Watch Michael Wernicke from Wenatex on Channel 9’s “Today” morning program in Australia talk about getting perfect sleep.

Merriam-Webster defines a myth as “a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon.”

It’s been said all myths are based in fact. Whether or not that’s true is debatable. What isn’t debatable, however, is like society, Internet Marketing also has its myths. This article exposes what I consider to be the 10 biggest Internet Marketing myths.

1. You Don’t Need Any Money to Do Business on the Internet

You wouldn’t expect to advertise on TV, radio, in newspapers, magazines, or any other media for free would you? Yet, for some strange reason, people think they can just come online and not spend any money, and advertise their business for free. To me, that shows an utter lack of respect for the single most important communication medium since television.

And while it’s true, there are plenty of free advertising opportunities available on the Internet, the fact remains, you still need money to effectively do business online.

2. Anyone Can Succeed at Internet Marketing

One of my favorite TV shows is Forensic Files. I am absolutely fascinated at how scientists are able to solve crimes with DNA evidence, animal hairs and insect larvae. It’s nothing short of amazing. But I could never be a forensic scientist. I simply don’t have the mental aptitude for it. Forensic scientists have to excel at math and chemistry and science, and quite frankly, those are the subjects I’m weakest at.

The same can be said about Internet Marketing. Despite how easy the slick sales letters and e-books make IM sound, not everyone has the mental aptitude for marketing. And while that may be a hard pill to swallow for many of you reading this, it’s also a fact. Not everyone has what it takes mentally to succeed at Internet Marketing. That’s why people hire marketing consultants like me. (Sorry, I’m not accepting any new clients).

3. You Can Get Rich Quick on the Internet

We’ve all heard the sensationalistic stories about individuals who came online and made a lot money very quickly. Well, sensationalism notwithstanding, those individuals are the exceptions rather than the rule. The fact of the matter is, far more people fail at Internet Marketing than succeed.

Contrary to popular belief, the Internet is not some kind of magic bullet. Besides, it’s not the medium that makes people successful, it’s the individuals themselves. And the people who succeed at the highest level online or offline are generally talented, hard working, organized, focused and determined.

4. People Don’t Read Long Copy on the Internet

If people don’t read long copy on the Internet, who in the heck is reading all those e-books out there in the marketplace? While this myth was disproven years ago, like birtherism, it still persists in the face of overwhelming and irrefutable evidence to the contrary. So, I’m going to attempt to lay it to rest, once and for all.

Research has shown that long copy generally outperforms short copy – provided the copy is compelling, well-written and interesting. And in addition to reading e-books, people regularly read long newspaper and magazine articles online. Bottom line: People WILL read long copy IF the subject matter is interesting to them.

5. All Traffic is Good Traffic

This myth is about as nonsensical as the tooth fairy. Here are the facts: If your traffic is originating from traffic exchanges or guaranteed traffic programs, it’s garbage traffic, plain and simple. And as the saying goes, “garbage in, garbage out!”

If you are advertising on websites, or in publications that have zero relevance to your site, you are pretty much spinning your wheels. And if you’re exchanging links with websites that have absolutely nothing in common with your site, your efforts are going to be futile because that traffic is not going to convert. All traffic is not created equal. Quality and relevance matters!

6. E-mail Marketing is Dead

With the advent of mega-popular social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, alarmists have all but declared e-mail marketing dead and buried. Well, I don’t believe in erroneous declarations. I believe in facts. And here are the facts according to Nielsen…

U.S. consumers are spending more and more of their Internet time on their mobile devices. In fact, e-mail activity on mobile devices increased from 37.4% to 41.6% of U.S. mobile Internet time. And when you consider the fact smartphones now comprise 25% of a gigantic U.S. mobile phone market, there can only be one conclusion… E-mail marketing isn’t dead, its gone mobile!

7. Article Marketing Isn’t as Effective as It Used to Be

That is absolute nonsense! I’m personally experiencing more success with article marketing than I ever have. So too are many of my colleagues. And while it’s true, there are many more people involved in article marketing these days, it’s also true, there are many more bad or poorly written articles permeating the Internet. This has the unintended and beneficial consequence of making well-written, quality articles stand out in the crowd. And trust me, quality publishers do notice.

