Hi All,

I have been adding my site to various free online directories recently. There have been good results so far, but definitely not exceptional! One of the most important (actually THE most important) thing for a website is traffic. Obviously it needs to be quality traffic as well. My buyrefs experience hasn't been that great, massive bounce rate and people only staying for 1-10 seconds. I need to have people stay longer! It seems to only be good for signups, not visitors.

One of the ways I used to generate traffic with other sites was through 'topsite lists' (and that's why I added one to my site). They can bring in a lot of traffic, but I haven't seen to many around these days. Mine is still new, but join if you want to add your site to it!

I have also been hearing a lot about the Best of the Web! directory, so I decided to sign up for their 90 day free trial which I noticed that I get with StartLogic. I am trying to keep my advertising and marketing spend down to a minimum at the moment. Apparently after 90 days it's $29.95/month to be listed in the directory! I signed up through paypal so I can cancel my subscription anytime before the free trial ends.

I'll keep you updated as to whether or not it is worth it to pay money to have your site listed somewhere or not! Does anyone actually go to that site to search and browse? The beauty of tracking statistics means I'll find out over the next 90 days!

One last thing for today! A very good free SEO tool to help you check on how your site is 'doing' which I have discovered today is websitegrader.com It has shown me a few interesting things that I will need to work on over the next few days.

Anyways, have a good day, keep working hard & speak soon!

-Bec

When working from home it is important not to overlook eating healthy and keeping fit! Is it too easy to forget these things when you are at home all day.

The working at home lifestyle is ideal, no more commuting to work, hours of free time to meet friends for lunch, days at the beach and lots of shopping! Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way (at least at the beginning). There is always something to be done to your blog, site or business. You need to keep a routine and part of that is to get some exercise!

Why?

When you work away from home, you have a set routine where you are away from home for 8 hours (or more) a day. You have lunch on your lunch break and dinner when you get home. It is a very structured day! You may then go to the gym, take a bike ride or walk your dog for exercise. You need to make sure that when changing careers to an Internet Marketer or any work from home career, that your fitness and health don't suffer.

For someone that is not used to sitting at the computer all day (and even if you are), it is not the best thing for you! Yes, the computer and internet can be addicting and fun, but you need to know when to stop and do something else. A bit of exercise is perfect, you will come back feeling energized and ready to go.

What should I do?

Everyone is different! I have some friends who are gym junkies! They couldn't imagine a life without the gym 5-6 times per week. I do go to the gym maybe 2 or 3 times a week because I should (but I won't be disappointed if I miss it - which is a bad thing I know!)

We've all heard this before - Find something you enjoy!

I enjoy swimming and I am lucky enough to live a 10 minute walk from the beach, so I like to head down there! Even if I don't go swimming, a nice walk on the soft sand can be a workout in itself! Just remember a health body leads to a healthy mind (and you need that in this business!)

I try to get out of the house at least once per day. If it is nice outside (which it usually is in my adopted home Australia), I try to eat my lunch outside as well to at least get some fresh air. It is great to go outside when you eyes are going buggy and you brain feels ready to explode!

If you start to notice that your health, hygiene or fitness are suffering, ACT NOW! Get up and at least take a walk around the block. Better yet, join a gym so you can have some personal interaction.

When should I exercise?

You need to find the best time for you! Are you a morning person? Do you enjoy exercising when you first wake up? If so, do it then. I personally am not a morning person and it takes me time to wake up. I just like to relax for the first 30 mins I am awake and have a cup of tea and watch the news. A 6:30am exercise session does not fit with me right now as it is the last thing I feel like doing when I wake up. I prefer to go to the gym around 11am. By that time I have woken up and had a good 3-4 hours of work.

I head out for a 30 - 45 minute workout and pick up any groceries or do any errands that may need to be done on the way home. Then I come back home and make lunch which I try to eat outside. I may do some chores that need to be done and then I'm back on the computer around 1pm. This type of schedule may or may not work for you, but it is important you do find something that works and that you enjoy!

The experts say you need at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. Make sure you schedule it in everyday! Your business will thank you for it!

All the best.

-Bec

Hi All,

For the last few days I have been updating the members section of the site. You are now able to see all other registered members and their website details. You have the ability to make 'connections' with other members and take advantage of shared interests. You may submit your link to the public links list as well as add it to the topsites and share in the forum. You can private message other members and create and build your business and community.

Each day, I will be featuring a member in the 'Member Showcase', where other members can find a link to your site. This is all a free service!

On another note I thought I should probably add an 'About Me' section so you can understand a little bit about me. I have been visiting quite a few other blogs recently, mainly through Entrecard as that has become a bit addicting! It is definitely worth the time though to see what is happening in other blogs and get ideas.

Until next time...

-Bec

Hi All,

Well it sure has been a busy day today!

Firstly, I've just signed up with Qassia which is an amazing new Internet Marketer's resource! For the first 12 hours after you sign up you get $500 Qassia dollars for each person who signs up under you. Then $200 for the next 12 hours, then $100 for the time after. I am not quite sure what the dollars will translate into, but they say once beta testing is done there will be a significant reduction in the amount of Qassia dollars they give away.

According to their website,

"Qassia is fantastic because you get credit for sharing your intelligence. The more credit you earn, the better your websites will rank. And you get a backlink to your website for every intel you add - only Qassia gives you unlimited quality backlinks.

Last but not least, Qassia also has the best ad revenue sharing system on the Internet, so in effect you get paid for promoting your websites. Qassia rocks!

The more people join Qassia, the more everyone will benefit, so give Qassia a spin. Signing up takes less than a minute, so you've got nothing to lose."

So please sign up!

Secondly, I've spent some time today updating my Favicon, the little icon you see beside the title of my page, the little 'BL'. I like it, nothing fancy though! What do you think?

I made it in Photoshop, but you can use any image maker to make an image. Then I used this favicon converter which converts the image into the .ico file format. After checking the source file to see where it was,I then uploaded it to my server. If you just have a 'generic' favicon, then you may need to add a simple bit of code to the header. There are some tutorials out there if you search for Favicon.

Thirdly, I've been working a lot on the members section of this site and the features available there with the free membership. Today I've added a 'Members Showcase' section to this page. Each day a random member is chosen to be featured! What are you waiting for? Signing up as a member only takes a couple minutes and gives you full site access.

Speak soon!

-Bec