Merle's Mission Ezine- July 31, 2009 Issue

The latest issue of my ezine is now online at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/merlesmissionezine/message/6

As usual it's packed full of resources and goodies from around the net that you probably didn't know about but should. If you'd like to subscribe you can do so at my site http://MerlesWorld.com

“Facebook Users Respond to Aging Social Network”

A few years ago Myspace was the king of social media but not today. Facebook has taken over with it's fast growth now claiming to have over 250 million users. Once only used by the young, Facebook's demographics are all over the place from teenagers to the elderly. Listen in on what some Facebook customers had to say about using the service.

More WebProNews Videos

Send & Receive Money with PayPal: "No Computer Required"

Paypal is pretty much the standard online when it comes to buying goods and services. But what about offline? Paypal has decided to combine their service with the mobility of cell phones, calling the new service "Paypal Mobile." It is presently available in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

PayPal Mobile gives you the ability to send people money and also buy things with what they call "Text to Buy." When you see something advertised at an event or in a magazine or even on a poster, if it has "Text to Buy" next to it, you can use your cell phone to purchase it.

So what can you buy? Things like DVD's, CD's, books, electronics, accessories and more. The price of the item includes shipping and any tax. The item is then shipped to the address listed in your Paypal account within one day. Delivery takes about 5 to 7 days. All merchandise is sent by the Merchant, not Paypal.

Here's what the order process looks like:

1) You see something advertised you want to buy with the words "Text to Buy" in the ad.

2) You send a text message with the item code to the number shown in the ad.

3) You'll receive a call back to confirm the order

4) The item ships out

You can also use Paypal's new service to send money. There is no charge to send funds with your cell phone or to receive it if you have a personal Paypal account. Business accounts are charged the
standard rates for receiving payments. Depending on your cell phone and calling plan, you may be charged for your text messaging.

There are two ways to send money with your phone:

1) You text to 729725 (Paypal) With the amount and the recipient's phone number.

Example: Send 10 to 2167804970 (put the recipients phone number here, this is just an example.)

Note: You must use the words "send" and "to"

2) Paypal will call you back and you must enter your secret pin # to confirm.

3) The person you sent the funds to is immediately notified by Paypal and told how to claim their
funds.

The other way to send money is to use their 800 number:

1) Call 800-472-9725

2) Type in your mobile pin #

3) Enter the amount and phone number to send it to when asked.

4) Again, the recipient is notified on how to claim the funds.

To use Paypal Mobile you'll first need to have a Paypal account. Then you'll need to activate your cell phone. To do this you'll need to log into your Paypal account, type in your cell phone number and select a 4 to 8 digit pin number. Paypal will call you to confirm the account.

If you're worried about security, all transactions made with your phone are protected by your unique
mobile pin number and are covered with the same protection you get with your online Paypal account. For more information see...http://tinyurl.com/r97m5

So next time you need to send money with Paypal, or have an urge to buy something,you no longer need to wait until you're in front of a computer with an Internet connection.

With people growing more and more mobile and demanding technology that keeps up with their
busy lifestyle, Paypal now has a place to call home off-line as well as on.

==============================================
"How to Use Articles to Drive Website Traffic".
At last all of the resources you need in this
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Google Voice

Bring all of your phone numbers under one roof....or should I say one number. Very cool.

Want to Catch the Google Wave?

In September Google will be launching its own social networking site called "Google Wave". Invites will be sent to a small group of people to start. If you'd like to be on that list go to this page and fill out the form
https://services.google.com/fb/forms/wavesignup/ or see http://wave.google.com/ for more information.

What is this thing Google calls 'The Wave" from their site, this is how they describe it.

"A wave is equal parts conversation and document. People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more."

You know everything Google does is cool so if you want to get in the doors early make sure you get on the list above. I love Google! All Hail Google!!