8. You Need to Be on the First Page of Google to Be Successful

Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, Google is far and away the most popular search engine on the planet. No sane person would dispute that. But Google only has ten spots available on the first page. So, not only is it unrealistic, it’s impossible for everyone to achieve first page status.

But even if it were possible for everyone to achieve first page status, you shouldn’t put all of your eggs in Google’s basket anyway. You’ve seen what can happen when Google has one of its many algorithm changes. First page today, not even indexed tomorrow. That’s why you should strive to have a multi-pronged marketing approach. Utilize a variety of methods to generate traffic.

For example, blogging, newsletters, social networking, article marketing, forum marketing, online and offline advertising, guest blogging, question and answer sites, etc. Diversify.

9. Saturated Niches are No Longer Profitable

This is only true if you don’t know what you’re doing. Let me ask you a question: Have you ever wondered why a particular niche is saturated? It’s because that’s where all the customers are. You see, contrary to popular belief, it really doesn’t matter how saturated or over-crowded a niche is if you’re a professional.

If you know what you’re doing, and execute your marketing strategy properly, there are plenty of customers to go around. You see, it’s how well you position yourself within a particular niche that will determine your success or failure. It’s all about differentiating yourself from your competitors. That’s Marketing 101.

You have to clearly explain to people what makes you different and/or better than your competitors. Then, you have to exploit those differences consistently. So, don’t run away from a crowded niche, embrace it. The Internet Marketing pie is plenty big enough for everybody.

10. If You Build It, They Will Come

Do you know what happens if you build a website and don’t tell anyone about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing will happen.

Unfortunately, far too many marketers think all they have to do is build a website and customers will somehow magically appear at their doorstep. Sorry, it just doesn’t work that way. Building a website is only the first step. You also have to advertise your website to the world – and not just with free advertising methods either. That will only take you so far. You also have to be willing to spend money on paid advertising.

So yes, if you build it, they will come. But only if they know about you!

Source: itNews

Comment: Don’t fall for dodgy ’support’ calls.

On Friday I experienced first-hand the methods by which scammers are attempting to dupe Australians into paying for software to remotely “fix” computers that just ain’t broke.

The call came through to my home office via VoIP, and while I was in no way fooled by the scam, I could well imagine the less computer literate making a horrible mistake – hence my duty to report the experience.

The caller claimed to be from the “computer maintenance department” of a company called “Online PC Manager” (the web site for which can be found here).

According to the caller, I was registered in “Windows Operating Services” (excuse me?) and was being called because of bad data “installed on all Windows computers”.

In a weird twist of logic he asked me if I had a computer, and whether it ran Windows. These people aren’t trained particularly well. But the script does get a little more clever once you buy (or pretend to buy) their story.

The offer of remote support starts with asking the victim to press the Windows button and ‘R’ – which brings up the ‘run’ dialogue.

The victim is then asked to type in ‘inf’, which takes you to a Windows Explorer window listing files used to install the Windows Operating System.

These, the scammer said, are the files slowing down my system, downloaded from “watching videos on the internet”.

He was offering to connect me to a “technician” to fix the problem before I stopped his sales pitch.

Other users have reported being asked to type “prefetch” into the run dialogue and being given a pin number to use in a LogMeIn session to give the ‘technician’ access to the computer.

I didn’t quite let him get that far, as I thought it best to come clean with him, tell him I knew what was going on, and see if I could induce him to tell me who he was working for – it sounded like a crowded call centre in the sub-continent to me. (And mate, if you happen to be reading this, my offer still stands!)

I have included some of the transcript from our conversation on the following page.

But more importantly, what you need to be telling your less tech-savvy friends and relatives is that companies like Microsoft and LogMeIn don’t randomly call home users offering remote support.

Unsolicited “support” calls are most likely a scam,aimed at convincing you to buy security software you don’t need, and maybe even stealing information from your PC.

iTnews journalist Liz Tay gave her mother some great advice on how to deal with these guys. String them along, and just when they think they have a sale, ask if the Windows button is supposed to look like an apple.

