Bloggers is the blanket term for anyone that uses a blog to post information on topics that are of interest to them. Becoming a blogger is actually simpler than it might seem. As blogging has grown in popularity, many website offer platforms to quickly and easily create a blog.

Some of the most popular blogging software platforms are Blogger, Livejournal, Typepad, Wordpress and Xanga. These websites will host your blog, generally for free, and provide you with the tools to create blog posts without having to know a lot about software.

I recommend using Wordpress. This software is easily installed through your hosting control panel if you are using Watersweb Hosting or Shop Kit Plus. Once it is installed, you can choose from several free themes to install on the site, or you can hire a Wordpress web designer to make the blog match your product selling site.

Popularity: 30% [?]

When you become an affiliate with a specific company, or affiliate program, you are awarded for every visitor, subscriber and/or customer that you provide to the company. Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular forms of business on the web, and an effective way to promote businesses and products.

The basic set up, from the affiliate’s side, goes as follows: You (the Affiliate) find a company or product that you would like to promote. You join the “affiliate program” of the company and receive the tools by which you can send customers to the company’s website. This most often includes a special URL link, which will let the company know that the customer has come from you. You will get credit when people visit the companies website. Details can vary, but in most cases you receive a percentage of the revenue from sales that customers make from following your link.

Alternately, you can setup your own affiliate program, allowing other people to become your sales force in selling your physical products online. You provide them with codes (usually generated by a script) to place on their websites to promote your products. When the affiliate makes a sale, you pay her a commission, usually anywhere from 3 to 10 percent for physical products.

You can see an affiliate program here: Watersweb Affiliates

Popularity: 22% [?]

I was grinning from ear to ear and floating across my office after receiving these comments from a happy customer:

Michelle, Thank you for all of the hard work you put into your business so that I can make mine a success. You are consistent with OUTSTANDING customer service. You are the only company I would ever think of using for SKP, hosting and all the other services you provide like helping us with copy content and how to improve our sites!
Kris Congo-Owner
Punchwork Studio
http://www.punchworkstudio.com

Thank YOU very much, Kris, for being such a great client. I have enjoyed working with you and I wish you all the success you desire.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Watersweb Solutions LLC, distributor of Shop Kit Plus shopping cart software at http://www.shopkitplus.com, announced today that it has significantly lowered prices for the license of its shopping cart software. In some cases, the license is even free!
The popular SKPlus1000 package, now costs $58 for the license fee and $10 per month for hosting. Clients can increase their savings on the license fee by purchasing three-, six- or twelve-month packages. The annual hosting package features a free license and $120 hosting fee, providing the most savings for the package.

“Our costs for the license have gone down, so we decided to pass that savings along to our clients,” said Michelle Waters, owner of Watersweb Solutions, a five-year-old web development and hosting company. “We understand that many of our work at home mom clients are new to home business and don’t have a lot of money to spend on software. We feel that this cost reduction will help more WAHMs realize their dream of making a living while caring for their children.”

The current pricing structure can be seen at:

http://www.shopkitplus.com/index.php/skp_sales_letter/new-pricing

The Shop Kit Plus is a hosted online catalog software that features inventory management, wholesale capabilities, order tracking and affiliate integration. The catalog works with Mals Ecommerce, http://www.mals-e.com, as a backend, featuring multiple payment and shipping options.

Popularity: 34% [?]

WANTED Web Design and Watersweb Solutions LLC joined forces to provide affordable and professional ecommerce services to work at home moms who sell physical products.

Andrea, owner of Wanted Web Design, started her company in May 2006 to help other WAHMs fulfill their desire for a functional and professional looking website at a cost that was easily affordable.

Andrea’s philosophy is: “Never let anything get in the way of the sale,” the ultimate goal of designing websites. Her designs are simple and elegant: Perfect for showcasing your products.

Stop by and take a look at Andrea’s work!

[tags]Wanted Web Design, Watersweb Shops, Shop Kit Plus, ecommerce services, work at home moms, sell physical products online[/tags]

Popularity: 38% [?]

Windows fans make several credible-sounding claims that their software is more secure than Linux. However, an article in The Register, the UK’s biggest techology website whose tagline is “Biting the Hand that Feeds IT,” clearly shows the very opposite as it blasts through many Windows-favorable myths.

The article quells arguments such as:

1. Windows only suffers so many attacks because there are more Windows installations than Linux, therefore Linux would be just as vulnerable if it had as many installations
2. Open source is inherently less secure because malicious hackers can find flaws more easily
3. There are more security alerts for Linux than for Windows, therefore Linux is less secure than Windows
4. There is a longer time between the discovery of a flaw and a patch for the flaw with Linux than with Windows

This article is a must-read for anyone who plans to place sensitive information on the web — or even on a home computer.

NOTE: Watersweb servers are Linux based.

[tags]Linux web hosting[/tags]

Popularity: 17% [?]