"How to Make Your Blog Earn Its Keep"

By Merle http://MerlesWorld.com

If you've been blogging for any length of time, and have built up a nice following, it may have crossed your mind to try and earn some cash from all your efforts. When you can earn an income from something you really enjoy doing, it's a great feeling.

There are plenty of bloggers who are doing it. The question is:  How? There really are a multitude of ways to put this plan into action, and most successful blog owners know this and don't rely on one method but several, in order to get the job done.

Remember, if your blog is new and you haven't established any traffic yet, your main priority should be getting traffic. Without it, any attempt to turn your blog into a cash generator won't work.

Let's take a look at some of the ways to make your blog start earning its keep:

1) Utilize Ad Networks:  Google Adsense is the most popular when it comes to contextual ad networks, but there are many others to choose from such as:

http://www.Widgetbucks.com
http://www.Kontera.com
http://www.Adbrite.com
http://www.Chitika.com
http://www.Bidvertiser.com

Contextual and inline ads are text and/or image ads placed on your blog, and the ads displayed are related to the page content. Money is earned when someone clicks on an ad and visits the website being advertised. You won't get rich from this method, but with a decent amount of traffic it can sometimes be a steady monthly check to look forward to. The trick here is to test to find the best ad placement for the ads.

2) Sell Text Ads: Again, if you don't have a lot of traffic, there won't be many people chomping at the bit to buy an ad on your blog. If you have a decent amount of traffic and your Google page rank is good, you'll find plenty of people who would like to advertise on your blog with a text or image ad.  You can add a graphic to your site that says "advertise here" or use an outside service such as text-ads.com to find possible advertisers for you.

3) Ask for Donations: Another old stand-by is to place a button on your blog where readers can donate any amount of cash they wish. Believe it or not, if people like your posts and are benefiting from them, some will actually want to "tip you" for that information. The easiest way to set this up is to use Paypal. They have a cut and paste button generator for this or you can utilize one of those "buy me a drink" scripts. This is also a great method to employ on your websites and newsletters. For further resources see:

http://tinyurl.com/n9fbuu

http://tinyurl.com/2fv26u

http://tinyurl.com/ku3qx7

4)Affiliate Programs: If you're active online you're probably a member of an affiliate program or two. These are programs that allow you to sign up, they give you a special link to paste on your site, and when someone purchases a product or service through your link, you are compensated. Just make sure you choose affiliate programs that are related to your blog’s topic. There are two ways to approach this: One is to occasionally make a post using your special link, generally like a review. The other is to weave affiliate links into your blog design, usually placed in the right or left hand borders. Make sure you give full disclosure somewhere on your blog or in your disclaimer that you may earn money from some of your postings.

5) Sell Your Own Products:  If you sell your own products or services, why not toot your own horn? Now don't get crazy here. It really isn't all about you, but your readers won't mind an occasional plug or two on your goods. The keyword to keep in mind here is “occasionally”.

6) Blog Review Services:  If you look around the net, you'll find plenty of services where you can sign up and get paid to review an advertiser’s services or products. This is a controversial area. Some say it will ruin your blog's integrity, but if you're selective and only write about things you really believe in, and you’re honest in your reviews, you may want to consider it.

Again, you don't want to make every post on your blog a paid review, but an occasional sprinkle here and there is fine. Again, just make sure to include full disclosure that it's a "sponsored review",
either in the review itself or add it to your blog's disclaimer that some posts may be paid for. This is
generally required by the pay-per-click review services as well as it being the right thing to do to keep  yourself out of "hot water". Here are a few services to consider:

1) http://www.PayPerPost.com
2) http://www.Smorty.com
3) http://www.BuyABlogger.com
4) http://www.Blogsvertise.com
5) http://www.SponsoredReview.com

If you're serious about trying to earn some cash from doing something you love, start out by implementing a few of the suggestions here. Remember, don't put all your eggs in one basket, rather implement a few different strategies for best results.