What are your tips for dealing with remote support scammers? Comment below.

Scammer: “I am calling with regards to your computer, Sir.”

BW: “My computer?”

Scammer: “Do you have a computer, sir?”

BW: “Yes. Isn’t that what you are calling about?”

Scammer: “Sir, we have information about bad data installed on all Windows computers, sir. We are calling every Windows user.”

BW: “How do you know I use Windows?”

Scammer: “Do you have a computer, sir?”

BW: “I think we established that I do.”

Scammer: “Is it a Windows computer, sir?”

BW: “Yes.”

Scammer: “We are calling you, sir, because you are registered [indecipherable].”

BW: “Sorry, how did you know I use Windows? Where am I registered?”

Scammer: “Because you are registered in Windows Operating Services.”

BW: “What company are you calling from?”

Scammer: “I am calling from Computer Maintenance Department.”

BW: “What company do you call from?”

Scammer: “From Online PC Manager, sir. You can see us on the internet. Do you have an internet browser?”

BW: “Yes.”

Scammer: “Go to www.onlinepcmanager.com ”

BW: “And where is this company based.”

Scammer: “South Erina, Melbourne, Sir.”

BW: “What do you propose to do about this problem with my computer”?

Scammer: “Are you in front of your computer right now?”

BW: “Yes. And it’s a Windows computer!”

Scammer: “See the Windows key on the bottom-left of your keyboard? Press that key and the letter R.”

BW: “Yes.”

Scammer: “What do you see?”

BW: “I see ‘Run’.”

Scammer: “Yes, now is there any text in the box?”

BW: “Yes.”

Scammer: “Delete that text and type “inf”.

BW: “Yes.”

Scammer: “Press enter.”

BW: “Yes.”

Scammer: “What can you see?”

BW: “A file window.”

Scammer: “You see these files? These are harmful files downloaded when you are browsing the internet.”

BW: “Oh, really?”

Scammer: “Yes. When you go on the internet and watch movies and all.”

BW: “I see.”

Scammer: “If you don’t do anything about it, the computer will work very, very slow sir.”

BW: “What do you propose we do about it?”

Scammer: “I’ll go ahead and connect you to a technician and they will help you out.”

BW: “Before you do that. Can I tell you something? I know exactly what this is about. I know that you are being paid to sit in a call centre, somewhere that is not in Melbourne, to make these calls….”

Source: Australian Geographic

These microscopic arachnids are ubiquitous and so numerous that, try as you might, they’re impossible to avoid.

House dust mites (Dermatophagoide) are everywhere, feeding off our skin

TONIGHT, AS YOU SINK wearily into bed, you won’t be alone – even if you’re the only person in the room.

Under your slumbering head, the pillow will teem with potentially thousands of unseen bedmates, feasting on your fallen skin flakes.

The good news is they don’t bite. The bad news is they’ll be procreating, defecating, dying and decomposing in your bedding, couches, carpets and clothes. Essentially, we all spend a good deal of time wallowing in dust-mite filth.

The humble dust mite - the species Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is most common in Australia - is an arachnid, a relative of spiders and ticks. It’s less than half a millimetre long but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in abundance. The detritus in our old pillows is made up mostly of sloughed skin, but the microscopic dust mites, alive and dead, are also there in their thousands, along with mite dung.

CSIRO entomology researcher Dr Matthew Colloff, author of the book Dust Mites, puts the numbers of dead dust mites (only about 5 per cent are alive) in an average bed at between 100,000 and more than 1 million, depending on conditions. “If you’re above 500 mites per gram of dust, which contains skin scales, organic debris, mould, ash, crumbs and all sorts of things, you’re getting into pretty high mite numbers,” explains Matthew.  “The highest ever recorded [level] was about 12,000 per gram. Now, if you make a circle with your thumb and index finger, a gram of dust would fit in there, so imagine 12,000 mites in that kind of space.”

