meal of hamburger and french fries, what do you expect to happen? You are supposed to eventually get acne.

Grease and dead meat?

What else do you expect?

The amount of cholesterol in that meal is transferred to your body. It goes to work, slowly but surely setting you up for heart disease, cancer, stroke etc.

Its all in your diet!

Whenever acne rears its ugly whiteheads, the rot has already set in. Acne is a sign of poor food choices. Acne is a certain barometer that the internal body chemistry is unbalanced.

A friend of mine was explaining to me recently how people got acne. He essentially said that the body has a hormone called, (glad I'm writing this), dihydro-testosterone, or more simply DHT. He also told me that everyone has oil glands under the skin. We're on the same page so far.

He went on to tell me that acne occurs when the oil glands under the skin secretes so much oil that the oil clogs the pores.

This DHT is the bad boy in the chain reaction because it over stimulates the oil glands. They in turn produce too much oil, from the over stimulation.

Once the pores are sufficiently blocked and clogged, whiteheads and blackheads and pimples erupt into acne. So the trick then, is to control DHT isn't it?

At this juncture, I am unsure of the drug used for tackling DHT. In all honesty I don't even know if there is such a drug.

Before I go any further, my hat is off to the fine researchers who sleuthed this entire scenario. I'm a firm believer that acne erupts this way. Far be it from me to disbelieve the scientists. They have so much more education than me.

I do have a question though?

When do they advise to take this acne wonder drug?

When acne appears? In that case it's a bit late.

If they advise to take it on a consistent basis, then I must seriously ask about the side effects?

My friends, lets stop the games, the solution lies in diet.

Look, DHT over stimulates the oil glands in the first place because there is an internal imbalance that needs to be addressed. Address the internal imbalance and DHT will do what it's rightly supposed to do.

In further articles on acne, I will definitely bring to the table various foods that will help with correct internal imbalance. Until then, continue to take in the most potent thing nature has freely provided for us in our battle against acne, water.

If you want to make money in the mailing list business, you should contact the state and federal government for sources of lists. What's available? You wouldn't believe it!

From many states you can get lists of licensed attorneys, accountants, real estate agents, veterinarians, barbers, insurance companies, architects, nursing homes, cosmetologists, social workers, dentist, librarians, psychologist, manufacturers, licensed drivers, businesses, doctors, foreign corporations registered in the state, and many others. There are even 28 states that allow access to driver's license records!

When you're dealing with the government, expect to have to go through several people to finally get to talk with someone knowledgeable about the lists that are available.

This even more of a problem when dealing with the federal government. Again, be persistent. If you believe a particular list is available from the government don't take no for an answer when someone says there isn't such a list. here's a few sources to speed you on your way;

FSS Surplus Personal Property Zone. This is a list of people who have bought auctioned government property from the federal government. It's broken down into several files (regions). An example if region 8-10 consisting of 38,000 buyer addresses. It's available on tape from the General Services Administration for $50.

DOMESTIC MAIL MANUAL. 8,700 paid subscribers to the government's publication on postal regulations. It's available from the government printing office.

CATALOG OF UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS subscriber list. 1400 paid subscribers to this publication which lists monthly government publication. The list is available from the Government Printing Office. Call or write for current price and format.

BUSINESS AMERICA, INTERNATIONAL TRADE subscribers list of nearly 5,000 names and address of people either in export related fields, or expressing an interest. The list is available from the government printing office.

Again, these are just a few of the many, many lists available. Some are free. Most carry a nominal charge. Be sure to specify printed directory, diskettes, or tape format. It is also advisable to inquire and make sure the file you want has the complete name, and address for it to be usable - many files may only have a name and no address.several files (regions). An example if region 8-10 consisting of 38,000 buyer addresses.

Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer

Multi-Level Marketing is a very challenging business. It squeezes the very entrepreneurship in you and aids you in the development of an idea that is truly set for people in this type of industry.

This job line differs in almost any type of marketing strategy for it involves, just like any other type of marketing ventures, dedication and physical hard work.

One would not be able to get the best results and utmost benefits of business strategy if one would just lie down and wait for the future to smile on them.

At this point in time, it is very important to put in mind and clear up issues surrounding MLM.

