Thursday, July 21, 2005

Bulk Email Marketing

There's alot of misconceptions out there about bulk email marketing and I want all of my visitors to be aware and beware of them.

First, the definition of bulk email marketing varies depending on who you ask. Some people refer to it as mass marketing, direct marketing, or opt-in marketing of a product or service to 2 or more people simultaneously via their email address. People who prefer that definition are usually the senders of the email. Others refer to bulk email marketing as SPAM. Those people are usually the recipients of bulk email marketing.

SPAM has grown to be the universal term to describe any unwanted, unethical, or unproductive activity performed on the Internet. In the case of bulk email marketing, SPAM is any unsolicited commercial or junk email.

Commercial email does have its benefits for both businesses and consumers.Getting labeled as a "SPAMMER" can get your business in a whole lot of trouble. It can get all of your company's email addresses blocked from sending any email of any kind to entire email networks (AOL, MSN, YAHOO, etc.). It can get your site blocked by those networks as well. It can get your site banned from the search engines. Finally, it can get your site kicked off of your host's servers.With this information in mind you should really think twice before you send out any advertisements using email. There are many companies online that sell lists of thousands of email addresses claiming that the owners have knowingly and freely "opted-in" to receive unsolicited emails.
hope this helped you

Adsense and Affiliate programs

Google's new adsense is creating alot of interest and many publishers have decided to run with them instead of affiliate program banners. This will begin to hurt some affiliate merchants and certainly the affiliate networks will feel the pain.

But will it be the end of affiliate programs? I think not. I do however predict that in the future we may see more affiliate programs that look for closer ties with their affiliates. I would expect merchants to seek out affiliates that are more like real partners rather than just banner publishers. There are more likely to be more affiliate programs that allow for affiliates to use their own branding.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Want to Create a Free Website? Think Again.

This article may sound a little harsh to some. It's not meant to be as I am just stating the facts from personal experiences. I don't think many people realize the number of disadvantages that go along with free websites. That's why I've written this article.

Don't make the same mistake I did.I vowed to never go the "free route" again. Creating your site from scratch with its own dot com name is affordable and definitely worth the small investment.

It amazes me how many people try to build serious websites with free web host providers. Granted, we all love things in life that are marked "free", but it doesn't always make sense to go that route if it will cost you more in the long run

Parking your site at a free host is like building a house on sand. It may be quick and and it may seem easy at first, but I can almost guarantee you it won't last long.


Disadvantages of Free Web Hosts

1. Limited web page space
2. Can't add interactive features (chat rooms, message boards, games, online ordering etc.)
3. Search engines often ignore them A Huge disadvantage! (Although NOT with me)
4. May have banners and/or pop ads on your homepage and/or all of your pages
5. Long and hard-to-remember web address (instead of yourdomain.com)
6. No guarantees of site availability and longevity
7. No branded emails addresses (you@yourdomain.com)
8. Poor help and support options (if any)
9. May not be free forever

Advantages of Owning Your Own Dot Com Name

1. Easy to remember website address (yourdomain.com)
2. No banners or popups
3. Easier to get listed in search engines (Google, Yahoo etc.)
4. You have more control over the look and feel of your website.
5. Multiple branded email addresses (you@yourdomain.com)
6. Plenty of web page space for site expansion
7. No worries of site being removed unexpectedly
8. Looks more professional and often easier to get listed with search engines (Google)
9. More flexibility for design and functionality
10. Help is readily available.

I have a complete article. If you feel like reading it then mail me on mitanshu dot garg @gmail dot com.

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Finally back to IITR

Finally...Mitanshu has come back to IIT Roorkee.The journey gave me a lot of trouble during my way fom Delhi to Roorkee in a DTC bus. Firstly; the bus was not moving but instead crawling...then it made a huge sound and broke down...waiting on the road 44 Kms. away from Roorkee for another DTC bus was really embarrasing. Then finally one came which maintained the average speed of previous bus but presence of my friend from IIT Roorkee in that bus gave me some relief.Somehow; I reached IIT Roorkee at 5.30 pm and then I went to my new room in Govind Bhawan. Let's see what the destiny has in store for me in my 3rd semester @ IIT Roorkee . Also the wait of all fans of Harry Potter around the world came to an end with the release of Harry Potter and the Half Blodded Prince.

Monday, July 11, 2005

Summer Vacations

With less than 1 week left for new term to begin at IIT Roorkee I am feeling a bit excited as now I would be in 2nd year and a fresh batch of JEE cleared students will be coming a week later.

These vacations were totally different from all the summer breaks that I have spent during my childhood.

I have signed-up with Yahoo!360 on my friend's request.I will continue posting here only although I will try to update that also.