The fact that our skin scales are their main food source means generally, wherever we are, they are, says Dr Peter Dingle, associate professor in health and the environment at Murdoch University’s School of Environmental Science. “We shed literally millions of skin cells every day but they have to be dehydrated and de-fatted by mould,” he explains. “The mites wait for the mould to attack and then they feed on both.”

Read More:  Australian Geographic

Dust Mite Videos

Additional Material

DustMitePaedia | DustMites.org | Wenatex

Bed Bugs

Most organisations can’t take old and used mattresses due to health reasons which is completely understandable given the amount of dust, bedbugs and bacteria an old mattress can harbor.

Flame Retardants

One issue with mattresses is the use of chemical flame retardants, these can prove to be toxic not only to humans but when dumped in landfill.

The chemicals can leach from the mattress and contaminate the wider environment through seepage into groundwater.

Choosing a New Mattress

When shopping for a new mattress, give some thought to what you’re going to do when the new one wears out.

One of the best ways to do this is to avoid mattresses with springs but for an even more environmentally friendly choice, look for mattresses made from materials such as certified wood frames, natural latex cores, wool, bamboo, hemp and organic cotton.

If you have your heart set on a spring mattress, try to locate one that uses recycled steel for the springs.

The use of components such as wool also removes the need for chemical fire retardants to be used.

If your budget isn’t too tight, consider spending a little more on a mattress than you usually would… We spend up to a third of our lives lying on a mattress so you may as well be comfortable!

While environmentally friendly mattresses tend to cost a little more, the added benefit is they can last far longer… A good quality core mattress can last for decades.

Using Silver in Mattresses and Bedding

It is best to purchase a mattress and bedding that uses silver thread or silver zeolite.

Silver has been medically proven to kill bacteria and dust mites and some viruses.

More Info

CBS Atlanta Undercover Investigation Reveals No Oversight of Used Mattress Industry

An exclusive CBS Atlanta undercover investigation found mattresses sold as new were filled with stained, moldy and smelly mattress parts.

CBS Atlanta sent two undercover employees posing as customers into Mattress 4 Sale in Forest Park. The undercover team asked the store manager, Anna Thomas, if the beds were new. Thomas said, “They’re new. Yes, ma’am. We manufacture them ourselves.”

After purchasing two mattresses for $233, CBS Atlanta took them to Champion Cleaning Systems — a professional cleaning company in Sharpsburg.

Certified, master cleaner Jeremy Reets cut the pristine covers off the mattresses revealing dirty, smelly and stained materials underneath. Reets conducted a test revealing one mattress had mold in it.

Reets said he is disgusted by what he found. “If I saw that on the street I wouldn’t touch it much less sleep on it,” said Reets. He said he believes there are unhealthy amounts of bacteria in the mattresses.

Garey Clark of Clark Pest Control couldn’t find evidence of live or dead bed bugs but said it is very possible for bed bugs to be transferred through the use of used mattress materials.

Thomas defended her claim that the mattresses were new. “I tell [customers] they’re new because that’s the best of my knowledge. I’m not going to say they’re refurbished if I don’t know that they are,” said Thomas.

But outside the factory that supplies Mattress 4 Sale stores, CBS Atlanta found piles of used mattresses.

Owner Kamal Shelbayah told CBS Atlanta reporter Jeff Chirico that he reuses old parts to make mattresses he calls “rebuilts.”

Georgia law allows the reuse and resale of mattress parts. Bill Cloud, spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection, said state laws regulating the used mattress industry were repealed in 1996. Part of the repealed laws required mattress manufacturers to sanitize used parts before reusing them.

“As a legislator, I’m appalled at that,” said State Representative Ralph Long III who represents the district in Southwest Atlanta where the mattress factory is located

“People deserve to know what’s inside their mattresses. This is unacceptable,” said Long.

CBS Atlanta’s findings prompted Long to call a meeting with Shelbayah.

“I’m embarrassed to have this in my district,” said Long to Shelbayah. “I saw something I do not want my children sleeping on.”

Shelbayah defended his business. “I don’t sell new mattresses. I sell rebuilt mattress. I manufacture rebuilt mattresses,” said Shelbayah during the meeting. Shelbayah said he is helping those who can’t afford expensive new mattresses by offering rebuilt mattresses at a cheaper price.