While the bottom line of perpetuating such business line is through frequent sign ups of prospective authorized dealers and perpetual creation of downlines, it should be clearly noted that effective item sales still comes first before any other business factors.

This article focuses on how one would be able to generate sign ups while lessening or removing the possibility of spending so much on advertising, at the very least, for the purpose of encouraging sign-ups among interested individuals who would like to engage in such business venture.

What is Multi-Level Marketing?

Multi-Level Marketing, matrix marketing, or network marketing (NM) is a type of business paradigm utilizing a host of marketing, direct or indirect, and franchising techniques. It is one of the most leading business sectors in all 50 states of the United States.

Although such enterprise was recently blemished by wide-scale scandals on the payment and the level of business conduct, nevertheless, it still operates as a legitimate industry where individuals earn through buying and selling of their line's market.

Tips on Generating Sign Ups

It is a fact that independent distributors are the primary movers of such this marketing scheme, it is important to understand that it is through them that allows such business to flourish and maintain its relative stability.

The compensation of each member (sellers or distributors) is based on the sales and sign up bonuses for each recruited clients.

The individual sellers are then responsible for generating personal and company revenues through the techniques mentioned above.

Individual Business Operations (IBOs) works on the same strategy as it is passed and technically applied among individual distributors.

In any type of business, especially in the world of affiliate marketing, recruiting downlines (people whom you have recruited and became part of your market tree line) are critical to the improvement of sales through individual and collective sales.

Although advertising is encouraged in the creation of noise and help you from generating and creating your own branch of marketing subordinates, it cannot be denied that it is very expensive and will only even out your earnings.

The following tips provides effective points on how one would be able to encourage and increase your recruitment or sign up rates without having to spend so much money.

Use Your Own Resource ñ Create your own website - The newest online advertising was proven to be more effective than the conventional print advertising.

Since people of today are more apt to go online instead of buying a print magazine or newspaper, given the fact that more than 95% of people in the US have access to Internet connection, it is wise to put in the sweat to advertising online.

This option should not be costly as one may assume for you can create or host your own website without you even spending a single dime on it. Try free web hosting option and get your friends and online readers to get on the business while enjoying other information contained on your own site.

Word of Mouth - Perhaps, there is no other effective way to publicizing your own business venture through the effective, yet, lucrative form of advertising ñ human talk.

People who have a pleasant experience transacting business with you will most likely tell it to somebody who will in some way, be injected with curiosity and eventually take on such new and exciting role and give it a try.

Friends and Family - Your friends and family are the first people whom you will usually convince about in engaging in such activity. They are easy to convince and are always ready to give their all-out support in things that will make you happy.

But it should be emphasized that unless these people are as sales-oriented as you are, it is unwise to engage them in such business activity.

How important is article writing to success in the internet marketing arena?

When I first started online, I thought that I had caught the tail end of the article writing craze and that by now I would have to find another way to promote my web sites.

But I am having most of my success from writing articles. Out of all the advertising I do (Google Adwords, JV giveaways, safe lists, traffic exchanges, and viral list builders), writing articles remains the most profitable - and it costs the least (except for my time).

Based on my results, article writing is very much alive and well today, and my new prediction is that it will be alive and well for some time.

So how do I do it?

1) Write articles about things people want to read about. How do you find out? Go to your favorite article directory and find out which articles are read the most. Simple enough.

2) Write a compelling bio that includes a link to your web site and include it in every article you write.

3) Send your article to all the big article directories.

4) Gear your web site and email campaign to the demographics of your article-reading audience.

5) Rinse, lather, and repeat — ad infinitum.

You've heard variations of that saying your entire life.

Consider:  a marketer to all markets . . . is often a master ofnone.

Personally, I take this risk: as a marketing consultant, I movefrom one market to the next frequently, and I am often involvedin "mass-marketing" - such as with infomercials selling weightloss or cosmetics.

But I definitely prefer niche markets. I specialize, bypreference, in only three or four target markets. I target myown businesses.

And I would suggest to you that the key to risk reduction; tosafety in marketing; to the shortest, most probable path to a win- - - "you can never be specific enough."

