| Sep 26 |
Archive for September, 2009Advertising On Celebrity Fan SitesOnline advertising isn’t quite the same as advertising anywhere else. On the web, ads are everywhere. In fact it is safe to say that the Internet is one gigantic billboard. Online advertising also differs from regular advertising in that glitzy, gimmicky logos or images or even taglines don’t cut it. Usually, the people who use the Internet are looking for specific items of information and just tune out the various gimmicks that companies use for their commercials. This may be because when the net was young and still mostly dial-up, the ads were banner types which were pretty but really heavy. Though broadband has now replaced dial-up, Internet users prefer ads that are light and easy and preferably unobtrusive to their research. What is the same, whether you advertise online or offline is that people connect with people. In general, they respond better to ads that appeal to their values or feature something they can relate to. They relate better to commercials that feature people. For example, if your product is about health care, they are more likely to respond to a doctor than to anyone else. If your product is about basketball shoes, they are more likely to respond to a basketball player. Basically, you choose a spokesperson that your prospective buyers will believe or listen to. The only exception to this rule seems to be celebrities. For some reason, people will believe almost anything celebrities say, whether or not they themselves are suited for the product or not. Now, hiring a celebrity to endorse your product can be a really expensive thing. Most celebrities charge high, after all you are trying to ride on to their popularity. Their manager will make sure that they get the most out of being your commercial model. Unlike regular advertising, however, there is a way to cash in on the popularity of celebrities without having to pay an exorbitant rate. They are called celebrity fan sites. These are sites about a celebrity that may or may not be owned or maintained by the celebrity who is featured. Usually these sites are run by a fan of the celebrity, hence the term celebrity fan site. |
| Sep 25 |
Archive for September, 2009Credit Card Debt HelpMillion of people seek relief from the burdon of credit card debt. Lots of options are available, but if your the one seeking credit card debt relief, you already under pressure. Its difficult enough to deal with the problem without the additional stress of sorting through all the available debt relief choices. Once you come to the realization that you need to reduce and eliminate debt, the next step is to find the right solution for you. The solution that eliminates debt quickly and has the best chance of rapid credit recovery after you get out of debt. Debt consolidation is an option. This credit card debt relief is achieved in one of two ways. Either you work with a consolidation company who contacts all of your creditors for you. They make the arrangement, they collect a payment from you, they dissementate the payment to your assorted creditors. The problem with most of these companies is that they charge huge fees. Many times the first few payments just pay the consolidation company without reducing any of your debt. The calls continue, they debts remain unpaid and you feel ripped off. The second way to consolidate debt is to take out a loan against a secured asset, like your home. There are a number of problems with this idea. You really need to consider the long term consequences. What was an unsecured credit card debt that you were having difficulty paying, is now a debt against a secured asset. Can you pay the increased mortgage? Can you pay it off quickly? Remember the debt isn’t gone, its just part of your mortgage now. Do you still have the credit cards? Will you run the credit cards back up? Will you be able to continue to pay the higher mortgage plus the increasing credit card bills? And lasly, will you just end up in the same situation in the future? |
| Sep 23 |
Archive for September, 2009American Dream Down Payment InitiativeIt is no secret that one of the things that keep the middle class going in our country is home ownership. One program is making the dream come true for more and more people. American Dream Down Payment Initiative On December 16th, 2003, the American Dream Down Payment Initiative was signed into law. After years of debating and rewriting, the initiative finally became a practical, useful program for Americans. The American Dream Down Payment Initiative authorizes up to $200 million annually to be spent between the years 2004 and 2007. The funds are provided to state and local institutions to fund programs that help increase home ownership in the United States. Alas, this is one of the positive ways the government uses our tax dollars! The American Dream Down Payment Initiative was passed with the aim to help increase home ownership in the United States. This initiative is aimed primarily at low income families and minorities, groups that have had traditionally low rates of home ownership. The initiative seeks to help first time homeowners to overcome the two primary problems faced when buying a home: down payment costs and closing costs. The American Dream Down Payment Initiative can be used to help with down payment costs, closing costs, and rehabilitation assistance to any who fall eligible under the initiative. The amount of assistance provided cannot exceed $10,000 or 6 percent of the value of the home, whichever is greater. |
| Sep 19 |
Archive for September, 2009Adventure SnowboardingAdventure Snowboarding |
| Sep 16 |
Archive for September, 2009Action Plan: How to power down your debt NOWIt will take you on average between 25 to 30 years to pay off your credit card at the minimal amount. This will not do. Make a list of all of your credit cards (including all consumer debt such as doctor bills, furniture stores and your home). List the following in columns: the type of credit card, principle amount, regular payment amount, power down payment, interest rate, total number of payments left on the card, estimated payoff date. Put your list in order of how many payments are left from least to most. If you make a minimum payment of $55/month on one of your cards until it is paid off in full, you then have $55/month freed up to add to the minimum monthly payment for the next credit card. After you pay off the second card, the amount you were paying on that one can be applied toward the third card. By doing this, you will decrease the number of years required to pay off your credit cards from approximately 30 years to nine years. Using this strategy, think about the other ways you can free up money. If you spend about $100 at Starbucks each month, think about spending that money toward your credit card payments. |