It really is possible to have your blog earn some cash, but your first priority is good content and traffic. Without these two essentials, your blog may be in the unemployment line sooner than you think.

Baxter Gray- Trying to Hide

You can't escape Baxter!

Gia Serena Giallombardo

Can't a dog get any peace around here?

Baxter Gray

Is this a cute face or what?

SupaLogo- Create Fun Text Logos

Want to have a little text fun? All thumbs when it comes to making cool graphics for your website? Well, that's no longer a problem. Supalogo is a way cool online editor that allows you to create some fun images then download them or embed them on your site, Facebook, or Myspace pages. See the "Merle" image below for an example of what you can create. The size of the text and font are up to you. So go have some fun.....work can wait. Go to http://supalogo.com/

"How to Get Your Blog Published on Amazon's Kindle"

By Merle

When Oprah announced on her show that she "LOVES" Amazon's Kindle, millions of people rushed out to get one. First introduced in 2007, the "Kindle" is Amazon's electronic replacement for books. It's a portable, wireless device that allows you to download books, magazines, newspapers, even blogs instantly and take them with you anywhere.

Since the Kindle can hold over 1,500 books, that's like carrying around an entire library in the palm of your hand.

The wireless connection is built in and provided at no charge by Amazon. There's also a built in browser for viewing websites and reading emails.

Amazon's Kindle Store has over 230,000 ebooks to download, plus U.S. and International newspapers, magazines, even blogs. Almost all of the ebooks sell for $9.99 or less. The latest model is a larger more improved Kindle DX which was made available this year. Boosting a bigger screen and longer battery life, it can even read to you out loud. Now that makes for a nice bedtime story. It also holds over 3,500 books and sells for about $489.00.

The Kindle can also display PDF's which you can transfer from your computer with a USB cable. The older versions of the Kindle could read PDF's and Word documents, but they had to be emailed to Amazon first to convert them to a format readable by the Kindle. This option is still available as well.

So what does all this mean to you? Well, if you're a blog publisher you can now publish your blogs in the Kindle Store where users can subscribe to them for a monthly fee. This is a great way to make some money and increase your subscriber base all at the same time.

First you'll need to go to http://kindlepublishing.amazon.com to set up an account and submit your blogs for approval. Once approved your Blog "goes live" in the Kindle Store within 12 to 48 hours.

The Kindle gives the user full text and images from the blogs they are subscribed to, which unlike an RSS feed only gives you the headlines.

When submitting your blog for approval here's the information you'll need:

1) Blog Title
2) Blog Tagline
3) Description
4) Image from top of your blog (banner or masthead)
5) Screenshot of your blog (optional)
6) Posting Frequency

It's really pretty simple to get your blogs listed.

So how does the payment process work? Good question, nice to see you're paying attention. You'll be paid 30% of the monthly blog subscription price. Amazon sets the price, not you. It's priced on what they think is a "fair value" for their customers. For example, my two blogs were set at $0.99 a month.

All blog subscriptions are free for the first 14 days. Then they're billed at the monthly subscription price.Blogs are wirelessly updated throughout the day.

You'll be paid by check or EFT, your choice. Electronic Funds Transfer has no charge, but if you opt for a paper check and live in the U.S. you'll have an $8.00 fee attached. Payments are sent once your earnings reach $50.00.

If you publish a blog I'd strongly encourage you to get it listed in Amazon's Kindle Store. It won't
cost you a thing but a few minutes of your time and makes for great free exposure..

For more on the Kindle see:

http://tinyurl.com/lqhcug

There's a forum for issues related to Kindle for blogs
at http://forums.kindlecentral.com/forums/index.jspa

Merle’s Mission Newsletter Now Posted Online

The latest issue of Merle’s Mission Ezine is now posted online. If you’d like to receive my monthly ezine in your inbox every month make sure you subscriber over at Yahoo Groups.

This issue focuses on how to get your blog listed in Amazon’s Kindle Store:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/merlesmissionezine/message/5