I have taught this as "Message-To-Market Match" for over tenyears.  It is absolutely, inarguably proven valid. And, as analmost inviolate rule, the tighter, the more precise, the moreperfect the match is, the better the results.

A Horse Is A Horse, Of Course, Of Course - But . . .

Consider the person who has a new nutritional formula for horses.It improves the overall health, vitality and stamina of thehorse. It can be sold to owners of show horses, thoroughbredracehorses, standard-bred (harness) racehorses, quarter horses,rodeo horses, and so on.

But let's recognize, for example, that people involved withthoroughbreds dislike, distrust and disavow kinship with thoseinvolved with standard-breds. It would be a big error to use thesame message for both. Try crossing over one testimonial andyou'd lose a whole market.

Now, let's take just the thoroughbred market. Trainers whospecialize in bringing along youngsters will respond differentlythan the "journeymen" trainers who work mostly with alreadybroken, older horses.

Trainers who frequent the West Coast tracks do not like the EastCoast guys and vice versa. And, in each case, the more perfectlyI matched my message, my talk, my testimonials, etc. to thespecific sub-sub-sub-section of the market, the better theresults I would get.

This sort of thing exists everywhere.

I used to market a lot to chiropractors. In fact, I built thelargest integrated seminar and publishing company exclusivelyserving chiropractors and dentists in North America, in onlythree years.

There are about 35,000 chiropractors; we did some business withover 10,000 of them — that's 30% market penetration.  But didyou know . . . there are "straight" chiropractors, holisticchiropractors, chiropractors who specialize in work injuries,chiropractors who only use the Activator method. . . that thereare individual constituencies within chiropractic tied todifferent practice management gurus. . . a small number whopractice cooperatively with medical doctors, but most are at warwith medical doctors . . . ?

Well, if you don't know all that, you can't message-to-marketmatch.

And you may go off so half-cocked you get clobbered. This iswhy you or your expert-partner must really know your targetmarket inside out and upside down. And you should still do a tonof homework.  It still amazes me how many people are eager tospend money but too damned lazy to spend a week at the library.

I routinely beat most graphically jazzed up, colorful, slickbrochures with a long-form sales letter. Give me typewriter andI'll give you a sales letter that'll outperform one that wastypeset at much greater cost.  Simple is better.

So the bottom-line is:  Keep it simple and market to as highly-targeted a market as you possible can. You-and your pocketbook-will be glad you did.

Every one of us is exposed to over 3,000 different messages every day. Each one of these is competing for a small slice of our attention.

For your marketing to be effective, it needs to break through this clutter and grab people's attention.

Whether your marketing is through direct mail, bus benches, ads in the phone books, newspaper or elsewhere, you can get better results with better headlines.

The job of a headline is to sell the rest of your ad. It's like having a guy in a gorilla suit on the sidewalk in front of your retail store. It gets people's attention and drags them into your business. (Not that you want a guy in a gorilla suit promoting your business but you get the idea.)

Tips to creating better headlines:

Use words your audience will understand

Keep it short, simple and direct

Make it active

Make it relevant to your product, service or business

Communicate benefits

Make an offer or a declaration

Use a startling statistic or a testimonial

Speak to your audience

Get help or feedback from others

Try different headlines

Advertising is more art than science. You never know what people will respond to until you try. So, try different headlines. Tweak, test and fine-tune constantly.

Experiment. Be creative!

Telemarketers… ooohhh… I'll bet we've all got a nice story to tell about these guys & gals don't we?

Well here's a story i'll never forget and I'll show you how to turn a sales call into a sale for you!

So I'm sitting in my office one day and mind you at the moment I didn't have a helper to screen my call for me and don't you know it, I get a telemarketer.

See, I used to be in a few network marketing programs and I know how hard it is to get rejections on the phone. Some of us take it very personal and some just don't care. But I assert you this, whichever one you are, cold calling isn't an easy business.

When someone calls me to sell me something I will only talk to them if they too will listen to a promotion I'm offering, only fair right? You'd be amazed at how many won't listen to you so why would you listen to them?

I make it a point to tell them that my specialty is promoting and if they want to have any of my time, they will have to listen to me 1st. No exceptions.