While giving CBS Atlanta a tour of his facility, Shelbayah explained how he uses old parts and new material to create rebuilt beds. He said the old parts are sanitized before they’re used.

Shelbayah denied that he or his salespeople are trying to pass the mattresses off as new.

However, the mattresses CBS Atlanta purchased do not have the federally-required tags indicating the beds contain used materials.

Rep. Long said he will introduce legislation to regulate the industry.

– Watch Video Part 1 :  Watch Video Part 2 –

Got this from a friend, who git it from a friend etc…

Seems feasable so I decided to pass it on…

Is this a bullet hole?

Wednesday, I approached my truck from the passenger side to place my computer bag (aka my man purse) on the front passenger seat.

As I reached to open the door I noticed there was a hole right under my door handle.

My first thought was, “someone has shot my truck!”

I began to think about it and inspect it a little closer. Then the ‘light’ slowly began to come on.

I phoned my friend who owns a body shop and asked if he had any vehicles with damage to the doors that looked like a bullet hole.

“Yes, I see it all the time. Thieves have a punch and place it right under the door handle, knock a hole through, reach in and unlock it, just as if they have a key. No alarms, broken glass or anything”.

I then placed a call to my insurance agent and explained it to him. I was puzzled that they left my GPS and all other belongings. Here is where it gets scary!

“Oh no”, he said. “They want the break-in to be so subtle that you don’t even realize it. They look at your GPS to see where ‘home’ is. They know what you drive, so they go to your home and if your vehicle isn’t there, they assume you aren’t either and break in your home.”

He said they can even give you the courtesy of re-locking your doors for you. They will leave a purse or wallet and only take one or two credit cards.

By the time you realize there has been a theft, they may have already had a couple days, or more, to use them.

So, periodically walk around your car; daily – if you are in a shopping centre or other parking area.

Report thefts immediately… your bank w/missing cheque numbers, your credit card agencies, police, and insurance companies, etc. And set your home address for a street nearby.

This is what the hole looks like.

“They” have a new way to rob you now!

This is by far the best explanation of the Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read.

His references to past history are accurate and clear.

Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read.

The  author of this email is said to be Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a well-known and well-respected psychiatrist.

A German’s View on  Islam

A man, whose family was German aristocracy  prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries  and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. ‘Very few people were true Nazis,’ he said, ‘but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many  more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.’

We are told again and again by ‘experts’ and ‘talking heads’ that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to  make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the  spectre of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars  worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter  Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic  wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honour-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the  stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.

The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the ’silent majority,’ is cowed and extraneous.

Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists  were responsible for the murder of about 20 million  people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China’s  huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.

And who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery? Could it not be said that the majority of  Rwandans were ‘peace loving’? History lessons are often incredibly simple and  blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, we often miss the  most basic and uncomplicated of points:

Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant  by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don’t speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians,  Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have – yes that includes us Americans as well – who suffered and died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it  was too late. As for us who watch it all unfold, we must  pay attention to the only group that counts–the fanatics  who threaten our way of life or our lives.

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/

Watching the TV or reading newspapers is one of the most destructive things you can do for your mental and emotional well being but who knows what good may come of this.

Just put your mouse on a city, almost anywhere in the world, and the newspaper headlines pop up.

Double click and the page gets larger.

You can read the entire paper on some if you click on the right place.

You can spend forever here. Also, if you look at the European papers, the far left side of Germany will pop up as The Stars & Stripes (European edition, of course).

AND, this site changes every day with the publication of new editions of the paper.

Through a special agreement with more than 800 newspapers worldwide, the Newseum displays these front pages each day on its website. The front pages are in their original, unedited form, and some may contain material that is deemed objectionable to some visitors. Discretion is advised.

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/

Flying silver carp jump and leap out of the water and into our boat.

Indiana Outdoor Adventure TV hosts Troy McCormick and Mac Spainhour fend off the 20 pound fish as they attack the boaters and provide a boatload of fun and adventure.