So one day, I get this call from this really nice guy who completely understood my deal and accepted to hear what I had to say. Usually, I will pick one of my clients and and only promote that one client to the other person on the phone. Trying to promote 2 or more at a time is like road kill, you don't want to confuse the other person.

With this conversation on the phone with this telemarketer I explain to him that I have a client in the Transport industry and he deals with all kinds of shipping services. What I usually do is ask the other person on the phone if he can recall anyone who mentioned to him that they needed to ship something!!!

With that, this gentlemen on the phone says "I'm actually looking into shipping a small package overseas". Now, I'm fully aware that he can just say whatever he wants and possibly get me to finally listen to him so I immediately conferenced him with the transport company to give them his contact information so that they can send him an information package.

Once the call was complete, I returned the favor for allowing me to discuss one of the promotions my company was taking care of and asked the gentlemen to explain what it was he was calling for. It turns out that he was trying to sell a magazine subscription for health issues. I told him that I wasn't interested but I had a client who was in the health industry so I gave this gentlemen my clients information to contact him

Going back to the transport company, it turned out that the telemarketer actually did take their services and in return the owner of the transport company took a year subscription of the health magazine I told you about!

Now that's not often it happens like the way it did but just remember that telemarketers are people as well and they too also know other people. There's a great book that I feel is of the best on this type of promoting and anyone committed to their sales should read it…

It's called: Endless Referrals By: Bob Burg

"A must read".

So next time a telemarketer calls you, you'll know what to do and if they reject hearing your offer, be kind and let them go!

Hope you've enjoyed my story!

If you are planning to hold an event concurrent with an upcoming trade show exhibit, you need to start by evaluating your company goals and objectives for what you want to achieve in your trade show display appearance. Once you have determined why you are exhibiting, then you will need to match your trade show display with your event in order to seamlessly reinforce the same message. Your trade show event must be fully integrated into your trade show booth's marketing message.

This seems like common sense, but every so often trade show event planning goes haywire. A good example of a mismatched trade show event is holding an elegant black tie affair for your company's computer engineers who live and work every day in sport shirts and jeans.

Karla Krause-Miller, Director, Cappa and Graham, Inc., a professional event planning company in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, offers some important tips for trade show event planning:

1. Decide what type of event you have based on your company's marketing goals and sales objectives. Do you want to have a small, intimate gathering or do you want to have a free- for- all event where you're not selective about screening your guests? If it's the latter, you most likely will see your competition at your trade show event drinking your cocktails and eating your food.

2. Integrate your event well with your trade show display's marketing message to have your happening support the branding of your trade show booth.

3. Know the profile of your trade show attendees and analyze their likes and dislikes before the trade show. Be sure to match the soiree to the comfort level of your group. For example, hot dogs and beer may be fine for a sports- related gathering but is not appropriate with a more formal affair.

4. Make your event inviting, exciting and enticing. Be aware that there are many competing parties going on at trade shows. You are competing with not only trade show management and other trade show exhibitors, but also the city where you are exhibiting in. If that happens to be Las Vegas, then you are up against drawing attendees away from casinos and high caliber entertainment shows at luxury hotels.

5. Be mindful of the time constraints of your guests. If you are arranging a cruise you may have to leave attendees at the dock if they do not have the time for several hours at sea. Better to hold your party at the dock so people can come and go as they please.

Also watch out for breakfast seminars that may be too early for a partying crowd. It is probably safer to have a cocktail reception, but check first with the trade show conference management to see if they have a scheduled an event that conflicts with your time and date.

6. Create buzz and fun into your gathering. Do something different that will stand out. Since people like to get involved, a good idea would be to have your guests dress like characters in old movies, show a Charlie Chaplin film and serve some popcorn. Or rent the local bowling center or skating rink.

7. You do not have to have a big budget to be successful. That's a myth. If you go bowling, you can give away bowling shirts with names that your attendees have selected in advance. Karla Krause-Miller says that at one such event she chose the name "Alley Cat" and wore it bowling and in a group photo of "her team".

By thinking in terms of who your attendees are, and by planning something unusual and fun, you will be able to have a successful event — whether it is close by at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

Remember, when your company exhibits at a trade show and wants to have an event as well, by following the above essential tips of trade show event planning, your preparation and thoughtful planning will pay off handsomely.

What is your marketing IQ? Are you in need of a little help or are you marketing brilliantly? Take the following quick and easy (not to mention enlightening) quiz and find out!

<B>1. What is the best competitive advantage that any business can promote?</B>

a. quality b. service c. price d. None of the above; they are all poor choices

<B>2. What is the most important factor when identifying your market niche?</B>

a. Who you are b. Demographic data c. Psycographic data d. Past economic trends within the targeted niche

<B>3. What are two of the six categories of totally integrated marketing?</B>

a. Advertising and Direct Mail b. Networking and Personal Marketing c. Business Communications and Pricing d. Customer Development and Promotions

<B>4. Of the six marketing categories, how many should you be working at any one time?</B>

a. one b. two c. four d. six

<B>5. How important is the "creative element" in advertising?</B>

a. Most important - its what gets noticed! b. Less than 10% of the impact of an ad is in its creativity c. There are no studies done; we don't know the answer so we have to guess d. Of medium importance; about 50% of the impact of an ad is in its creative factor

<B>. When implementing a direct mail campaign, what is most important?</B>

a. Who you send it to (e.g., the list) b. How many times you send it c. The offer you make in your direct mail piece d. None of the above - they are all equally important!

<B>7. What is the most effective way to start a 1 or 2 person business?</B>

a. advertising b. networking c. part-time d. none of the above

<B>8. What is history's most effective direct mail piece and why?</B>

a. Publisher's Clearing House; it has a highly valuable give-away prize b. Wall Street Journal; it talks about the two brothers who started the paper c. Unknown; it cannot be measured because you can't directly track advertising results d. Time-Life Books direct mail campaign; it has both consistent reach and frequency

<B>9. What two things make a good headline?</B>

a. Large, offset letters and a powerful statement b. White letters in a black box and a question c. A powerful statement and a "yes" question d. There are no guidelines, that's why its difficult to craft a good headline

<B>10. What is the primary purpose of marketing?</B>

a. "Getting your company name out there" b. Generating leads c. Generating profits d. Generating sales

<B>Answers</B> Score one point for each correct answer.

1.d;87% of all businesses promote quality, service, or price as their competitive advantage. Because they do, it is ineffective and you must select another aspect of your business to function as your competitive advantage.

2.a;in almost all cases "who you are" is the most important aspect of determining your market niche; for instance, if you are a CPA and your passionate hobby is riding motorcycles, you would be well advised to target businesses in the motorcycle industry (as opposed to doctors, daycare centers, or other options). Why? Because within the motorcycle industry, you have the asset of "instant rapport"; you "walk their walk, you can talk their talk". (Of course you needn't turn away other business; your marketing dollars are simply spent within your natural market niche).

3.d;customer Development and Promotions are two of the six totally integrated Brilliant Marketing categories.

4.d; six - if you had six horses and you wanted to get from Denver to San Diego, you wouldn't put five horses in the back of the wagon, run one to death, and then put him away and run the next one to death; you'd put all six out in front, to synergistically get you where you are going (efficiently and expediently).

5.b; less than 10% of the impact of any ad is in its creativity (it may get noticed, but if it's difficult to read, or if it doesn't focus on the sell, then it doesn't do you any good!)

6.a; although d would've made a good answer (they are all important), a is technically the correct answer. The list (who you send it to) accounts for up to 60% of the success of a direct mail campaign.

7.b;networking (and it makes perfect sense when you know that 87% of all business is based on repeat or referred transactions).

8.b;the Wall Street Journal created the most successful direct mail piece; it's success is based on the element of rapport which it establishes when discussing the "two brothers".

9.c;a strong headline is either a powerful statement (STOP THE PAIN) or a "yes" question (important for psychological buy-in).

10.c;never ever forget, marketing has one purpose… to generate profits!

<B>Analysis</B>

10 Congratulations! You are Brilliant!

8-9 Excellent! You understand marketing exceptionally well.

5-7 Good; but you will most certainly benefit from additional marketing knowledge; more than likely, you have fallen prey to common marketing myths. Learning the truth will make a huge difference in your marketing results.